GSAS Financial Aid FAQs

At Tufts, we have two sources of financial aid: One is loans, which can be federal loans or private, and the other is institutional tuition scholarships.

GSAS offers generous institutional tuition scholarships based on a combination of academic merit and financial need to qualified applicants. In addition, students can utilize federal loans and/or private loans to finance their education. Eligible students will also be offered the opportunity to earn income through working an on-campus work study job.

Applicants must complete the Financial Aid section of the Admissions application when they apply in order to be considered for institutional tuition scholarship funding. In the Financial Aid section of the Admissions application, if you select “I would not like to be considered for financial aid,” you will not be offered any institutional tuition scholarship and it will be very unlikely that any institutional tuition scholarship will be available for you.

Applicants who are US citizens or US permanent residents and wish to use federal loans to finance their education should submit the FAFSA before their program application deadline, if possible. Student Financial Services generally begins sending financial aid offer letters during the month of March, and will continue throughout the summer. Most applicants will be eligible for $20,500 in federal unsubsidized Direct loan each academic year. Students can apply for the credit-based federal Graduate PLUS loan or private loans to meet additional funding needs.

All applicants, including those who are not US citizens or US permanent residents, can apply for private loans. Private loans are credit-based and loan terms vary based on the credit-worthiness and individual circumstances of applicants. Students should only apply for private loans after they have made a deposit to enroll at Tufts.

Federal loans are backed by the US federal government whereas private loans are provided by banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. Each has its own student loan eligibility criteria, application process, and terms and conditions. Before borrowing a private loan, students should compare the interest rate and terms offered by a private lender to any federal options for which they are eligible.

Most, but not all GSAS programs are eligible for federal loans. To see if the program you are interested in is eligible for federal loans, visit the “Tuition and Aid” section of the program page on this site.

Tuition is set by the Trustees of the University each year in the late spring.

GSAS bills tuition using a per-credit billing model, meaning you are billed for the number of credits you take each semester. This billing model is used to provide students better flexibility so they may "pay-as-they-go."

To calculate your estimated tuition bill for the semester, you need to multiply the per-credit cost of your program by the number of credits you plan to take. This will give you the tuition cost for the semester before any tuition scholarship or loans are applied.

Tuition is billed per credit, meaning that taking more credits during a semester will result in a higher tuition bill, and taking fewer credits during a semester will result in a lower tuition bill. All students in a program must take the required number of credits for their degree. You should take into account your plan of study and course load when you are considering how to finance your graduate studies. Tuition is set by the Trustees of the University each year in the late spring. Recent tuition increases have been between 0% and 3% each year.

Fees that are changed to GSAS students are outlined on the Tuition and Fees page. Please also visit the Student Financial Services website and their page on Cost of Attendance for Graduate School. 

International students are eligible for institutional tuition scholarships as long as the Financial Aid section of the Admissions application was completed at the time of submission. International students are neither penalized by nor rewarded for their status as international students.

International students are not eligible for federal loans. There are a few private lenders who will lend to international students without a cosigner in some programs. Ultimately, it is up to a lender to decide to whom they will lend.

Your application for institutional financial aid does not affect your admissions decision. Please complete the Financial Aid section in the Admissions application if you would like to be considered for institutional tuition scholarships during your time at Tufts.

Yes, you can appeal your institutional tuition scholarship award. However, it is unlikely that the school will be able to provide you with additional institutional tuition scholarship funding.

No, you cannot appeal your institutional tuition scholarship award as an admitted/enrolled student once you have paid your enrollment deposit.

Please visit the Student Financial Services website and their page on Cost of Attendance for Graduate School. 

Students must plan to fund their start up costs (transportation to campus, rental deposit, etc.) without access to financial aid. Students must also pay for their summer expenses while not enrolled through earnings from work or savings. Financial aid is not available during periods of non-enrollment such as summer.

Tufts institutional tuition scholarships are applied to any credits taken for your degree. Students can use private loans at any course load, assuming you meet your lender’s requirements.

To be eligible for federal loans, an applicant must be admitted into a degree-seeking program, enroll at least half time each semester (generally 4.5 or more credits for master’s students), and make satisfactory academic progress toward their degree.