Group of students with dean seated around a large area in the plaza lobby
  1. Graduate Programs
  2. Doctorate in Communication
  3. Financial Support

Financial Support

The endowments established by Walter and Leonore Annenberg allow the School to provide its graduate students with a generous stipend, full tuition, health insurance, and additional travel and research funding.

All students accepted to the doctoral program, including international students, who continue to make appropriate academic progress, receive four years of fellowship support. A fifth year of fellowship funding is available to students after they successfully defend their dissertation proposal. We also provide full tuition, personal health insurance for all five years, and up to $1,700 in research and travel funds per year. Beyond the fifth year, students are not eligible for any fellowship or stipend funding.  

Please note that the Annenberg School may alter any of the described benefits going forward, but admitted students would remain eligible for the support that was in place at the time of their admission to the school.

Supporting Our Students

Click on the categories below to learn about the different types of financial support provided by the Annenberg School. These apply to both international and domestic students. Full policies can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook. 

For the first four years of the program, the Annenberg School provides its doctoral students an annual stipend to support their research and teaching fellowships. Each semester, students are assigned to a faculty mentor under whose supervision the fellow will conduct either research or teaching duties. Students will experience both research fellowships and teaching fellowships at least once during their four years. Fellows are expected to work up to 20 hours per week. 

Annenberg students who maintain a full schedule of courses, are in good standing, and are participating in a program of active scholarship will receive a waiver of tuition and fees. 

All University of Pennsylvania students must carry health insurance, either through the University under the Penn Student Insurance Plan or through an outside provider. All Annenberg doctoral students who are eligible for the tuition waiver may enroll in the single Penn Student Insurance Plan, and Annenberg will cover the health premium costs for those students. The standard funding package for Ph.D. students also includes 100% cost for individual vision insurance and 80% cost for individual dental insurance. Students with families are encouraged to apply for Penn’s Dependent Insurance Grants. 

A twelve-month dissertation research fellowship (DRF) is available to students who complete an acceptable dissertation proposal in a timely manner. The DRF provides an equivalent stipend and insurance benefits as listed for students in their first four years for up to twelve consecutive months. These students are also eligible for an additional $1,200 in research and travel funds.

All Annenberg doctoral students receiving a regular fellowship from the school (research fellowship, teaching fellowship, or dissertation research fellowship) have access to a yearly personal travel and research budget of up to $1,700. The primary purpose of this fund is to provide travel and lodging support for attendance at professional and academic conferences; however, these funds may also be used for any legitimate educational and research purposes.

Mary Andrews standing in front of a white board, talking and holding a marker

Travel & Research

“When applying to grad school, I never thought to ask about additional financial support for conferences, but my personal travel and research budget has been such a valuable resource. Pre-pandemic, it allowed me to attend a conference in San Francisco without having to ask for additional support for airfare and hotels. During the pandemic, I’ve been able to use it on virtual conferences and things that make working from home so much easier.” —Mary E. Andrews, Doctoral Student

Celeste Wagner speaking, seated between two other people

International Students

“As an international student with a student visa, the stipend is something you should consider very seriously, as you are unable to earn any income from sources outside of your home university. Annenberg's full economic support for five years makes the possibility of doing a Ph.D. in the U.S. viable for many international students like me. This also means that at Annenberg, you will find an internationally diverse student body, which I believe truly enhances anyone's academic training.” —María Celeste Wagner, Doctoral Candidate

Student with their hand raised in a classroom

Questions About Funding?

Our Graduate Studies team answers applicants' mostly commonly asked questions.

Read the FAQ