It is anticipated that students accepted into the HCI Ph.D. program will be awarded a Graduate Fellowship for the academic year covering full tuition and a living allowance. These fellowships are normally renewable for the duration of the program, so long as the student maintains good standing. (There is no separate financial aid form to be completed.) Students are encouraged to apply for support from outside Carnegie Mellon (fellowships, foreign government grants, etc.). As an incentive to seek funding from other sources, a supplement is often provided to the stipend of any student who obtains outside support.

The Program for Interdisciplinary Education Research is one such graduate fellowship program provided within Carnegie Mellon.