Admission first. Financial circumstances second.
GRF operates a need-blind admissions process for the Research Desk Cohort. A student's financial circumstances do not form part of the decision about whether they belong at the desk.
Applicants who require support may request financial aid directly within the Research Desk application. Aid is assessed separately and may cover up to 50 percent of tuition, subject to the funding available for that cohort.
We assess the student before the family's ability to pay.
A request for financial aid does not weaken a Research Desk application. Admissions decisions are based on the student's intellectual seriousness, fit with the program, and capacity to contribute meaningfully to the work.
Only after that assessment do we consider a request for financial support. This separation matters. GRF does not want a strong applicant to appear less compelling simply because full tuition would be difficult for their family.
One application.
Students apply to the Research Desk through the standard admissions process. Those requiring support indicate their requested level of aid in the same application.
Admissions first.
GRF first considers whether the student should be admitted to the Research Desk on academic and program-fit grounds.
Aid assessed separately.
Where aid has been requested, GRF then reviews the student's financial circumstances and the level of support required.
One written offer.
Any financial-aid award is included with the student's admissions decision so the family can consider the actual cost before enrolling.
Asking for aid is not an admissions disadvantage.
Applicants should request the level of support their family genuinely requires. There is no benefit to understating need, and no admissions advantage to declining aid.
Financial aid exists so that the question we ask first is whether a student belongs at the Research Desk — not whether their family can immediately meet the full cost of tuition.
Support is reserved for genuine financial constraint.
GRF's aid pool is finite. Awards are therefore directed toward admitted students for whom the difference between full tuition and an aided place materially affects whether participation is possible.
Applicants are not expected to submit an elaborate financial narrative. We ask for enough context to understand the constraint and make a reasonable determination.
The constraint should be real.
Aid is intended for families for whom full tuition would represent a meaningful barrier to participation.
The admissions bar does not change.
Aid recipients are admitted under the same standards as every other Research Desk student.
Support is partial.
Awards may cover up to 50 percent of tuition. GRF does not currently offer full-tuition awards.
Funding is finite.
The amount of aid available varies by cohort, and GRF cannot guarantee that every admitted student requesting support will receive the full amount requested.
One admissions process. Two separate judgments.
Financial aid does not require a second application. The relevant questions are incorporated directly into Research Desk admissions.
This keeps the process simple for families while preserving a clear distinction between whether a student is admitted and what financial support GRF may be able to provide.
Apply to the Research Desk.
Complete the standard Research Desk application and indicate whether financial aid should be considered.
GRF determines program fit.
The admissions review focuses on the student's intellectual interests, seriousness, and ability to make productive use of the Research Desk.
Any award accompanies the offer.
If the student is admitted and aid has been requested, GRF determines the award separately and includes it with the written admissions decision.
There is no separate financial aid application.
Students requesting support should apply directly to the Research Desk Cohort. The application includes a financial aid section where applicants can indicate whether they require no aid, approximately 25 percent support, or approximately 50 percent support.
Requesting aid does not alter how the admissions portion of the application is evaluated.
Apply once. Request aid within the application.
The Research Desk application covers both admissions and, where requested, financial aid consideration. Families do not need to complete a second form or contact GRF separately before applying.
Applicants should simply select the appropriate level of aid when completing the application and answer the requested financial-context questions directly.
The standard is the same. The ability to pay need not be.
Students seeking financial support should submit the standard Research Desk application and request aid within it. There is no separate scholarship application.