Grants and Scholarships

Apply and earn funding through University grants, school-based aid programs, awards and external funding opportunities.

University Aid

The University offers several scholarships throughout the year that are suitable for graduate students. These scholarships will be announced to departments and students will be invited to apply.

Pitt2Pitt Funding
Graduating Pitt undergraduates and alumni of an undergraduate program at Pitt can receive a Pitt2Pitt tuition scholarship when they enroll in a participating Pitt graduate or professional program. 

Pitt Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship
A one-time $5,000 scholarship awarded to graduate students who also completed their undergraduate degree at Pitt. 

The George L. Carson Graduate Fellowship for Pitt Alumni
Awarded to a graduate student who was affiliated with a Pitt athletics program as an undergraduate. Applications will be available in February and are typically due May 1. Contact the Student Life and Compliance Office in the Athletics Department with questions.

Owens Fellowship
A needs-based fellowship (approximately $6,000 per year) that can be used for tuition, books, and living expenses. Copies of GRE scores or other standardized test scores may be required. Applications are available in early May. Login to my.pitt.edu and go to the PittFund$Me link, for applications and information.

Provost’s Development Fund
A needs- and merit-based grant for doctoral students intended to provide financial support and professional development for women and disadvantaged students. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Applicants must also be in the final year of their doctoral program, having completed all required coursework and working on their dissertation. Contact Linda Williams-Moore for more information.

K. Leroy Irvis Fellowships
In 1994, the University of Pittsburgh established the K. Leroy Irvis Fellowships to enhance the academic excellence and diversity of Pitt's graduate student body and prepare doctoral students for academic research careers. Each year, schools select distinguished doctoral applicants who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement to participate in this prestigious program, which provides a non-duty bearing fellowship for the student's first year of doctoral study as well as academic guidance and cohort-based mentoring throughout the student's doctoral studies.

Pitt Public Health Aid

Pitt Public Health offers several awards to incoming and current students.

Dean’s Endowed Doctoral Awards
For AY2024-25, two awards per department will be provided to doctoral students for professional or conference-related travel. Students are selected by their departments based on diversity, need, merit, and service.

Dr. Edgar and Lauraine Duncan Awards
For AY2024-25, one award per department will be provided to master's students for professional or conference-related travel. Students are selected by their departments based on diversity, need, and merit.

Bernard D. Goldstein Student Award in Environmental Health Disparities and in Public Health Practice
For students or postdoctoral fellows studying either environmental causes of health disparities or the practice of public health. This award is administered in alternate years by the Center for Health Equity (even-numbered years) and the Center for Public Health Practice (odd-numbered years). Students must apply to be considered. Applications are typically due in the fall term.

William T. Green Award

A $750 award to support research and special projects for currently enrolled Pitt Public Health students. Awards are typically given once in fall and spring terms. 

Health Justice Scholars

The Health Justice Scholars Program supports the development of Pitt Public Health scholars who have interests and/or projects in health equity and justice.

Russell Rule Rycheck Award

The Rycheck Award gives to a Pitt Public Health student pursuing an MPH degree and committed to the practice of public health a $500 award that will enable the student to develop further skills and competencies for the “professional bag.”

Pitt Public Health Futures and Department Achievement Awards
Master’s applicants are considered for partial tuition awards during the admission review process and are notified of scholarships at the time of acceptance. Awards are based on full-time enrollment as a Pitt Public Health master’s degree student. Some exclusions apply. Please refer to note below.

AmeriCorps Awards
Pitt Public Health recognizes participation in the AmeriCorps. U.S. students who successfully complete at least one year of service with the AmeriCorps, and indicate this service in their SOPHAS application, are automatically considered for an increased Pitt Public Health Futures Award, pending confirmation of service.

NoteGenetic Counseling MS and MS/MPH and Multidisciplinary MPH applicants, as well as joint degree and accelerated applicants, are excluded from Pitt Public Health Futures, AmeriCorps, and Department Achievement Awards. In addition, students using Pitt educational benefits (e.g., full-time Pitt employees, their spouses, or their dependents) and students on athletic scholarships are not eligible for these awards.

Travel Awards for Conferences and International Study

Pitt Public Health Support

Student Government Association
Students can apply for modest travel awards from the Student Government Association. Grant requests will only be honored for travel that has not occurred yet, and reimbursement requests must be made within 30 days of the receipt. Applications are available from the office of student affairs or here. 

University Support

Foreign Language Area Studies
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education with the intent of promoting the study of a modern, European foreign language within a cultural, scientific, or historical framework. Fellowships are awarded annually for summer and academic year study. Submit an application to Pitt Public Health, and we will then select nominees and forward them to the University Center for International Studies. 

Graduate and Professional Student Government
Grant support for travel to academic and professional conferences. Applicants are eligible for one grant per fiscal year (July 1–June 30), and funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Nationality Rooms Scholarships
These scholarships reflect decades of work honoring education through cultural exchange. After the Nationality Rooms were built in Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning, committees stayed together to raise funds enabling eligible Pitt students to study abroad, thereby experiencing another culture in depth. There are several different awards available. 

University Center for International Study Scholarships
The Pitt Study Abroad Office offers a central listing of the range of scholarship possibilities available to help defray the cost of a study abroad program. Scholarships are managed by academic departments and schools such as the Center for Global Health or the College of General Studies. 

Women’s Studies Student Research Fund
Awards of up to $1,000 to support travel expenses, clerical support, research materials, or other direct costs for research related to the study of women, gender, and/or sexuality. 

External Sources

Fulbright Fellowship Program
Grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English teaching assistantships. During their program, fellows will meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of a host country, sharing daily experiences.

Fulbright Hays
Funding for students wishing to conduct their doctoral dissertations abroad. 

George Mitchell Scholarship
National scholarship for students interested in pursuing one year of graduate work in an institution of higher education in Ireland or Northern Ireland. 

International Education Financial Aid
Information on financial aid for U.S. and international students wishing to study abroad. 

External Sources

These organizations may have financial aid programs for public health students. Students can find listings of internship, fellowship, and post-doc opportunities in Handshake.

Public Health Air Force Federal Student Financial Assistance Ford Foundation
American Heart Association American Association of University Women American Society for Microbiology
Society for Toxicology American Cancer Society American Chemical Society
Jewish Scholarship Service National Cancer Institute National Science Foundation
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Alma Adams Scholarship for Outreach and Health Communication National Institutes of Health Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Society for Epidemiologic Research Society for Public Health Education Scholarships Soros Scholarship for New Americans
Evalee Schwarz Charitable Trust for Education Institute Of Current World Affairs Fellowships Ruth Kirschstein National Research Service Awards
Ruth Taylor Award for Residents of Westchester County, NY Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Pittsburgh Young Professionals Fund
Truman Foundation Scholarships Davis-Putter Scholarships Institute for Human Studies
Udall Environmental Fellowship Strong Arm Leukemia Scholarship Boren Fellowships
American Medical Writers Association Scholarship International Scholarships finaid
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Departmental Awards

Each department offers a few scholarships for graduate students. Read more about those options within the departmental sections: 

Behavioral and Community Health Sciences
Biostatistics
Environmental and Occupational Health
Epidemiology
Health Policy and Management
Human Genetics
Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

Awards Can Affect Loan Eligibility

The University recalculates a student’s loan eligibility whenever additional financial aid appears in the student financial system.

New aid may result in a reduction or total cancellation of loan eligibility, including an obligation to immediately repay all or part of a loan already disbursed.

If you receive a scholarship, you may want to schedule a meeting with a loan counselor in the University’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid and ask for a recalculation of your loan eligibility.