Financial Support

Unlock the key to your graduate education success with our comprehensive financial support options.

Application Fee Waiver

Application fee waivers are considered on a case-by-case basis for students with financial hardship when funds are available.  If you would like to request a fee waiver, please send a short statement of need along with the concentration that you are applying for and an unofficial transcript to fos@vcu.edu.

Assistantships

All incoming graduate students are automatically considered for teaching assistantships in the Department of Forensic Science and/or the Department of Biology, which provides a stipend in exchange for assisting in laboratory preparation and assistance.

Employment

The department discourages more than 20 hours of employment per week due to the demands of the program, and provides assistance to incoming students in obtaining part-time scientific positions.

Of the past two incoming classes, 83% of graduate forensic science students have been employed part-time in an local scientific laboratory, or paid hourly/contract through teaching or research assistantships. These positions are often available in Department of Forensic Science faculty research laboratories. Forensic science students also regularly teach as adjunct faculty for undergraduate laboratory courses in biology and chemistry.

Scholarships

The scholarships listed below are offered to graduate students through the forensic science department. The majority of them are supported by, or endowed in honor of, former members of our faculty, in a tangible representation of their deep commitment to VCU and to forensic science as discipline.

Other Scholarship Resources

From university-specific scholarships to national awards and grants, there are many options available for students to explore and apply for. We encourage all students to take advantage of these resources and apply for any scholarships for which they may be eligible.