Woosik Kim is a chemical engineering student struggling to meet the expenses of graduate school.

Kim, who is married with one child, said his research assistantship does not meet his family's needs and he doesn't know where to go for additional aid.

Graduate Student Association President Ken Martin said many graduate students like Kim are confused about financial aid because graduate financial aid is available through two offices, the University Student Financial Aid Office in Shields and the Graduate Student Fellowship Office in Kern.

Edward Mills, director of client and campus services in the financial aid office, said graduate students are limited in the aid they can get. "Once you've attained a baccalaureate degree, you're limited to loans and work-study programs."

A graduate student can apply for a Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan or work-study position, Mills said. Also, independent students are eligible for the Supplemental Loan for Students that they begin paying interest on during school. A graduate student who is financially dependent on his parents can ask a parent to apply for the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students. In the parent loan, parents make interest and principal payments 60 days after the student receives the first check.

Through the Stafford Loan program, graduates can apply for up to $7,500, Mills said. Graduate students also have access to state aid provided through PHEAA, he said.

But graduate students cannot apply for Pell Grants or the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, because these federal funds are given only to undergraduates, he added.

Graduates can also turn to the Graduate Student Fellowship Office for information about 250 fellowships and 3,000 assistantships available at the University, said Joan Schumacher, director of graduate student financial aid.

"There is a lot of competition for the fellowships because they are very prestigious and are a direct grant with no work requirement," she said.

Schumacher said the office funds a fellowship program open to all full-time graduate students. About 30 fellowships covering tuition and living expenses are awarded annually, Schumacher said.

But the office also awards about 25 fellowships and about 60 assistantships to minority students annually through a minority scholars program, Schumacher said.

Assistantships, which require a student to work about 20 hours a week, are usually administered by departments and cover tuition and living expenses, Schumacher said.

Schumacher added that in most cases graduate students awarded fellowships or assistantships are not eligible for federal aid. But graduates can also apply for one of 40 grants per semester provided by the Grant-in-Aid program, covering tuition only.

Some graduate students have differing opinions on the access to information about graduate financial aid.

Carray Banks (graduate-education) said his assistantship does not cover all of his expenses. He said detailed information should be available to students before a financial crisis occurs.

"Most of the information students get is a result of stimulus-response," Banks said. "If a student finds he has a financial need he can go and find out how to get aid."

But Nicki Matushak, a graduate student in the MBA program, said she has financial aid and had no problems applying for aid.

"I was very surprised at how easy it was to apply for aid," Matushak said. "I had heard all of these horror stories about how hard it was to get aid as a graduate student, but I really didn't have any problems."