Thursday 27 December 2018

Fully Funded Masters Degree Scholarship in Computer Science in the United States

There are very few Universities in the United States that offer full funding or scholarships to masters students in Computer Science from the first semester. Ph.D. applicants are usually given priority for funding or scholarships. If you apply to top research universities, you may be offered funding or scholarships, usually in your second semester but for some applicants, getting fully funded or a scholarship from the first semester is very important else they would not be able to pursue their master's degree in the United States because of the cost.

What is funding and how does it work?

Funding or scholarships usually comes in form of Teaching Assistantship (TA) or a Research Assistantship(RA). In the case of a Teaching Assistantship, in addition to your graduate school work, you would be required to perform tasks such as grading tests and quizzes, assisting undergraduate students in the lab and so on while in the case of a Research Assistantship you would be required to assist a Professor in his/her research work by doing tasks like simulations, writing programming code, setting up experiments and so on. Both RA's and TA's are usually expected to work for 15 to 20 hours a week.

What expenses does full funding or scholarships usually cover?

Tuition (Full funding usually comes with a full tuition waiver). Students that fully funded also get stipends that would cover accommodation, feeding, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses.

What expenses does full funding or scholarships NOT usually cover?


  • Visa Fees
  • Flight tickets
  • Student Fees

Most funding or scholarships goes to Ph.D. students. Unlike masters students, Ph.D.'s are usually funded from the first semester. So if funding or a scholarship is a priority then you may consider applying directly to a Ph.D. program. Most Universities in the United States do not require a masters degree to apply for their Ph.D. Program. But Ph.D. Programs in Top Universities are insanely competitive and most people who apply do not get in.

Here are some Universities in the United States that give full funding or scholarships to Computer Science masters students from the first semester. The list is not exhaustive and would be updated as time goes on.
  1. Florida State University
  2. Bowling Green State University
  3. Austin Peay State University
  4. Ball State University
  5. East Tennessee State University
  6. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
  7. Auburn University
  8. Middle Tennessee State University

What criteria's do these Universities consider before they give funding or scholarships to Masters students?

  • Time of Application: Many Universities give funding or scholarships to qualified applicants on a first-come-first-serve basis. If funding or a scholarship is very important to you, then you are advised to apply early. Funding and scholarships are limited and not every qualified applicant may get it. Apply early!
  • GPA: 3.0+ / 4
  • GRE: 160+ Q, 150+ V, 4+ AWA
  • TOEFL: 100+ (with 23+ in the speaking section for TA's)
  • Past Teaching Experience for TA's
  • Past Research Experience for RA's
It is really advisable to contact the departments to inquire about the situation of funding or scholarships before applying. Go to departmental websites and find the Graduate coordinator and ask questions. They are there to answer your questions. For those interested in a Research Assistantship, it is usually advisable to contact Professors in the department that you share research interest with, share your ideas with them, tell them you would love to work with them and ask them if they would be able to fund you. You just might get lucky. Good luck.

Related Posts
How To Know if a Department has Full Scholarship or Graduate Assistantship for Master's Students
Fully Funded Masters Degree Scholarship In Canada

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My name is Solomon Ubani, I'm a computer scientist. I have few years of programming experience. I am happy to learn from you.