Washington University is committed to funding most Ph.D. students for 4-7 years, depending on the time needed to complete their particular program. Funding typically consists of full tuition remission and 9-12 months of assistantship pay or fellowship stipend to defray living expenses. The amounts and vehicles of financial support for graduate students are usually decided by individual Schools. Monetary support may come from the University or from outside sources, and it may be administered by an individual faculty member or by the staff of the program or School. Very few aspects of graduate student financial aid are fully centralized.

The majority of full-time students receive financial support through financial assistance, teaching or research assistantships, grants, loans, or Federal Work Study Program opportunities. Financial assistance in the form of fellowships and traineeships is offered annually on a competitive basis through the Graduate School from government, private, unrestricted or endowed sources. Also available are scholarships, teaching assistantships, fellowships, research assistantships and clinical internships in applied social sciences; grants and fellowships in national competition and loans.

Specific information may be obtained from the departmental or administrative unit to which the student intends to apply.