• Dean’s fellowships: Fellowship for master’s students. This is probably the most prestigious award and recognizes the very outstanding academic performance of a student who would bring life experiences and background to enrich the GSE community of scholars and the arena of education. Such fabulous work does not have compensation attached, nor do they have to repay any amount. Dean’s fellowships are awarded along with the offer of admission. If fellowship information is not included in the offer letter, a fellowship is not awarded. The award of the fellowship is final and not negotiable.

To be considered: All domestic U.S. and international applications are automatically considered for Dean’s fellowships as part of the application process. There is no further action required. 

• Other GSE funding options: Additional funding from the GSE is reserved for specific populations at the GSE; details regarding consideration for these funds are included in the admission offer.
• Claudio X. González Graduate Student Aid Fund: The fund offers scholarships to selected admitted students of the ICE/IEPA who are citizens of Mexico.
• Lemann Foundation awards: The Lemann Foundation gives complete tuition coverage and most living expenses to selected admitted students of ICE/IEPA, LDT, and joint MA/MBA from Brazil.

No applications are required to be considered for these fellowships. Such applicants will be contacted if they are admitted into the program of interest by a specific fellowship.

Student Aid Loans

Stanford Graduate School’s financial assistance typically refers to student loans from Stanford’s central source of financial aid. Loans are part of the economic plan of most master’s students.

• Federal Direct Loans, direct subsidized, and direct unsubsidized loans as per eligibility. Borrowing limits are set for these loans.
• Over and above any other resources students may have, they can borrow the entire amount up to the student budget level established by Stanford concerning Federal Direct PLUS Loans.
• Many banks and other institutions, such as credit unions, offer private (non-federal) loans– often called alternate loans. A feature of many private loan programs is that the interest rates and terms offer competition with those of most federal loans.

To be considered for student loans: Students can apply for private loans with these provisions: Whereas any student may apply for these alternative loans, only U.S. domestic students are eligible to borrow under the federal loan program, while international students are excluded. Federal loan accessing is done through the central Stanford University Financial Aid Office. By completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Stanford University Graduate Loan Application, students can apply for federal loan access. First, Master’s admitted students wishing to receive an award letter by April 15 should submit their applications for this priority deadline around early to mid-March.

• Knight-Hennessy Scholars program: The KHS Program is preparing future world leaders to confront the most complex challenges that the world will face. The program includes scholarship funding for all attendance expenses for up to a hundred students from around the globe to pursue master’s education at Stanford. 

To be considered for KHS, the interested applicants must apply separately for two applications: an application for KHS for the scholarship and leadership program and a GSE application for their PhD or Master’s course of interest. 

U.S. veterans

Stanford will participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which applies to degree-seeking students. GSE students who qualify for 100% benefits may have the opportunity to receive more funding through the Yellow Ribbon program. Yellow Ribbon matching may change and sometimes replace institutional grants or scholarships for GSE students, as those students receive tuition fellowship funding. Instructions for activating Veteran’s Affairs educational benefits for enrollment at Stanford are on the Office for Military-Affiliated Communities web page, Activate VA Education Benefits at Stanford.

Reference: https://ed.stanford.edu/admissions/financing/masters#:~:text=Financial%20aid%20from%20Stanford%20University&text=At%20the%20graduate%20level%2C%20university,part%20of%20their%20financial%20plan.