Funding in Europe (MSc?)

**pevdoki1** · 05-14-2007, 08:50 PM

So this summer I'm taking the GRE (econ/math double major at a State University, TA experience, As in all econ/math courses including analysis, decent recommendations etc).

Although I'll be focusing on U.S. PhD programs, I want to apply to some places in Europe, as well.

It seems that most require a Masters degree before applying for a PhD, and I'm OK with that.. The problem is that I am poor, and I don't want any more loans. Funding is pretty much essential. It seems that places like LSE never fund their masters students..

So... Which programs are worth applying to?

**fp3690** · 05-14-2007, 09:31 PM

If u have TA experience, go for UPF. They are very good, and quite generous if u TA (i think tuition waiver plus 10,000 euros).

**brotherbear** · 05-15-2007, 08:29 PM

I was in a similar position. It's true that funding at the LSE is really rather limited for their master's students. If, however, you get a Graduate Merit Award, you can then apply for the Graduate Support Scheme. Moreover, as an American, if you get the Graduate Merit Award, you will also be eligible for one of the American Friends of the LSE scholarships (which will take care of your money problems). Too, there are other scholarships out there like the Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism scholarship specifically for students who are pursuing master's degrees in economics at 'a top British university.' The value of the award is 10000 pounds, which goes a long way to helping your cause. If I were you, I'd still apply to the LSE, but be selective in the program to which you apply. The MSc. Economics course seems easier to get funding in than the MSc. Econometrics and Mathematical Economics (which, as far as I know, didn't have almost any funds for entering students this year). Moreover, as an American, you should definitely apply for the Fulbright, Marshall, and Rhodes. I don't know what your credentials are like, but it might be worth a shot. For the Fulbright, you'll need to get in contact with the school of your choice (the LSE, for instance) very early. In fact, I would contact them right now. You see, you need a letter from the school in question saying that they'll support your studies in the coming academic year. Moreover, the deadline for the Fulbright is in early October (as is the one for the Gates-Cambridge, which you should apply for as well), and without the aforementioned letter, you're not going to stand a very good chance at all. So get in contact with someone within the department (Danny Quah has been particularly easy to deal with, but Dr. Margaret Bray was also very nice), say that you're interested in applying for the Fulbright, and that you'd like their blessings. In any case, while it is possible to get funding as an American at the UK schools, it's not terribly likely. I'd say that UPF is your best bet otherwise, as their classes are taught entirely in English, the faculty is top-notch, it's cheaper to attend anyway, and they will probably fund you. Another option is to look into Tilburg University in the Netherlands or Bocconi in Italy. Both programs are very well respected, have at least some sort of funding, and are easier to get a Fulbright to attend (many more people apply for a Fulbright to the UK than the Netherlands or Italy). Anyway, I hope this helps.

**Ibn Abbas** · 05-17-2007, 12:02 AM

brotherbear...just a friendly suggestion...next time, use paragraphs...it helps make reading easier.

**pevdoki1** · 05-17-2007, 11:49 AM

A lengthy and very informative post.. Kudos to you, sir!!

I suppose I'll start looking into these scholarships now..

At this point, UPF looks good, as do Tilburg and Bocconi. I'm still trying to figure out whether applying to British schools is worth it for me. I guess there isn't much to lose..

With scholarships like Fulbright, you apply once and for one school only? To apply for other schools, you need to go through the whole process again? Or can you only do it once?

**argyecon** · 05-17-2007, 10:11 PM

check on CEMFI www.cemfi.es in Madrid, after their two year full funded msc in economics and finance I got into the PhD in Ecoomics at the MIT...

**guan** · 07-06-2007, 05:36 PM

Here in Denmark we have something called a 4+4 PhD, which basically means that if you're at the academic level of a Danish 3-year bachelor's in economics + 1 extra year of studies, you can be admitted to a stream where you get a PhD in 4 years.

There is no tuition. Until you have a master's degree, which should take around a year, you get a stipend of around $38k before taxes (that number is a bit meaningless if you don't know about Danish taxes and living expenses.) After the master's degree, you get the entry-level salary for economists in the Danish central government, which is about $48k.

The University of Aarhus has an excellent PhD program in economics. The one in Copenhagen, somewhat less so, but at least you get a lot of freedom and plenty of funding for travel and so on.

**Karina 07** · 07-06-2007, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by pevdoki1

A lengthy and very informative post.. Kudos to you, sir!!

I suppose I'll start looking into these scholarships now..

At this point, UPF looks good, as do Tilburg and Bocconi. I'm still trying to figure out whether applying to British schools is worth it for me. I guess there isn't much to lose..

With scholarships like Fulbright, you apply once and for one school only? To apply for other schools, you need to go through the whole process again? Or can you only do it once?

I'm not sure about the Fulbright, but the scholarship I applied to let you specify your top 3 programs across any UK universities. Then they would evaluate how good a fit your statement and interests were with what that program did, and how good a fit that was with their own criteria for giving out scholarships, and they'd offer you a specific program.

That being said, since you're trying to prove the whole time that a program is an EXCELLENT fit for you, it's hard to prove that two (let alone three) programs would be an EXCELLENT fit for you. So, even if they let you specify more than one, I can't help but think that for most scholarships, you're essentially gearing yourself towards one particular program... there may be strange cases where you get funding for your second/third choice, though.

Also: there are many more scholarships out there than just the Rhodes/Marshall/Fulbright. I don't know what's available for U.S. students, but for my own part I found a few different obscure national ones... very obscure. I could PM you with the details if you're interested, but honestly it was just through google searches that I found them... they weren't listed in any undergrad career services office or the like. Of course, these give fewer (maybe one or two a year), but they also have a smaller applicant pool. If you have the time/money, apply for everything under the sun....