Financial Aid
Need-based Aid
Need-based tuition grants (generally ranging from 25 percent to 50 percent of tuition for master's degree candidates) are available on a limited basis to students who are enrolled at least half time. Students may apply for need-based aid by completing the CSS PROFILE, which is available on the College Board Web site. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences CSS code is 0046.
International students will need to complete the International Student Application for Financial Aid (PDF) to apply for need-based tuition grants.
Loans
Subsidized federal Stafford Loans and Graduate PLUS Loans are available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are enrolled at least half time in a degree, certificate or diploma program, and who demonstrate need by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The Brandeis code is 002133.
Graduate students may borrow up to $8,500 per year in subsidized money; the maximum aggregate limit for the program (including undergraduate borrowing) is $65,500.
Unsubsidized federal Stafford Loans are available to students who are not eligible for subsidized Stafford Loans, based on need. Applicants must still file the FAFSA. Graduate students may borrow up to a maximum of $12,000 a year, with an aggregate maximum of $73,000 in unsubsidized money.
Eligible students may borrow from the subsidized and the unsubsidized Stafford programs as long as the annual total does not exceed $20,500.
The Graduate PLUS Loan is a federal loan that allows graduate students to borrow up to their total cost of education less any financial aid received. The student must pass an independent credit review. The PLUS Loan has an origination fee of 2.5 percent; the interest rate for the 2007-08 academic year was a fixed rate of 7.9 percent.
The terms for the above loan programs are subject to federal legislation and may change. Additional current information is available from the Graduate School.
Students may wish to borrow from other loan programs and are free to choose from the many loans available. Information concerning loans that GSAS students have used in the past is available in the GSAS's Other Loan Programs.
Students wishing to apply for loans should contact the Graduate School for application materials at gradschool@brandeis.edu or 781-736-3410.