The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently is rated as one of the best buys for an undergraduate education. The same holds true on the graduate level. For the 2007-08 academic year, full-time tuition and fees for in-state graduate students were $8,819.08 and for out-of-state students $21,658.08.
Financial aid information for incoming students:
Roy H. Park Fellowships
The 1997 academic year marked the beginning of the fellowships at the School. Thanks to the Triad Foundation of Ithaca, N.Y., we are able to fund eight new doctoral students and 14 incoming master’s students with handsome stipends, payment of tuition and fees, and money for research and travel to professional and academic conferences. During the 2008-09 academic year, the stipend for doctoral students is $20,500, and master’s students will receive a $14,000 annual stipend. Doctoral student funding extends over the three years of the program (two years of course work and one year for dissertation work), and master’s student funding covers the two years of that program. All Roy H. Park Fellows work as graduate assistants during their time on campus. These are 15-hour work weeks, and assignments vary according to the needs of the School and faculty, and the interests and skill levels of the students. Due to the work requirement of the fellowships and the academic demands of the program, Roy H. Park Fellows may not work outside the School during the academic year. If it becomes necessary for a Roy H. Park Fellow to seek outside employment during the academic year, the student must obtain approval from the associate dean for graduate studies prior to the employment.
In all cases, continuation of funding is dependent on satisfactory progress in the program. Satisfactory academic performance is defined as maintaining a P or better average in all course work. Failure to meet this standard will result in a cessation of funding.
Roy H. Park Fellowships are available only to U.S. citizens. There is no special application for these fellowships. All persons qualified for admission to our program automatically will be considered for Park Foundation Fellowships, but only the most qualified students in terms of GRE scores, grades, and previous professional and academic experience will be chosen.
Richard Cole Eminent Professor Graduate Student Fellowship, which honors former long-term dean, Richard Cole.
The Peter DeWitt Pruden Jr. and Phyllis Harrill Stancill Pruden Fellowship is the first fully endowed graduate fellowship in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The fellowship is awarded with a preference to students from North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia with some evidence of financial need.
The Graduate Dean's Research Assistantship for an incoming master's student with an interest in print journalism. The assistantship provides a generous stipend and pays tuition and student health insurance. It requires the recipient to work 15 hours per week during the academic year as the assistant editor/contributing writer of The Fountain, the Graduate School's donor magazine and is renewable for a second year.
The Graduate Dean's Research Assistantship for an incoming master's student with an interest in public relations. The assistantship provides a generous stipend and pays tuition and student health insurance. It requires the recipient to work 15 hours per week during the academic year as an assistant for development/fundraising, public relations, and writing for the
Web and is renewable for a second year.
The Pfizer Minority Medical Journalism Scholarship was created to improve the depth and quality of reporting of health and medical issues in minority and disadvantaged communities. It provides a master’s student in the medical journalism program with a stipend of $6,000 per semester, tuition and health insurance for four semesters of study. Fees are the student’s responsibility. There is no work requirement associated with this award. Preference is given to minority or disadvantaged students.
Interviews will be required of all applicants who are selected as finalists for any of the above-mentioned funding opportunities. Notification will be sent to those candidates to alert them of the dates of the interviews. Decisions will be made shortly after the interviews, and final notification of selection will be sent as quickly as possible to those chosen to receive funding.
The Graduate School awards a few highly competitive named fellowships and merit assistantships that typically go to Ph.D. students with exceptional qualifications. The School nominates applicants for these awards.
The University’s Scholarships and Student Aid Office allocates student loans and work-study assignments. For more information about such aid possibilities, please contact that office directly: 300 Vance Hall, Campus Box 2300, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-2300; or call (919) 962-8396.
Funded students will receive health insurance through Hill Chesson and Associates (www.hillchesson.com). Students will be covered by health insurance during the length of their funding only. Once a student graduates, insurance coverage will be terminated.
Some of our students hold part-time jobs or work as paid interns during the school year or over the summer. The School’s career services officer works closely with students and employers to identify opportunities that provide students with professional experience as well as income. Occasionally, students in the doctoral program hold part-time jobs teaching journalism at neighboring colleges and universities.
The school offers an annual scholarship, ranging from $4,000 to $8,000, named after North Carolina journalist William F. Clingman, for the study of ethics to current graduate students. Returning master’s students interested in a news-editorial career are eligible for the $1,000 Tom Wicker Scholarship. We also have limited funds available for returning graduate students for thesis or dissertation research through the Eli A. and Minnie S. Rubinstein awards. These awards are by application, and each spring currently enrolled graduate students are invited to apply.
For more information about scholarships and awards available to graduate students in the school, click here.
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Prospective Students 
