At USC Rossier, we are committed to helping students identify resources to fund their education. Both general and program-specific scholarships are available. While students may be automatically considered for some USC scholarships upon application, some scholarships require their own separate application. Review the list below and consult your program admissions director about additional resources for which you may qualify. Additional scholarships are listed on the USC Rossier Online site.
For more information on financing your graduate education, view our blog post, How to Pay for Grad School.
USC Rossier*
Funding Source
Criteria Overview
Deadline Month
Amount
USC Rossier Scholars
Candidates are selected by USC Rossier faculty and staff from a competitive pool. Selection is based on a comprehensive review of the admission application materials and interview if applicable. In addition to academic merits, candidates are assessed on qualities aligned with the mission of USC Rossier School of Education.
A separate scholarship application is not necessary. Scholarship recipients will be notified upon admission. These scholarships are awarded upon admission and only available for incoming graduate or professional students for use in the current academic year.
March
Varies
Leo F. Buscaglia Endowed Fellowship
Named for a well-respected scholar and USC alumnus, the Buscaglia Fellowship is for qualified admitted MAT students who attended a Title I high school and plan to begin their teaching career in an urban school. Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) applicants to USC Rossier on-campus programs are eligible to apply. The scholarship application will be sent once the MAT program application is complete.
This scholarship was established in memory of Kelsey P. Dresser, a promising first-year Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) student who was dedicated to helping others. The scholarship is awarded to one MFT student each year, based on merit. The scholarship recipient will be notified upon admission; no application is necessary.
This scholarship is awarded to USC undergraduate and graduate students of exceptional academic merit who demonstrated a commitment to serving the Asian Pacific community. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic merit and demonstration of financial need.
This scholarship is awarded to USC undergraduate and graduate students who exemplify commitment and identification with the African-American community. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic and personal merit, and demonstrated involvement within the African-American community.
The scholarships are awarded to USC undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate academic achievement and a strong commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, regardless of gender or sexual identity.
The scholarship is awarded to USC undergrduate and graduate students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the Latino/Hispanic community, as well as leadership aptitude and exceptional academic and professional potential.
The Staff Assembly Scholarship recognizes USC Staff members who best represent the USC staff community and who are also currently pursuing a degree at the university. The award can be applied towards tuition fees not covered by the University’s Tuition Assistance Benefit (TAB) program or other education-related expenses.
This scholarship is for students with high financial need who demonstrate an extraordinary level of community awareness in their pursuit of higher education at USC.
This scholarship is awarded to full-time incoming or current USC undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate academic strengths, leadership, and community involvement. Recipients must be a permanent resident of California and a U.S. citizen.
December
$10,000
External Fellowships, Grants and Scholarships – All Programs
This scholarship is awarded to entering undergraduate and graduate students. Recipients must be full-time students who are legally blind and involved in their school/local community.
This scholarship is awarded to aspiring undergraduate and graduate students pursuing careers that impact the public good. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic merit and financial need. They must demonstrate leadership potential and commitment to contribute their academic and professional development toward the advancement of the public good.
This scholarship is awarded to Native American students of any age, any tribe and in any state striving to get an education at the undergraduate or graduate levels. All awards are judged based on financial need and academic achievement.
Awarding three (3) students an individual prize of $3000, this competitive scholarship is available to full-time college students with low visual acuity who meet academic guidelines.
This scholarship is awarded to full-time students with Korean heritage studying in the United States regardless of citizenship status (including Korean Nationals).
The Fund awards grants to persons entering a wide range of careers. However, preference will be given to those who can satisfy high scholastic requirements and are considering careers in education.
This scholarship is awarded to remarkable service members, veterans, and military spouses as they look to begin their next chapter as public and private sector leaders. Recipients must demonstrate clear academic goals, extraordinary leadership potential, and a deep desire to create positive change.
Provides financial assistance to students who are interested in pursuing master level degrees related to Community Counseling, Marriage and Family Counseling, Counseling Psychology, Guidance Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, and Clinical Psychology.
The Violet and Cyril Franks Scholarship supports graduate students and their scholarly projects that use a psychological perspective to help understand and reduce stigma associated with mental illness.
One-time award for licensed marriage and family therapists pursuing advanced training in an accredited or approved degree program in marriage or family therapy.
Provides financial assistance to a student from an underrepresented ethnic population for admission into an MA, MS, or Ph.D. program which will qualify for licensure as a marriage and family therapist.
November
Varies
Master of Arts in Teaching
Scholarship Name
Information
Deadline Month
Amount
USC Presidential Teaching Scholarship
The USC Presidential Teaching Scholarship is awarded to incoming USC Rossier on-campus Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) students selected by the USC Rossier scholarship committee. A separate scholarship application is not necessary. Scholarship recipients will be notified upon admission.
February
Full Tuition
Pass the Torch Teacher Scholarships
Teacher’s Test Prep offers two $5,000 scholarships: one to an aspiring elementary school teacher and one to an aspiring secondary school teacher. Funds are awarded directly to the recipient to help pay for living expenses that financial aid typically doesn’t cover so students can focus more time on preparing to become a credentialed teacher.
To qualify, applicants must be enrolled in a teacher preparation program in the US for the 2022-23 academic year and be able to demonstrate financial need. Note that they will request evidence of financial need, such as the receipt of Federal Student Aid, when notifying finalists.
The ACS-Hach Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Scholarship is awarded to recent graduates and graduate students with limited work experience and an interest in becoming high school chemistry teachers.
The ACS-Hach Second Career Teacher Scholarship is awarded to professionals in the chemistry field pursuing new careers as high school chemistry teachers.
U.S. citizens who demonstrate a commitment to civic responsibilities and to professional and collegial activities and who qualify for admission with graduate standing at an accredited U.S. university that offers a qualifying master’s degree program are eligible to apply. Applicants must be committed to teaching American history, American government, or civics classes where you will teach topics on the Constitution full-time in grades 7–12.
March
Up to $24,000, prorated over the period of study, not exceeding $12,000 for one academic year of study.
The AFCEA Educational Foundation is offering competitive based scholarships to students actively pursuing a graduate degree or credential/licensure for the purpose of teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) subjects at a U.S. school in grades K-12.
Newberry Teacher Fellowships offer educators from the Chicago area the opportunity to curate digital collections and create teaching resources based on primary source research at the Newberry.
Sponsored by Ron Chang Lee, this award was created in 2018 to honor three TESOL members who have achieved excellence through the implementation of technology in teaching ESL/EFL.
The grants are designed to support foundational research that promotes high-quality language assessment related to young English learners between the ages of 8 and 16.
These fellowships of $25,000 each are designed to contribute to the support of the doctoral candidate to enable him or her to complete the thesis in a timely manner and are only appropriate for students approaching the final year of their Ph.D. work.
The Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Applicants should be individuals with evidence of superior academic achievement and committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level in the U.S.
The purpose of this Fellowship program is to recognize and assist students whose scholastic achievements reflect Professor Von Karman’s high standards. DeKarman fellowships are open to PhD students in any discipline, including international students, who are currently enrolled in certain California universities. Special consideration will be given to applicants in the Humanities.
These programs seek applicants who are interested in pursuing scientific research under the guidance of ETS researchers and psychometricians. Applicants should have a background in at least one of the following research areas:
Psychology
Education
Assessment, Measurement and Psychometrics
Statistics and Data Science
Natural Language Processing and Computational Linguistics
Speech Recognition and Processing
February
$6,000, plus housing and a transportation allowance
Each year applicants who have been advanced to candidacy in legitimate PhD or EdD programs are invited to submit proposals for Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDGs).
*Notice to USC employees and family immediate members: If an applicant receives USC employee benefits, tuition awards, research assistantships or graduate employment through USC, or outside sources that, when combined with a scholarships award are greater than the amount of tuition, the recipient must forfeit part or all of the scholarship award, depending on the size of the other award(s). For more information on the education benefit please visit: https://employees.usc.edu/tuition-assistance-employees/