PhD Application fee waivers are available to applicants who have demonstrated financial hardship or participated in specific pipeline programs described below.
In cases where the application fee presents a financial hardship for an applicant, WCGS will consider a request for a fee waiver. Financial hardship must be established via documentation of need such as:
Applicants who wish to request a fee waiver must start their application first. The Fee Waiver Request form is located in the Other Information section of the application. Supporting documentation for financial hardship or extenuating circumstances must be uploaded onto your request form. Requests submitted without supporting documentation will not be reviewed.
Make sure all sensitive data (e.g., Social Security Numbers) are redacted from supporting documentation before submitting. Allow up to seven business days for your request to be processed. You will receive an email after your request has been reviewed and a decision has been made. If your request is approved, a fee waiver will automatically be applied to your application. A fee waiver will not be retroactively applied to an application that has already been paid for and submitted.
Please email WCGS-Admissions@med.cornell.edu with any questions or concerns.
Applicants who’ve participated in the following institutional programs may submit a fee waiver request. Proof of program participation must be uploaded on your request form.
Each Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences (WCGS) PhD student receives a generous annual stipend intended to support basic living expenses; the stipend is $55,620 ($40,000 for our Houston Methodist Hospital cohort due to cost of living differential) for the 2026-2027 academic year. Each student accepted to the PhD degree-granting programs is awarded a full-tuition scholarship, which includes all tuition, fees and health insurance.
The Graduate School is dedicated to providing the finest medical care to students. All full-time students enrolled in the PhD degree-granting programs and their dependent children are covered by a comprehensive health plan. Health insurance coverage includes access to the Student Health Service, New York-Presbyterian Hospital clinics and physician referrals. For additional information, visit Student Health Services.
Computer Network Support
The Graduate School provides each student with e-mail and WebVPN access. Other network and internet support options vary depending on students' needs and housing locations.
Travel Support
The Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences believes that presenting research as a first-author is an essential part of the graduate training experience. To support our graduate students, WCGS PhD students in the BCMB, IMP, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, and PBSB programs can request travel support for scientific meetings to present their first author work, e.g., a poster or talk, at a conference or meeting.