Financial Support
We guarantee funding for all graduate students in good standing through their first four years on campus.
We aim to fund every student who seeks funding. Our success rate has been excellent, with nearly all of our students funded their entire careers at VCU.
Graduate Teaching Assistantship
The GTA is almost always a nine-month position that pays up to 15 credits (minimum nine per semester) of tuition in the fall and spring semesters. A work assignment for up to 20 hours per week is required. The current GTA rate is $18,000 for nine months. Students are responsible for all fees. A few students may receive a 12-month GTA. This position involves a 12-month work assignment.
12-Month First-Year Assistantship
Only available to first-year students, 12Ms are 12-month positions. They pay for up to 15 credits (minimum nine per semester) of tuition in the fall and spring semesters. A work assignment for up to 20 hours per week is required for the duration of the assistantship, including the summer months. The current 12M rate is $22,600 for 12 months. Students are responsible for all fees. Students who are not Virginia residents will pay out-of-state fees. 12M funding involves summer work assignments and summer pay.
Graduate Research Assistantship
Like a GTA, this is generally a nine-month position that pays up to 15 credits of tuition. The funding comes from a grant or contract. A work assignment for up to 20 hours per week is required. The GRA rate is at the discretion of the principal investigator funding the GRA. Some GRAs will pay for fees (see pertinent PI for details).
Hourly Employee
This funding is for an hourly position only, usually paid via a grant or contract (though in some instances, the department hires hourly workers). Students are responsible for tuition and all fees, unless the principal investigator has stated otherwise.
Scholarships
The scholarships listed below are offered to graduate students through the Department of Psychology. The majority of them are supported by, or endowed in honor of, former members of our faculty, in a tangible representation of their deep commitment to VCU and to psychology as discipline.
The scholarship was established jointly by the Department of Psychology and University Counseling Services to honor John (Jack) Corazzini, Ph.D., director of counseling services and a professor in the Department of Psychology. Corazzini was active in research on and theorizing about the dynamics of therapy groups. He was both a scientist and a practitioner. The purpose of the award is to encourage and facilitate the work of graduate students who share the late Dr. Jack Corazzini’s interest in group processes, group dynamics and group counseling therapy. The award is given annually to a graduate student who has demonstrated interest in group processes, group dynamics, and/or group counseling and therapy (courses, experiences, supervised practice, research or scholarship) and will present a proposal for a research project on one of these topics. The project may or may not be intended to satisfy a graduate degree requirement such as a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Applicants should submit a vita delineating training, skills and accomplishments to date.
Established in memoriam in 1990 by the family of Deborah Braffman Schroeder, a former Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology, this scholarship is awarded to a graduate student in clinical psychology. Preference is given to students who pursue research in psychology.
Apply for the Deborah Braffman Schroeder Research Scholarship.
The Dr. Peter Zucker Scholarship shall provide one scholarship per year for one Department of Psychology graduate student who plans to or has undertaken study in psychology (counseling, clinical, health). The selected student must have a GPA of 3.5 or greater to be considered. Preference will be given to a student who has taken or plans to take classes through the VCU School of Business or the VCU College of Health Professions Master of Health Administration program, or who has earned a certificate in a related program. The intent of this scholarship is to prepare a psychology graduate student for a career in behavioral healthcare management, healthcare management, executive consulting and/or leadership, or similar fields of study and practice. Suggested interdisciplinary courses may include business management, organization development or leadership, operations management, accounting, policy and law, ethics, management practicum or internships, or other related courses.
Dr. Elizabeth A. Fries (1963-2005) was a VCU associate professor of psychology, co-director of cancer control at the VCU Massey Cancer Center and a nationally respected cancer control researcher. She was also the director of research for the VCU Institute for Women’s Health, a National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. The focus of her work was on reducing cancer-causing behaviors and increasing adherence to health promoting behaviors, such as cancer screening, exercise, abstaining from tobacco and consuming a healthy diet. This scholarship will be awarded yearly to one VCU graduate student presently enrolled in a doctoral degree program in psychology, and who is involved in cancer control and prevention research areas. The successful candidate should be active in the field of cancer control and prevention and have the potential to serve as a leader and role model to others working in this area. This scholarship will be awarded to the student to further professional development. The successful student must use the scholarship for cancer control and prevention activities including, but not limited to: (1) traveling to conferences and presenting cancer control and prevention-related research results; (2) attending specialized training in cancer control; (3) gathering data to further cancer control research; and/or (4) developing and implementing a cancer control and prevention community-based project.
Established by an anonymous donor in 1998 in honor of Evelyn E. Gunst, this scholarship is awarded to a master’s-level graduate student in the Department of Psychology.
This scholarship was established in 1989 in honor of John P. Hill, Ph.D., former Department of Psychology chair and internationally acclaimed scholar in the field of adolescence. The award is given each year to a graduate student in psychology who exhibits high academic standards and evidence of promise in research in adolescent or family development. Students are nominated by faculty and submit a vita showing research, teaching and service.
Apply for the John P. Hill Award for the Study of Adolescent Development.