Financial Support

Support for graduate students comes from many different sources. Domestic and international students in good standing can expect to receive tuition remission and a stipend.  Students admitted to the PhD program receive full tuition, health insurance coverage, and a 12-month stipend, and students from underrepresented groups may be eligible for other university-wide supplemental fellowships. 

Stipend support is competitive with that at other institutions and provides sufficient funds to live modestly. Stipends may come from research grants held by faculty members, allowing students to collaborate and be paid as research assistants. The university also provides funds for teaching assistants, as well as special fellowships.

All students are encouraged to apply for national awards, fellowships, and scholarships (e.g., NSF Graduate Fellowships). Our students have been remarkably successful at winning these honors.

The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is also affiliated with two diverse training programs supported by the Center for Hearing and Balance and the National Institute on Aging, including the NIA-supported training grant titled “Research Training in Age-Related Cognitive Disorders.” Qualified graduate students are encouraged to discuss relevant and appropriate training grant applications with their advisers. Stipend and tuition remission may be provided to accepted applicants through these and other training programs.

Vivien Thomas PhD Scholars

Viven Thomas in a suit

The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI) is an endowed fellowship program at Johns Hopkins for PhD students in STEM fields. It provides full tuition, stipend, benefits while also providing targeted mentoring, networking, community, and professional development opportunities. Students who have attended a historically black college and university (HBCU) or other minority serving institution (MSI) for undergraduate study are eligible to apply.

More information about the VTSI program is available at this link: https://provost.jhu.edu/about/vivien-thomas-scholars-initiative/.

To be considered for the VTSI, all components of the PhD program application, including VTSI supplemental components must be completed by December 1, 2023. All supplementary application material including letters of recommendation also must be received by December 1.

Need-based Relocation Funds for Incoming Graduate Students

We recognize that it can be financially burdensome to relocate to a new city to attend a Ph.D. program. Students who are accepted to Ph.D. programs at JHU can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to JHU.

These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their Ph.D. program.

This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need.