Internal financial aid is university-based assistance. External financial aid is from outside sources such as government organizations and private institutions. The following is an explanation of these graduate financial aid programs. Internal Sources Internal aid is usually in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships. These are administered either through the graduate dean's office or the specific department in which the student is enrolled, and are subject to the availability of funds.
Fellowships are financial awards that require no service in return.
They provide the cost of the tuition and fees plus a stipend to cover living expenses. Fellowships vary in the number of years of study they will cover, so students should not assume they will receive their awards throughout their graduate studies. Assistantships require recipients to perform a service for the university in exchange for a salary or stipend. In many cases tuition is also provided or waived. Teaching assistantships require students to teach an undergraduate course in their department.