Financial Resources & Prior Experience

The 2020-2021 IU General Scholarship Application will open in September. You can access this application by logging into One.IU and clicking on the “IU Scholarships” icon. Once you submit the General Application, please review awards that display in the “Other Recommended Opportunities” list and apply to additional awards by the appropriate deadlines.

Students should submit the IU General Scholarship Application by March 10 for maximum funding consideration.

This fellowship will be awarded to master's students on a competitive basis who plan to pursue a unique, self-directed summer experience abroad. Current master’s students with at least nine hours of graduate coursework completed are eligible to compete for awards of up to $2,500 each. These awards will support a self-directed project to pursue relevant international, experiential, and/or academic opportunities.

Applications for the Spring 2020 INEF are due on Friday, March 27th at 12 PM!

For application materials and any questions about this fellowship opportunity, contact the International Student Service Coordinators (ISSC) at oneillic@iu.edu.

Current master’s candidates may apply for professional development funds to help support off-campus professional development opportunities. Funding may cover conference or workshop registration fees, travel or transportation costs, and lodging expenses. 

Funding cannot be used for course-related costs; this includes courses with abroad costs or costs for the Global Leadership Program.

The application will now be on a monthly rolling basis.

Students should hear back about their PDF applications by the 15th of the month following submission. Students may apply for up to $250 maximum per academic year. However, students should only apply for the amount of funding needed.

The funding application can be found here.

The attached funding resources are offered by departments outside the O’Neill School or from organizations outside of Indiana University. 

External Funding Resources

Experiential waivers and credit reductions can be granted for prior professional or technical work experience. The MPA Faculty Program Director, using guidelines set forth in the Professional Experience application forms, determines if the experience qualifies for a waiver and/or reduction. In general, credit reductions require work experience above entry level that involves some independent managerial, analytic, or scientific responsibility and work that articulates with the student’s current field of study.  

General guidelines to qualify for Professional Experience:

• • Only experience gained after graduating with a bachelor’s degree and before starting an O’Neill master’s program will be considered.
  • The work is generally assumed to have been paid, full-time work, but students may make the case for highly relevant volunteer and part-time work.
  • Position may be with government, private firm, or nonprofit organization, but the work must be explicitly related to an MPA career path, regardless of the type of employer.
  • Employing entity may be domestic or international.
  • Documentation from supervisors may be required.

At O’Neill, we value the unique skills and experiences that our military students and student veterans bring to the classroom. As a benefit for your U.S. service, O’Neill will waive the experiential component of your degree and award a credit reduction based on years of service attained prior to the start of an O’Neill master’s program. Proof of service will be required.

Students who have international military experience should submit the Professional Experience form rather than the Military Credit Reduction Form.

Students who have participated as a volunteer in Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or Teach For America are eligible for up to a 6-credit hour reduction based on years of service, as well as a waiver of their experiential component. Proof of service will be required. Students who have significant experience with other volunteer organizations should submit the Professional Experience form.

• PE waivers and credit reductions are granted for experience above the undergraduate level gained prior to taking courses in the MPA program.
• PE credit reductions (which includes professional, military, and volunteer experience, or any combination of these) cannot exceed 9 credit hours.
• Credit reductions cannot result in the elimination of core or concentration requirements. Students receiving prior experience credit should carefully plan the balance of their program with an advisor.
• Determination of PE credit is made separately from decisions about transfer of credit. Under no circumstances will the prior experience credit and transfer credit total more than 18 hours.