Financing Information for MA Students

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is not able to offer fellowship awards to students who are admitted to programs that culminate in the Master's Degree. Scholarship funding opportunities for MA students are very limited and are decided and awarded solely by the department.

MA students often finance their education through a combination of the following:

*Please visit this SFS page for information regarding the upcoming changes to 2026-27 Federal Student Loans

Applicants should carefully review the pages listed above, as well as the Cost of Attendance page, Guide to Requesting Loans and/or Federal Work-Study page, and MA Billing Calculator, before making a commitment to master's studies. 

Certain MA programs offer restricted fellowships upon admission. Students admitted to master's programs may be considered for a limited number of existing merit-based awards. For more information, contact your department or program.

Virtual Information Sessions

UPCOMING: MA Loan Information session - Wednesday, June 24 at 10:00 A.M. EST 

The Office of Financial Aid will host a webinar to provide details on lending options and application steps for borrowing in the 2026-2027 Academic Year. The session will cover both federal and private loan borrowing with an emphasis on creating a plan based on your enrollment expectations for the duration of your studies. The session information is tailored for students who will begin their program in Fall 2026. The session will be recorded and available on this site in the following week. Registration is required and may be found here.

Funding Your MA Degree sessions

The Office of Financial Aid hosted two identical information sessions to provide an overview of financing options available to MA students in GSAS. The session information is tailored for students admitted in to the 2026-27 Academic Year.

A recording and copy of the presentation slides from the session held on April 21, 2026 are available for review.