Financial Aid

Various forms of Financial Aid are available to the doctoral student. From the traditional government subsidized loans to private sector scholarships, avenues for assistance are available.

Assistantships - a limited number of assistantships are available through the consortium. To apply for an assistantship, please fill out and mail in the UAMS Graduate School Application and Application for Graduate Assistantship.

Loans - Federal and State financial aid in the form of student loans are available to doctoral students. To apply for these, students must go through the UAMS Financial Aid Office.

Institutions' Student Support for Research:

Private Sector Support and Assistance

The following list includes known scholarships, loans, etc. available through the private sector. These may be based on academics, need and/or merit.

American Speech-Language-Hearing-Foundation (ASHF) - Each year the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHF) offers several scholarship and grant competitions to graduate students and new researchers in the field of communication sciences and disorders. Up to ten Graduate Student Scholarships are available annually for master's or doctoral level students studying audiology or speech language pathology. Of the ten scholarships, one gives priority to a student with a disability, one gives priority to an international student studying in the US, and one gives priority to a US citizen who is a member of an ethnic or racial minority group. The scholarships range between $2,000 and $4,000. Scholarships and grants available for doctoral students include:

Research Scholarships:

New Investigators Research Grant - New scientists earning their latest degree in communication sciences within the last 5 years are eligible to compete for $5,000 grants to pursue research in audiology or speech-language pathology. Supported in part by Psi Iota Xi National Philanthropic Organization. Grants include optional supplemental funding enhancements provided by ASHA Special Interest Divisions 2, 3, 4, and 13. Click here for application.

Student Research Grant in Audiology - Master's and doctoral students in communication sciences and disorders desiring to conduct research in audiology are eligible to compete for a $2,000 grant for a proposed 1-year study. Supported by the Ira M. Ventry and Brad W. Friedrich Memorial Funds. Click here for application.

Student Research Grant in Early Childhood Language Development - Master's and doctoral students in communication sciences and disorders desiring to conduct research in early childhood language development are eligible to compete for a $2,000 grant for a proposed 1-year study. Supported by the Arlene M. Matkin Memorial Fund and ASHA Special Interest Division 1. Click here for application.

Clinical Research Grant - Scientists with a research doctorate within the discipline of communication sciences and disorders are eligible to compete for $50,000 - $75,000 grants to support investigations that will advance knowledge of the efficacy of treatment and assessment practices. Project funding is available for mentored treatment research, independent treatment research, or collaborative treatment research as specified in grant guidelines.

New Century Scholars Research Grant - Scientists with research doctorate within the discipline of communication sciences and disorders are eligible to compete for $10,000 grants to support innovative studies or unmet research needs. Click here for application.

Research Grant in Speech Science - Individuals having received a doctoral degree within the last 5 years who wish to further research activities in the areas of speech communication are eligible to compete for a $5,000 grant supported by the Dennis Klatt Memorial Fund. The competition is held every other year. It is not open to students.

Graduate Scholarships:

New Century Scholars Doctoral Scholarships - These $10,000 doctoral scholarships support strong doctoral candidates who will commit to attaining the research doctoral degree and to working in a higher education academic community in the field of communication sciences and disorders in the United States. Click here for application.

Graduate Student Scholarships - Full-time master's or doctoral students in communication sciences and disorders programs demonstrating outstanding academic achievement are eligible to compete for $4,000 scholarships. Supported in part by Psi Iota Xi National Philanthropic Organization and the Marni Reisberg Memorial Fund. Up to seven scholarships are offered annually.

Student with a Disability Scholarship - Full-time graduate students with a disability who are enrolled in a communication sciences and disorders program and demonstrate outstanding academic achievement are eligible to compete for a $4,000 scholarship. Supported by the American Business Clubs and the Leslie Londer Fund.

Minority Student Scholarship - Racial/ethnic minority students who are U.S. citizens and who are accepted for graduate study in audiology or speech-language pathology are eligible to compete for a $4,000 scholarship. Supported by the Foundation's Minority Scholarship Fund.

International Student Scholarship - Full-time international/minority graduate students studying communication sciences and disorders in the United States and demonstrating outstanding academic achievement are eligible to compete for a $4,000 scholarship. Supported by the Kala Singh Memorial Fund.

Others:

Advancing Academic-Research Careers (AARC) - The AARC award program is aimed at reducing the shortage of PhD-level faculty in the Communication Sciences and Disorders discipline by encouraging new faculty who are at the beginning of their academic-research careers to remain in higher education. Recipients will use the award monies for activities such as mentoring. Click here for application.

Students Preparing for Academic-Research Careers (SPARC) - The SPARC award is designed as a strategy to promote PhD career development for communication sciences and disorders undergraduate and graduate students. Recipients will use the award monies to provide opportunities such as enhanced educational mentorship experiences that prepare students for successful PhD education and academic careers, travel to enhance research exposure, and research training under a mentor. Click here for application.

The Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD) - Two awards are given for the conduct of student research and are supported jointly by Thomson Delmar Learning and the CAPCSD. One award is in the area of AuD research and the second is in the area of Ph.D. research.

National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, Graduate Scholarship Program (NAJA) - Begun in 1962, the NAJA Scholarship Program has awarded more than 418 grants totaling over $831,790.00 for graduate study in fields which address the special needs of children and youth. Scholarships are awarded each April. If more than one scholarship year is required to complete studies, the recipient may reapply, provided all previous agreements have been fulfilled satisfactorily. Qualifications:

Must work or plan to work directly with children

Pursue graduate level studies for one year in fields which address the special needs of children and youth.

A U.S. Citizen and a permanent resident of a state with a Junior Auxiliary Chapter.

Planning to attend a U.S. college or university for full-time or part-time study.

Sertoma Scholarship for Study of Communicative Disorders - The $1,000 Scholarship is for graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in audiology or speech-language pathology from institutions in the U.S. Sertoma provides more funds nationally for graduate level study in communicative disorders than any other single organization. Click here for application.

Qualifications:

Must be a citizen of the United States of America.

Must be accepted into a graduate level program in speech language pathology and/or audiology at a college or university in the United States, accredited by ASHA’s Council on Academic Accreditation.

Must have a minimum cumulative 3.2 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate and graduate level course work. Include the fall semester 2006 in your calculations.

Must submit application and all required materials in single envelope by deadline date.

ASHA Award Programs - To help foster leadership and promote careers in academia and research, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) announces the Call for Applications for the Student Research Travel Award , the Advancing Academic-Research Careers — AARC Award, the Students Preparing for Academic & Research Careers — SPARC Award, and the Minority Student Leadership Program. These opportunities are available to undergraduate, Master’s, AuD, and PhD students enrolled in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) programs; postdoctoral fellows; and new faculty. Visit 2008 ASHA Award Programs for application, deadline and submission information.

Minority Fellowship - The Acoustical Society of America established a Minority Fellowship in 1992 with the goal of supporting minority students in their pursuit of graduate-level degrees in acoustics. Click here for application.

Raymond H. Stetson Scholarship in Phonetics and Speech Science - This scholarship, which was established through a grant to the Acoustical Society Foundation in 1998, honors the memory of Professor Raymond H. Stetson, a pioneer investigator in phonetics and speech science. Its purpose is to facilitate the research efforts of promising graduate students and postgraduates. Click here for application.

Dissertation Fellowships - Dissertation Fellowships are available to women who will complete their dissertation writing between April 1, 2009, and June 30, 2009. To qualify, applicants must have completed all course work, passed all required preliminary examinations, and received approval for their research proposal or plan by Nov. 15, 2007. Students holding any fellowship for writing a dissertation in the year prior to the AAUW Educational Foundation fellowship year are not eligible. Open to applicants in all fields of study, except engineering. Scholars engaged in researching gender issues are encouraged to apply. Visit American Association of University Women for application, deadline and submission information.

Trevor Leeker Scholarship - The Trevor Leeker Scholarship is for a graduate student in the medical field that will be working with special needs children. A minimum 3.5 GPA is required. The essays will decide who is awarded the scholarship and will be judged by a various group of Krabbe Famillies and Trevor’s parents. This award is a one time scholarship.

UALR * UAMS * UCA