Most incoming students receive financial support, primarily in the form of teaching and research assistantships or University fellowships. Currently, the department guarantees newly admitted students internal academic-year support for at least 5 years providing that they maintain good standing in the program. Internal support beyond 5 years is decided by the area into which the student is admitted and, although not guaranteed, typically continues for students making satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree requirements. Stipends usually increase annually. No additional application is required for financial support offered through the department. Major sources of support are described more fully below.
Department Awards for Graduate Research Innovation
To support efforts at a particularly critical time in your career, the department will provide up to $1,000 (per project) to students in their 2nd, 3rd or 4th years in our program to support empirical research projects that are not part of a student’s thesis or dissertation project. Individual and collaborative projects are welcome.
To apply for these funds, simply send a one-page document summarizing your research idea and proposed budget (up to $1,000) to the Director of Graduate Studies. Please also include in your document your year in the program and confirm that the proposed project is not part of your thesis or dissertation.
Students are limited to two awards. There will be two competitions for these funds each academic year, one in the Fall with a September 10th deadline, and one in the Spring with a January 30th deadline.
Graduate Research Assistantships
A faculty member with an extramural (e.g., federally funded) research grant can offer half- or quarter-time research assistantships to students who work with them as their major professor. Students supported in this fashion are expected to conduct the ongoing research project(s) from which their financial support is derived for an amount of time comparable to that described for teaching assistantships.
Extramural Fellowships
Incoming and continuing students can also apply for individual predoctoral training awards from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. These fellowships provide 12-month support and fee remission and have award periods of up to 3 years. Unlike the sources of support described above, these fellowships require a separate application to the awarding agency by the student with a letter of support from the major professor. Additional information about the application process can be obtained directly from the agency:
For currently enrolled students, Purdue awards a number of Fellowship Incentive grants on a competitive basis for students applying for extramural support from selected agencies or programs.
The American Psychological Foundation also offers a variety of awards and grants each year. The APA Science Council web page offers links to these opportunities and can be found at: http://www.apa.org/about/awards/index.aspx.
Department Travel Support
Graduate students in good standing in Psychological Sciences who are in their first six years of training will be eligible for department support per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) to support their travel to a conference (or conferences) where they will be presenting their research. The funding amount for 2024-25 is $800. Both primary authors and supporting authors are eligible for the award. In addition, first year graduate students who wish to attend a conference but will not be a primary or supporting author may still be eligible for the support. To receive reimbursement of conference expenses, each student needs to provide the business office with:
- Complete a Travel Request in Concur at least two weeks prior to the conference and before booking travel.
- Evidence that his or her paper or poster was accepted for presentation at the conference (e.g., confirmation e-mail, copy of the program, etc.), unless the student is a non-presenting first year student.
- Evidence of conference registration.