Scholarships and Stipends

Current students should view their OPUS accounts for scholarship information. For tips on navigating your OPUS account, visit our Current Students guide page.

This page contains information about the types of support offered by the Laney Graduate School, as well as basic information about financial procedures and policies.

Laney Student Support

  • Students enrolled full time in Laney Graduate School doctoral programs are eligible for full or partial tuition scholarships.  
    • In addition, full-time doctoral students may receive stipends from university or external sources, which are paid through the university's payroll system.
    • Special acceptance fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis. Programs nominate students for acceptance fellowships, and nominees are reviewed by faculty committees; applicants do not apply for them directly. Awards are announced to students at the time they are accepted for admission. Information about these fellowships is in the Admissions area, on the Financial Support Overview page.
  • The support available for master's students is generally more limited and varies considerably by program. Some masters programs offer partial tuition scholarships, often on a merit basis. It is best to contact the program to discuss student support.

Tuition Scholarships

  • Tuition scholarships may be partial or full tuition. These scholarships are awards for tuition credits only. They are not cash and cannot be awarded as stipend dollars.
  • Tuition scholarships are disbursed to student accounts in OPUS.

Student Fees Scholarships

  • Some special fellowships, such as the Woodruff Fellowship and Emory Graduate Diversity Fellowship, also provide student fees scholarships.
  • These scholarships are awards for mandatory student fees only (Enrollment fee, Computing Fee, Mental Health and Counseling Fee, Athletic and Recreation Fee, and Activity Fee) for up to the first five years of enrollment. They are not cash and cannot be awarded as stipend dollars.  
  • Student fee scholarships are disbursed to student accounts in OPUS.

Stipends for Doctoral Students

  • The Laney Graduate School offers both a base stipend and acceptance fellowships that carry a higher stipend for doctoral students. Base stipend levels by program and special admissions fellowship supplements are listed in the More Information bar to the right. 
  • Special acceptance fellowships are awarded when students are accepted. Special acceptance fellowship supplements are awarded for up to the first five years of enrollment. Specific programs may offer additional merit-based fellowships; consult the program for more information.
  • Stipends are disbursed monthly, on the last business day of each month, via Direct Deposit. Refer to the Finance Division website and click Payroll for the payroll processing schedule and monthly pay dates.

Health Insurance Subsidies for Doctoral Students

  • Most doctoral students are eligible for a health insurance subsidy for at least the first five years of enrollment. The subsidy covers 100% of the cost of the Emory University Student Health Insurance Plan (EUSHIP) premium. The subsidy is not cash and cannot be awarded as stipend dollars.
  • Specific programs may offer additional years of health insurance subsidies based on additional funding support; consult the program for more information.
  • EUSHIP subsidies are disbursed to student accounts in OPUS.

Financial Policies and Procedures

This information is a summary. For details about policies and procedures, consult the Laney Graduate School Handbook or staff in your program or in the graduate school.

Our Handbook is the authoritative statement of LGS policies and requirements.

View LGS Handbook


Disbursement of Stipend

  • Stipends are disbursed in monthly installments on the last business day of each month. The first stipend disbursement of the academic year is issued in September.
  • To receive funds, all students receiving a stipend must enroll in Direct Deposit. You may set up Direct Deposit online via PeopleSoft HR/Payroll. Visit the Payroll website for instructions on how to set up or update your Direct Deposit information.
  • Several days before funds are deposited into accounts, the Payroll Department will send an email notification that your Pay Advice is ready to view in PeopleSoft HR/Payroll. Visit the Payroll website for more information about the monthly schedule.

Student Support and Tax Liability

  • The stipend portion of a fellowship is generally considered taxable income. Refer to the instructions for reporting fellowships as indicated in IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Higher Education.
  • More information about the tax treatment of scholarships and fellowships is available here. Information about the IRS Form 1098-T is available .
  • This information is not intended as legal or tax advice. Individuals should contact a tax advisor about personal income tax situations.

External Fellowships

  • Should a student be the recipient of an external fellowship or award, LGS requires that these extramural resources be activated and used in lieu of university funding.
  • When the external stipend fully replaces 70% or more of the annual program stipend, the student will receive a $2,000 annual stipend supplement from LGS or partner school. Refer to the Special Funding Requests page for instructions.
  • Extramural funding is funding that replaces institutional funding, and as such it does not extend the years of funding beyond the commitment made at the time of admission. The Directors of Graduate Studies (DGSs) should use the Slate form to submit all additional funding requests. Refer to the Special Funding Requests page under the Additional Funding Requests section for instructions.