I'm worried about how I'll pay for graduate school

Check each program's funding page, and if it isn't clear, ask the graduate coordinator whether admitted students are usually funded, how much they receive, for how many years and what the funding covers. Ask whether funding is guaranteed or competitive each year, and what happens if you need longer to finish. In research programs, funding sometimes comes from a supervisor's grant, so it's worth asking potential supervisors too.

A teaching assistantship pays you to help with courses, such as leading tutorials or marking, and a research assistantship pays you to work on a research project, sometimes your own. Depending on the university, an assistantship may come with a salary or stipend, a tuition waiver or both. Ask how many hours a week it involves and for how many terms, and ask current students how much teaching they actually did.

Look at your target universities' scholarship pages, your national government's awards for graduate study and foundations or professional bodies in your field. Many close months before admission decisions, and some require you to apply for admission by an earlier date to be considered. Read the eligibility rules closely, especially citizenship, field and year of study, and put each deadline in the funding column of the Application Tracker.

Application fees add up quickly when you apply to several programs. Many universities offer waivers for financial hardship or for participants in certain programs, although some waivers are only for domestic applicants. Ask before you pay, because some universities, such as the University of Washington, can't waive or refund a fee once it has been paid.

For each program, estimate the total for the whole degree: tuition and fees for every year, rent, food, transport, health insurance, books, equipment and trips home. If you're moving countries, add visa fees, any health charges or insurance the visa requires and travel. Compare this total with your funding, savings and any income, and be honest about the gap.

Loans can make a degree possible, but a large loan for an unfunded master's is hard to undo if the degree doesn't lead where you hoped. Before borrowing, find out what graduates of the program go on to do and earn, compare the repayments with a realistic salary and ask whether a cheaper, part-time or funded option could get you to the same place. CGS suggests asking programs how much their graduates typically borrow and how long repayment might take. Write down what you decide, and why, in the Decision Log before you sign anything.

If you need a study visa, check the official government website for how much money you must show, in what form and how long it must be held, since these rules can be strict. Some countries want to see the money in an account for a set period before you apply, so start saving or arranging funding letters early. The university's international student office can tell you which documents it will provide, such as a letter confirming your funding.