Funding Assistance

More than 80 percent of IDCE students do receive some form of merit based partial financial aid toward tuition. There are three main ways to pay for your graduate education:

1. IDCE Fellowships

IDCE offers full and several partial merit-based tuition fellowships. IDCE Fellowship recipients have demonstrated leadership in their work experience and have excellent academic qualifications. Merit-based IDCE Fellowships are awarded students irrespective of nationality.

IDCE Fellows: IDCE Fellows are an important circle of scholars within the IDCE community. Fellows are outstanding in their search for thoughtful, realistic, and innovative approaches to international development, advancing social change, building community, and promoting environmental sustainability.

IDCE fellows play a critical role in bridging all four IDCE graduate programs. As part of their responsibilities, IDCE Fellows agree to:

• mentor IDCE undergraduate and graduate students at Clark with advice on research, internships, and other academic pursuits,
• coordinate a series of speakers or film presentations to address issues pertinent to IDCE students,
• and facilitate IDCE-wide community engagement in other creative ways.

Read more about the IDCE Fellows.

PEACE CORPS FELLOWSHIPS
IDCE actively recruits RPCVs to our programs and provides generous fellowship opportunities. If you are looking to bridge your practical experience with theory, IDCE could be the right place for you.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Fellowships: IDCE provides partial tuition fellowships worth at least 40 percent tuition remission (more than $20,000 at current tuition rates) to all RPCVs admitted to one of IDCE’s graduate programs. Additionally, each year, IDCE awards at least one full tuition-free competitive fellowship for a RPCV of extraordinary merit. Please check the appropriate box on the IDCE application to be considered for these fellowships; there is not a separate application. Applicants must provide some form of verification of service at the time of the application in order to waive the application fee.

AMERICORPS/TEACH FOR AMERICA/WORLD TEACH ALUMNI FELLOWSHIPS

AmeriCorps Alumni Fellowships: IDCE provides partial tuition fellowships worth at least 40 percent tuition remission (more than $20,000 at current tuition rates) to all AmeriCorps alumni admitted to one of IDCE’s graduate programs. This fellowship includes and often exceeds the match provided by the AmeriCorps education award. Additionally, each year, IDCE awards at least one full tuition-free competitive fellowship for an AmeriCorps alum of extraordinary merit. Please check the appropriate box on the IDCE application to be considered for these fellowships; there is not a separate application. Applicants must provide some form of verification of service at the time of the application in order to waive the application fee.

Teach For America Fellowships: IDCE provides partial tuition fellowships to all TFA alumni admitted to one of IDCE’s graduate programs. This award will be worth at least 40 percent tuition remission (more than $20,000 at current tuition rates) for up to two years in which the student is enrolled in the department. Please check the appropriate box on the IDCE application to be considered for these fellowships; there is not a separate application.

World Teach Fellowships: IDCE provides partial tuition fellowships to all admitted World Teach alumni. Please check the appropriate box on the IDCE application to be considered for these fellowships; there is not a separate application.

CDP FELLOWSHIPS

CDP Practice Fellowship:  IDCE annually awards one 100 percent tuition fellowship to an admitted student who has worked in a non-profit setting for more than three years. Preference will be given to a current City of Worcester or Greater Worcester-area nonprofit organization employee. Other qualifying applicants may receive at least 40 percent tuition remission (more than $20,000 at current tuition rates).

CDP Diversity Fellowship: IDCE annually awards one 100 percent tuition fellowship to an admitted student from an underrepresented ethnic or racial group in the U.S. Other qualifying applicants may receive at least 40 percent tuition remission (more than $20,000 at current tuition rates).

COMPTON FELLOWSHIPS

In the past, IDCE students have been awarded Environment and Sustainable Development Fellowships from the Compton Foundation. The award enables each student to carry out a research project on a theme related to integrating environmental management and sustainable development. Typically, there are four available fellowships for each incoming class (valued at $10,000 each). The primary goals of the Compton Graduate Fellowship Program are to increase and enhance professional capacity in developing countries in the fields of peace and security, population and reproductive health, and environment and sustainability; and to promote research-based linkages between these three fields. IDCE uses the Compton Fellowships to support early to mid-career professionals from sub-Saharan Africa, Mexico, and Central America. In order to accomplish these goals, the Foundation supports nine graduate programs, including IDCE, which have achieved excellence, offer an interdisciplinary curriculum, and have a record of attracting students committed to returning to their home regions to conduct their research and pursue their careers. For more information, visit our Compton ESD page.

Other IDCE Merit-based IDCE Fellowships: These generally range between 35 percent to 100 percent of tuition and are awarded to outstanding applicants.

Harry and Elizabeth Schwarz Award: The Harry and Elizabeth Schwarz Award is awarded alternately to a second-year IDSC international student who has demonstrated promise in implementing sustainable solutions to problems of development and to a U.S. national in the ES&P Program who has demonstrated potential for improving domestic environment.

Teaching and Research Assistantships (TA/RA positions)
There are a limited number of teaching and research assistantships available each semester. These are announced to current students via email during the first week of classes each semester. Positions are applied for by emailing a resume and cover letter detailing the applicant's relevant experience to the IDCE Office. It is not possible to apply in advance for any TA or RA position. You must wait until you have arrived on campus. Hours of work required and salary offered are determined by the University.

2. External Fellowships and Grants

Fellowships and Scholarships for related course of study for US citizens and permanent residents

Scholarship Information for U.S. Students

Scholarships and Resources for GIS Students
USDA NASS Graduate Scholarship Program: Several scholarships are being sponsored by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). This program is designed to recruit Asian Pacific Americans to work for the USDA after completion of graduate course work in particular disciplines, and will be administered under the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP). Geographic Information Systems/Remote Sensing is an eligible field of study.

American Association of University Women: Educational Foundation Fellowships and Grants
AmeriCorps
Beinecke Scholarship Program
EPA Minority Academic Institutions (MAI) Fellowships for Graduate Environmental Study, U.S. Environmental Protection   Agency, Office of Research and Development
The Ford Foundation
Japan Inter-American Development Bank Scholarship Program
The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans
The Gates Millennium Scholars
UNESCO
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Graduate Fellowships for Beginning and First-Year Graduate Students

Fellowships and Scholarships for related course of study for international students

Scholarship Information for International Students

US Network for Education Information

Advanced Training for Leadership and Skills (ATLAS)
Aga Khan Foundation
AMIDEAST Foundation
American Association of University Women: International Fellowships
Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program
Fulbright
International Research & Exchange Board
Leo S. Rowe Pan American Fund
Namibian Government Scholarship & Training Program (NGST)
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships
PEO Sisterhood
Soros Supplementary Grants Program
The E8 Scholarship Program
The Inter-American Bank Scholarships
The Ford Foundation
UNESCO
The World Bank

Apply early! For international students, there are more funding opportunities if you apply when you are working or living in your home country.

Fellowships/Scholarships Online Databases

Wired Scholar.com
College Board.com
Collegenet.com
Community of Science, Inc.
Edu Pass
FastWeb Scholarship Search
FastAid.com
Fellowships at Gradschool.com
Financial Aid for Foreign Nationals studying in the United States
International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search
Kachinatech
Princeton Review
Scholarship Resources Network

3. Loans

The Office of Financial Assistance's goal is to make a Clark education affordable. The cost of higher education is an issue for everyone considering college. While the quality of a Clark education is truly outstanding, the cost can seem overwhelming initially. The Office of Financial Assistance works closely with families to explore a range of financial options to help make the Clark experience a reality for every talented student who believes Clark is the right fit for them.

You may wish to read the following warnings about scam loans: www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/index.html and www.finaid.org/scholarships/scams.phtml.

Helpful Hints for Funding

If you're even considering graduate school, start looking for funding now! The most important advice IDCE can provide is that students, especially international students, should be searching and applying for funding at the same time they are researching and applying to graduate programs. Often by the time acceptance letters are sent (by Clark or any other academic institution), application deadlines for grant and other funding programs have passed. Apply to as many sources of funding for which you are qualified.

More than 80 percent of IDCE students do receive some form of merit-based partial financial aid toward tuition. Tuition fellowships do not cover living expenses, which amounts approximately $1,000 a month. Students receiving tuition fellowships need to identify additional sources of funds to cover their living expenses.

International applicants are encouraged to inquire about financial support from NGOs and government funding agencies.

Students at IDCE fund their education using a combination of sources including grants, fellowships and loans. IDCE provides merit-based support through tuition fellowships and Research and Teaching Assistantships. Students have also received external grants through agencies including Fulbright, Association of American University Women, E7 and the Ford Foundation. A complementary source has been subsidized education loans.

Graduate Tuition and Other Fees

Tuition Costs for Academic Year 2009-2010

Cost varies each year. For Fall 2009, tuition fee per course is $4,362.50. Tuition costs are likely to increase by approximately 5 percent every year as determined by the Board of Trustees.

Other Fees

Graduation Fee: $100

Payable at the time the thesis or dissertation is submitted to IDCE. Extra bound copies of theses and dissertations are $13.

Nonresident Fee: $400

Payable Aug. 1 and Dec. 1: $200 per semester. All degree candidates who are not formally enrolled in coursework must pay the nonresident fee each semester until the final copy of the thesis or dissertation is approved. If these fees are not paid by the close of the fiscal year, the student will be dropped from the program. (Fees double after three years.)

Disclaimer: This website contains references and links to other Internet sites. Please note that IDCE and Clark University are not associated with these websites and does not endorse or vouch for the accuracy of any of the information contained in such websites.