Financial Aid
PhD Students
Doctoral students receive a generous funding package that includes a full tuition scholarship, paid coverage through the Student Health Program (health insurance and mandatory health fee), and a competitive 10-month stipend while they are enrolled and making satisfactory progress toward the PhD degree.
No special application is required for the standard funding award. Funding is offered to every PhD student who is accepted into the program, regardless of the applicant’s citizenship status or background. The stipend is reviewed for possible increase annually, but is not guaranteed beyond the end of the 6th year of study.
The fellowship award comes from the Dean for the first two years (excluding summers). Starting in Year 3, the department (as opposed to the Dean) assumes responsibility for funding, supporting students as research assistants on collaborative medical research grants (e.g., supporting data analyses), our NIEHS-funded training grant (T32) in Environmental Health Biostatistics, and grants supporting the development of statistical methodology (often linked to the student's dissertation research). We attempt to match each student with a project based on the mutual interests of the student and supervising faculty member.
The 10-month stipend is $28,050 for the 2024-2025 academic year (September 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025) and $28,611 for the 2025-2026 academic year (September 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026). While not guaranteed, students may, upon request, receive summer support (July-August) depending on funding availability.
The Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology recognizes the role of participation in scientific meetings and conferences in the professional development of our doctoral students and strongly encourages such participation. Each PhD student may apply for a maximum of $1,500 in support of travel expenses from central departmental funds over the course of their doctoral studies. Funds obtained from other sources, including awards provided directly by conference organizers, will be considered supplemental. Students are also encouraged to apply for travel awards in the School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Since 2023, the University of Rochester has been offering a childcare grant program for full-time PhD students, on University appointments, who are parents of children, newborn through age 6 (“student-parents”). The objective of this pilot program is to provide some financial assistance to PhD students with childcare expenses.
Master's Students
Most students pursuing Master’s degrees are self-funded. Contact the Bursar's Office for current tuition rates and fees.
The Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology offers a limited number of partial tuition scholarships for full-time study. Students will be notified separately if they are selected to receive a M.S. Biostatistics scholarship or M.A. Statistics scholarship.
Federal loans to help cover the costs of graduate study are available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who qualify. In addition, many alternative loans are available to graduate students though private lenders. Full information and application materials are available from the Financial Aid Office.
International students requiring a F-1 student visa will need to provide financial documentation after accepting an admissions offer. Documentation to cover estimated expenses for at least one full year of study, including tuition and living expenses, is required before the Form I-20 will be issued.
It is strongly recommended that applicants identify personal or external funding options while simultaneously pursuing admission to the program, as the process often takes longer than expected.
After arriving in Rochester and beginning courses, Master's students may seek hourly-paid on-campus positions across the University of Rochester through the Student Employment Office.
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