Student Financial Aid

Gift opportunities for student financial aid.

The quality of the Curry School’s programs attracts the best and brightest graduate students across Virginia and the nation. However, the financial aid packages we have been able to offer these talented students is one half to one third of the financial packages offered by our competitor institutions, especially for highly desirable prospective doctoral students. Although some students choose financial sacrifice in return for the excellent education they will receive at Curry, we lose a significant number of top students to schools with better offers.

Financial aid is a special concern for our prospective teachers, as well. The School’s teacher preparation program is considered a national model, especially because of its five-year integrated, dual-degree program. Students earn a bachelor’s from the College and a master’s in teaching from Curry. The strength of the program becomes a barrier to some students, though, because in-state tuition increases by 30% in the fifth year when students become graduates. Simultaneously, students become ineligible for undergraduate financial assistance programs. The gap between the cost of a University of Virginia dual teaching degree and the income these prospective teachers can expect when they graduate can be a deterrent to pursuing a career in education.

We must increase our financial aid significantly through endowed scholarships and fellowships to help offset tuition costs and support research assistantships. Our goal in this Campaign is to add 15 new endowed doctoral student fellowships and at least 15 new endowed scholarships.

Do Some Good!

Gifts to student financial aid will support our commitment to attracting a more diverse pool of talented students who will leverage their scholarly work into educational change.