Graduate student funding

The Cronkite School provides more than $1 million per year in financial support for graduate students through a variety of scholarship, assistantship and fellowship opportunities. All applicants to the Cronkite School’s on-campus master’s programs (in Phoenix or Los Angeles) are considered for merit-based funding, with priority granted to candidates who complete program applications before Dec. 1.

Applicants to Cronkite graduate programs may use Arizona State University’s Tuition Estimator to estimate the cost of Cronkite School programs. Students should plan for 12-15 credits per semester for a total of three semesters. Summer credits may have a different cost than estimates for fall and spring.

ASU strongly encourages all students to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to begin the financial aid process. Instructions and steps to complete the FAFSA and the financial aid process can be found here: https://tuition.asu.edu/financial-aid. Typically, students eligible for federal student aid will primarily be offered student loans to help fund their graduate education. 

Graduate assistantships

Assistantship packages include full tuition, health benefits and a stipend ($12,293/semester) for the first two semesters. Graduate assistantship packages also cover tuition for the third semester of the program. During those two semesters, graduate assistants work 20 hours per week for the school. Because of the demands of the capstone experience, graduate assistants do not take on work hours or receive a stipend in the third semester.

Graduate assistants may be assigned to work in a variety of capacities based on interests and previous professional experiences. Assignments may include working with:

• Faculty conducting academic research (research assistantship)
• Faculty teaching online courses (teaching assistantship)
• The Cronkite Digital Audiences Lab
• The Cronkite School Southwest Borderlands Initiative 
• The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism
• The National Center on Disability and Journalism
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Reporting Initiative
  

Graduate scholarships and fellowships

Scholarships and fellowships just for Cronkite graduate students provide varying financial support and opportunities for professional experience. 

Cronkite/ICT Fellowship
The Cronkite/ICT fellowship supports a master’s student focused on coverage in Indigenous communities. Cronkite/ICT fellows work 15 hours per week for ICT (formerly Indian Country Today), and they receive compensation equivalent to a graduate assistantship: full tuition, health benefits and a stipend ($13,272 per semester) for the first two semesters and a full tuition scholarship for the third semester of the program.

Investigative reporting fellowships
The Cronkite School offers fellowships for four students each year completing the Master of Arts in Investigative Journalism program. These fellowships include full tuition, student fees, health insurance and a stipend of $8,500 per semester for three semesters.

Investigative reporting graduate scholarships
The Cronkite School offers several partial-tuition scholarships for students in the Master of Arts in Investigative Journalism program. These scholarships typically total $10,000 over the course of the program.

Paul D. Coverdell Fellowships for Returning Peace Corps Volunteers
The Cronkite School supports up to two returning Peace Corps volunteers per year pursuing a graduate degree. The Cronkite School Coverdell Fellowship is the equivalent of a graduate assistantship for the first two semesters of the program, including full tuition, health insurance premiums and a stipend, and receive full tuition coverage in the third semester. As part of the fellowship, students spend 15 hours per week at an internship focused on helping underserved communities for the first two semesters of the program.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Reporting graduate scholarships
The Cronkite School offers several Robert Wood Johnson Foundation scholarships for students interested in reporting on health disparities. These scholarships typically total $10,000 over the course of the program.

Tom and Helen Tarbox Scholarship
The Tarbox Scholarship funds up to $25,000 in graduate tuition assistance per academic year. This is the only Cronkite graduate scholarship that requires an additional application. All students who have initiated or completed the graduate application will receive a notification in the spring when the application has been posted.

Scholarships for continuing Cronkite students

The Cronkite School uses the ASU Scholarship Universe platform to list scholarships made possible by the generous donations of Cronkite alumni, local media companies and organizations, and other benefactors who want to help Cronkite students complete their education.

The Cronkite Scholarship General Application opens on November 1 and closes on January 31. All continuing on-campus undergraduate and graduate students should apply first to the Cronkite Scholarship Common Application, then use the ASU Scholarship Universe platform to review matches to other available Cronkite Scholarship opportunities based on various student eligibility criteria.