Tuition for the 2012-2013 academic year is $40,500 for each degree program. 

The admission process is need-blind and does not consider the applicant's financial resources in making admissions decisions. The School awards both need-based and merit-based financial aid to its graduate students. Applicants must complete the Statement of Financial Resources which is part of the online application in order to be considered for financial aid. 

Financial aid is awarded in scholarship grants, not loans, to meet the full demonstrated need of each admitted student. More than 90 percent of the entering class receives a combination of tuition scholarships and stipends for living expenses. Students are not expected to work as teaching or research assistants or perform any other duties in return for financial aid awards. Awards are made to enable students to concentrate on their courses and gain the maximum benefit from our program. Our goal is to enable graduate students to earn a master's degree without incurring loan indebtedness, thereby making it more feasible to pursue careers of public service in the public and nonprofit sectors.

The one-year M.P.P. degree for Mid-Career Professionals, Lawyers, Physicians, and Ph.D. Scientists awards financial aid on the basis of financial need and merit. Unless applicants receive outside scholarships from governmental or other funding agencies, the School will offer each candidate a full tuition scholarship and living expenses. Our goal is to try to preserve the savings and assets of M.P.P. candidates so that they are able to acquire professional training, and then continue careers in public service. The M.P.P. program offers John L. Weinberg Fellowships to candidates selected from the U.S. Foreign Service and other agencies focused on international affairs. 

The doctoral program offers full merit-based funding to cover the cost of each student’s tuition and living expenses for four years. In return, each Ph.D. student is expected to work as a teaching assistant following completion of the general examinations for one semester or the equivalent of a "three-hour" teaching assignment. Ph.D. students also receive a 12-month stipend for research and living expenses, and are eligible to apply for other competitive graduate fellowships awarded by the Graduate School.

Fellowships and scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, promise, and financial need. All graduate students are eligible for named or endowed fellowships. These awards are given in recognition of outstanding accomplishments and the promise of future leadership in public service.