Financial Support

MDP and Emory Funding

The MDP Program provides several types of financial assistance to all students. For additional information, please see the following sections.

All admitted MDP students in good academic standing will benefit from the following:

Summer term scholarship to cover graduate residency tuition during field practicum
Funds to support basic expenses related to summer field practicums for two summers

Most admitted applicants receive Merit Scholarships to cover part of tuition without regard to citizenship status. Scolarship amounts vary depending on applicant qualifications and ranking by the admission committee. All applicants are automatically considered and will be notified upon acceptance if they have been awarded a scholarship. They do not need to fill out any additional paperwork.

Fellowship/Scholarship Partners

Emory MDP also participates in the following fellowship programs. Through these programs, Emory partners with other organizations to access additional financial resources to cover program tuition and fees. These require additional paperwork on the applicant’s part, and are tied to experiences and service garnered before enrolling in MDP:

MDP Partner Organization Fellowship

Emory MDP is piloting an initiative directed to employees of partner organizations that typically host MDP students for academic year internships and summer field practicums. Applicants should reach out to Emory MDP to check whether the organization they work for qualifies.

Employees of partner organizations who are offered admission to Emory MDP are eligible for a partial tuition scholarships for up to two years (contingent on the student being enrolled full time and remaining in good standing). Their application will also be considered for additional Emory MDP merit scholarships.

Those applicants who are employees of Emory affiliated entities, such as the Carter Center, and the Task Force for Global Health, may be also eligible for Emory's courtesy scholarship towards their tuition.

All employees of partner organizations receive an application fee waiver: they should reach out to Emory MDP to get the fee waiver code.

Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Fellowship

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who apply to the MDP are considered for the Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship Program, without having to submit a separate application. Additional funding for one admitted Coverdell Fellow per year is generously provided by the Sheth Foundation.

Benefits: All RPCV applicants receive an application fee waiver. The selected Coverdell Fellows will receive a partial tuition scholarship and are considered for additional merit scholarships. Coverdell Fellows may receive nine transferable academic credit hours for their Peace Corps service, which they can apply to be exempted from the second summer field practicum requirement, if they so wish.

Requirements: Coverdell Fellows must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0. All Fellows are required to complete a minimum of 170 hours of internship service with one or two partner organizations that provide assistance to underserved communities in the U.S. Emory MDP helps Fellows to connect with partner organizations and internship opportunities, but it is the Fellow's responsibility to secure and complete an internship that meets the Coverdell Fellowship Program's criteria.

The Atlanta Global Student Engagement Program provides funding to enable some Fellows to be paid for internship hours they complete as part of their Coverdell requirement. However, MDP does not guarantee that all Fellows receive compensation for any internship or for all hours they complete.

A list of locally-focused organizations can be found here.

USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship

Emory MDP is an approved affiliate of the Payne Fellowship Program. This fellowship provides funding for tuition and fees as well as living and educational expenses for two years. They also include support for travel and living expenses related to two required summer placements Applicants must apply directly to the Payne program: check here for eligibility and deadlines.

Payne Fellows, as well as Finalists who are not awarded the Fellowship, are eligible to be considered for additional MDP merit scholarships.

After graduation, Payne Fellows who successfully complete the Payne Program and USAID Foreign Service entry requirements are appointed to work for USAID for a minimum of five years.

Segal AmeriCorps Education Award

Applicants who have served with AmeriCorps and qualify for MDP tuition scholarships are eligible to apply their Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to their MDP education. Upon receiving the LGS admission letter and scholarship offer, applicants must contact AmeriCorps to confirm their eligibility, determine the amount of the Segal Award for which they qualify, and decide how they want to allocate those funds.

Yellow Ribbon GI Education Benefits

The Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program is a provision of the Post-9/11 GI Bill that provides support for veterans attending some private schools and graduate programs that cost more than public school tuition caps. Emory MDP offers special scholarships to veterans that can, with matching funds from the Yellow Ribbon program, cover the full cost of tuition and fees for their MDP studies.

Repair the World Strategic Partner Scholarship

Applicants who are current and past fellows of the Repair the World Communities program and who are accepted and enrolled full-time in the Emory MDP program are eligible for a scholarships of 30% of tuition for up to two years (contingent on the the student being enrolled full time and remaining in good standing). Fellows are also considered for additional merit scholarships. All Fellows who apply receive an application fee waiver.

Jesuit Volunteer Corps Graduate Scholarship

Applicants who are Former Jesuit Volunteers (FJVs) and who are accepted and enrolled full-time in the Emory MDP program are eligible for a scholarships of 30% of tuition for up to two years (contingent on the student being enrolled full time and remaining in good standing). FJVs are also considered for additional merit scholarships. All FJV who apply receive an application fee waiver.

Additional Funding Sources

We encourage students to research additional opportunities for funding their MDP studies. Information on federal student aid, scholarships, and scholarship resources is located below.

Federal Student Aid
US citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply for Federal Student Aid. For a general overview of Federal Student Aid loans and various types of assistance, we recommend visiting the Emory University’s Office of Financial Aid web page on Graduate Financial Aid. Students will need to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Note that federal student loans are often more advantageous than private loans due to lower interest rates. International students are not eligible for this funding and should consult the information on scholarships below.

External Scholarships
Emory MDP encourages students to seek external funding to supplement the assistance Emory MDP offers. For example, the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships may be a good options for Emory MDP applicants (but note that external funding application deadlines may differ from those for MDP admission).

A wide range of foundations, employers, professional organizations, religious institutions, government agencies and other groups sponsor scholarship programs to support graduate study. Students may also be able to find funding from advocacy organizations and foundations that focus on specific issues or groups, such as minorities, women, LGBTQ, ethnic/cultural identity, and persons with disabilities. For example, the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans provides support to immigrants and children of immigrants; the Samvid Foundation Scholarship program assists American citizens from underserved backgrounds with demonstrated leadership potential; the American Association of University Women and the Margaret McNamara Education Grant provide funding for women of various nationalities.

We recommend that both U.S and international applicants visit the Development Practice Library Guide's Fellowships and Funding Sources webpage, which is maintained by Emory’s Development Studies Librarian. This list is specifically curated with development students in mind and is regularly updated.

Applicants may also find relevant resources in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences' National Scholarships and Fellowships website.

International Applicants

International applicants are not eligible for Federal Student Aid but may consult the Emory Office of Financial Aid's Private Loan Program for guidance on securing private educational loans as well as their Private Lender List to find lenders that may not require a co-signature. The Association of International Educators website also offers valuable information for international students.

International applicants may also consult search engines for external scholarships, such as those listed below. Applicants are responsible for investigating and applying directly to external funding agencies or programs. Please be mindful of scams, such as websites that solicit payment of a fee as a condition for accessing scholarship information or assistance.

Paid Internships and Student Employment

In any given year about 80% of MDP students engage in internships or assistantships within Emory University and/or with partner organizations. Time commitment for these positions is typically between 10 and 20 hours per week. In addition to providing students with some income, paid internships and assistantships enhance students’ classroom learning and strengthen their professional networks.

The American Evaluation Association Graduate Education Diversity Internship Program provides paid internship and training opportunities to engage and support students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the field of evaluation. MDP students have been successful in securing such opportunity.

International students are eligible to engage in paid and unpaid internships, but they need to apply for authorization and comply with visa-specific requirements. Depending on their visa status, during their first 1-2 semester(s) students may be limited to doing internships with Emory units or affiliates (e.g. CARE, the Carter Center). Please reach out to the MDP Program Office for questions related to this process.

Below are some examples of Emory units and partners where MDP students typically work (check individual websites for up-to-date information).

On-campus

Off-campus

Emory MDP Welcomes Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

We are proud partners of the Coverdell Fellows Program for RPCVs

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Funding for MDP Students

MDP students (class of 2020) with Prof. Claire Sterk, President Emerita of Emory University.

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