The program's commitment is to fund students in their first year and to make every effort to provide funding in the second year.  Such funding may involve state support and/or extramural research.  Every effort will be made to fund students for subsequent years in the program; however, such funding is contingent on grant funds and the match of faculty and student research interests. As such, students are encouraged to work with their advisors to secure funding beyond their initial 2 years in the program. 

Even though we cannot guarantee funding after the first year, the program has been successful in funding our students in subsequent years. In the first 5 years of the program, we have successfully funded 81% of our 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th year full-time students. An additional 11% were able to secure their own funding.

A graduate research assistantship...[more] includes a 12-month stipend, 10 credits of tuition remission/semester, and student only health benefits in exchange for 20 hours of work/week on a research project(s) or other duties under the direction of program faculty. 

The Center for Health Program Development and Management (CHPDM) at UMBC, in cooperation with the Doctoral Program in Gerontology, has created a CHPDM Gerontology Fellows Program.  This program provides full-time doctoral students in gerontology an opportunity to participate (20 hours per week) as members of an interdisciplinary team working on Center projects in aging and long-term care.
In addition, the Erickson Foundation funds up to 2 graduate fellows.  Priority for The Erickson Fellowship will be given to students who are entering their second year of study and who have a strong interest in applied gerontologic research.  Joint mentoring by faculty based at the university and foundation, structured seminars, and participation in applied research projects (20 hours per week) will provide opportunities for mastery of research and leadership capabilities, and collaborative work toward a dissertation.

Governmental financial aid, such as educational loans, is available to American citizens only.  To request aid, submit the application form by February 15 to the Financial Aid Office, or online, to the appropriate campus (UMBC at http://www.umbc.edu/financialaid/, or UMB, http://www.umaryland.edu/fin/).  It is best to apply for financial aid simultaneously while applying for the program.  You can always turn down the loan. Students apply for this financial aid annually and the aid begins in the fall semester.  The amount of aid per student varies, depending on his/her degree of financial need. 

Other scholarship/fellowship information is available on the World Wide Web and at public libraries.  International students are encouraged to visit the website of the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors for scholarship/fellowship information.