What to know
The Buchheit Graduate Student Family Support Fund provides financial support to full-time graduate students with dependents who encounter unexpected expenses.
Amounts awarded to eligible graduate students will depend upon funding availability.
Please read all of the information on this page before beginning an application.
Daycare expenses
PhD students must apply for the WashU Child Daycare Subsidy program for expenses related to child daycare.
All other graduate students must first apply for any available child care subsidies and/or other financial support through their school.
Eligibility
- To be eligible for the Buchheit Graduate Student Family Support Fund, you must be:
- Enrolled as a full-time graduate or professional student in a degree program at WashU
- Making satisfactory academic progress as determined by their program
- Able to demonstrate that you cannot reasonably resolve your immediate financial needs through loans, aid programs, or other personal resources
- You must have an unexpected cost arise that is connected to dependents under your care.
If you have questions regarding your eligibility, please contact us.
Important information
Eligible events
- Unanticipated, emergency medical, dental or mental health expenses for your dependent
- Expenses to support your dependent due to accidents or unforeseen emergency circumstances such as fire and natural disasters
Pending final decision and availability of funds.
Fund restrictions
We cannot pay for the following:
- Expenses for other individuals than your dependent
- Most routine and ongoing living expenses
- Cost of attendance for the academic year, including tuition, fees, research, course materials, or conference travel.
- Costs incurred during a previous academic year, prior to active enrollment, or while a student was on leave
This does not represent a full list of ineligible requests.
Students are encouraged to speak to their faculty advisors and/or director of graduate/professional study. These individuals may be able to help identify other sources of financial assistance, university resources, and/or provide useful advice.
Financial aid impact
For students who qualify for need-based financial aid, receipt of this award may impact the original loan amount. Please contact your school’s Financial Aid Office prior to submitting your application for help evaluating your individual circumstance and possible impact to your financial aid.
Application process
Overview
Your Buchheit Fund application will need to include the following:
- A brief statement describing the situation, the unforeseen expense(s), and how the Buchheit Fund could provide support.
- The date and time the expense was (or will be) incurred.
- All necessary documentation of expense(s) in a single PDF file.
- View the Supporting Documents section to see what documents to include
- The amount of emergency funding requested including: a list of current expenses, how the funds will be used, and your financial situation including sources of income and other available funding.
You will also need to agree to the following:
I understand that the Buchheit Graduate Student Family Support Fund is an emergency award available to support graduate and professional students with dependents.
I certify that to the best of my knowledge, the information on this application and the documentation are correct and complete. I have no other resources to cover this emergency expense.
If this request is for medical/dental support, I permit the Graduate Center to work with Student Health Services to ensure that health insurance has been applied to my case. I also permit my School’s financial aid office to release information about my financial support to review my eligibility for assistance.
Any monies received via the Buchheit Graduate Student Family Support Fund may be considered taxable income and I accept that responsibility. I understand that falsification or misrepresentation of information on this application and documentation will result in disciplinary action against me.
Supporting documents
We understand that it may be difficult in some situations to obtain documentation, but applicants must verify expenses to qualify.
All documentation must be collated into a single PDF file. It can include multiple receipts/invoices/documents, but must be one document.
Monthly credit card statements and canceled checks alone will not be accepted as supporting documentation.
Documents/receipts/invoices must:
- Show the total amount and confirmation of payment.
- Show the date of purchase.
- Include the vendor or payee name information.
- Must provide details that corroborate the funding request (itemized list and/or description of purchases).
- Be in English or include an English translation. Healthcare expenses must be incurred within the United States.
Please provide the appropriate documentation for your situation:
- Emergency medical treatment or medication: insurance documentation, letter from medical provider; documentation must provide details on treatment received.
- Emergency travel: Ticket receipts and final ticket stubs. If you are applying for funding before departure, you must provide the final ticket stub within two weeks of your return date.
- Fire, destruction, or natural disaster: If you have insurance (car, renter’s, homeowner’s), provide documentation showing your deductible; copy of your insurance claim detailing the incident.
Review and timeline
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis once submitted. Not including all required documentation causes a delay in response—please be sure to carefully assemble and review your application prior to submission.
Once your completed application has been received, decisions are made and based in part on availability of GPSEF funds. Decisions may be made in consultation with an applicant’s school. You will be notified of your application’s status and be informed of the next steps. Please be aware that funding generally can take 7-10 business days to process after funding notification.
Please review the information on this page before completing an application.