Funding

Unless an accepted student has government or other external funding, students accepted to our Ph.D. program are appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), Graduate Research Assistant (GRA, or Graduate Fellow. 

Graduate Assistantships

Students appointed as a Graduate Teaching or Research Assistant are represented by the Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE) union. Assistantships provide full tuition remission, 90% of mandatory term fees, 90% of the cost of the Graduate Employee's monthly insurance premium, and a monthly stipend. Students are responsible for the remaining 10% of the cost of mandatory term fees and monthly insurance premium. 

National Institute of Health T32 Funded Graduate Fellowships

The College of Pharmacy was awarded an NIH T32 grant in 2020 and was renewed in 2024. This grant supports 4-5 graduate students as a Graduate Fellows which includes full tuition, fees, and a monthly stipend.

Scholarships and Awards

The OSU Graduate School Awards include opportunities to apply for competitive scholarships and awards. The majority of these scholarships are for current students (not newly admitted) and require a nomination from the student’s program. 
 
Newly-admitted and continuing OSU students are eligible to apply for scholarships through Scholars Dollars, which is hosted by ScholarshipUniverse. Students must be admitted to OSU and have an active ONID account to be able to log into the system and submit an application. Merit-based, need-based, and activity-based OSU scholarships are available, and OSU ScholarDollars also offers personalized suggestions of external scholarships for which you may be eligible.
 
The Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate program offers additional scholarship opportunities to current students. More information is made available to students during the academic year. 

Graduate Health Insurance

Participation in graduate student health insurance is mandatory for graduate assistants, graduate fellows, and international self or government supported students. Students will be automatically enrolled for coverage on the platinum level medical/dental/vision/prescription medication plan with PacificSource Health Plans. This plan is referred to as the Graduate Student Employee (GSE) Health Plan. 

Graduate assistants and fellows are responsible for 10% of the monthly premium. The portion in which students are responsible is $62.85 per month for the 2023-2024 academic year. Premiums will be deducted pre-tax from graduate assistant paycheck monthly. Premiums will be charged to graduate fellows OSU student account at the end of each month. Graduate fellows are financially responsible for prompt payment of these expenses. Premiums are deducted/charged in the same month for which you have coverage. 

Graduate assistants and fellows eligible for the GSE plan may apply for a waiver to decline coverage if they have an employer group plan that has equal or superior coverage to the PacificSource Health Plan offered by OSU. Waiver applications must meet the waiver criteria to be granted approval by the university.