Financial Assistance

Types of Graduate Need-Based Financial Assistance

Please note: International students are not eligible to receive federal financial assistance. They are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Accounts regarding the available payment plan or visit emerson.edu/departments/financial-aid to view other possible options.

Summer Financial Assistance

Graduate students interested in summer financial assistance should contact the Office of Financial Aid at 617-824-8655 or email finaid@emerson.edu. Eligible graduate students can apply for any type of aid that is available during the regular academic year. However, incoming graduate students for the fall semester are not eligible for summer aid for prerequisite coursework.

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan

Interest accumulates on the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Borrowers have the option of having that interest accumulate while enrolled or paying the interest in quarterly payments while in school. In most instances, a full-time student will be eligible to borrow up to $20,500 per academic year through a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. The annual award must not exceed the student’s cost of attendance minus any other financial assistance received. Students who apply for a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan must be matriculated (financial need has no bearing on admission to the College), degree-seeking students enrolled at least half time (4 credits per term). Federal regulations specify that federal financial aid recipients must be US citizens, US nationals, or eligible non-citizens. Repayment of principal and interest begins six months after the student ceases to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis. For details on interest rates, loan fees, and repayment options, please visit emerson.edu/financial-aid/graduate-student.

The total debt a graduate student may have outstanding from all Direct Loans and FFEL Program Stafford Loans combined is $138,500. This graduate debt limit includes all Direct and FFEL Program Stafford Loans received for undergraduate study.

Emerson Employment

This is an institutional employment program open to all part-time and full-time Emerson College students. The number of hours a student may work and the hourly wage is determined by the College and limited per availability of funds. Students are permitted to work up to 20 hours per week while classes are in session and up to 40 hours per week during College break periods. Graduate students must be enrolled in at least 4 credits to work through student employment programs. Emerson Employment opportunities are posted on my.emerson.edu.

For the current process, downloadable forms, and financial aid policies, visit the Office of Financial Aid website at emerson.edu/financial-aid/graduate-student.

Students intending to apply for financial aid should do so no later than one month prior to the start of term. Applications will still be processed after that time, but financial aid eligibility and corresponding aid may not be determined by the billing due date. Therefore, it is important to complete the process as soon as possible to ensure that financial aid is considered as an anticipated payment.

*Federal assistance funds are provided by the federal government in the form of loans. Deadlines for fellowships are different. Please contact Graduate Admission for more details.

To be eligible for financial aid, all students must satisfy Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), which is required by federal law. SAP measures a student’s completion of coursework toward a degree. Emerson College evaluates SAP at the end of each semester, including summer, for each student. Students who do not meet all SAP criteria may lose their eligibility to receive all types of financial aid (e.g., federal, state, private, institutional and other aid). Students will be notified of the decision by email. 

Maximum Time Frame Criteria

Completion of undergraduate or graduate programs cannot exceed 150 percent of the published length of the program measured in credit hours attempted as determined by the student’s program requirements.

Pace Measure of Academic Progress Criteria

• Students must complete 75 percent of overall credits attempted; see table below.
• This percentage includes all credit hours attempted regardless of whether or not financial aid was received.
• The overall pace measurement is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of hours that the student has successfully completed by the cumulative number of hours that the student has attempted.
• The term pace measurement is calculated by dividing the number of hours that the student has successfully completed in the term by the number of hours that the student has attempted.
• Credits attempted are defined as all classes for which a student receives a grade. Grades or recorded symbols of F, W, and I are not considered as successfully completing a course. Depending on the program, additional grades are considered as not successful. 
• All transfer credit hours accepted from another institution toward the student’s educational program at Emerson College will be counted as both attempted and completed hours.
• The student’s GPA and pace of completion are negatively impacted by course incompletes, withdrawals, failures, or repetitions (incompletes, failures, and withdrawals count in attempted credits, but not completed).

Grade Point Average Criteria

• All undergraduate and graduate students must maintain a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA).
• The student’s cumulative GPA for financial aid eligibility must be calculated on all grades received.
• In addition, any student who completes two consecutive semesters with a semester GPA below 2.0, regardless of cumulative GPA, may lose financial assistance eligibility.

All students, regardless of their enrollment status (i.e., full or part time), must meet the following minimum academic standards to remain eligible for financial aid.

Note: Graduate programs will cause SAP failure if one to two individual course grades fall below a B-.

Warning Period

Students who fail to meet SAP criteria will be placed on financial aid warning for one academic semester. Students remain eligible for financial aid during the warning term. If SAP criteria are not satisfied at the end of the warning semester, the student will be ineligible for financial aid. Students on warning should meet with an academic counselor to create an academic plan if they choose to pursue an appeal.

Ineligible for Financial Aid Period

Students who fail to meet SAP criteria after the warning period are ineligible for financial aid. If the student does not have an approved appeal, the student is no longer eligible for financial aid. Students may continue to take courses without financial aid to reestablish SAP standards; however, a payment plan must be established for the tuition and applicable fees associated with the course(s). Once students meet Emerson’s minimum SAP standards, they may regain financial aid eligibility. Students who are interested in re-establishing aid eligibility should meet with an academic counselor to determine what they would need to do to meet Emerson’s minimum SAP standards.

Appeal Process

If extenuating circumstances impacted successful adherence to SAP criteria, the student may pursue an appeal. The appeal will require the student to indicate why they did not make SAP and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to demonstrate SAP by the next semester. Circumstances and required documentation are illustrated below. The appeal process begins with the student meeting with the dean of graduate and professional studies and then with their graduate program director to determine an academic plan. The proposed plan must be submitted to the director of enrollment support services in the Office of Financial Aid. Appeals must include complete documentation and are reviewed during the warning period; incomplete appeals will be denied. Appeal decisions are final. Students will be notified of the decision both verbally and in writing. This notification will take place after final grades are reviewed for the warning period.

The following is a list of appealable circumstances and associated documentation to support the appeal process. If the particular circumstance is not listed and the student would like to apply, it is up to the appeal committee’s professional judgment to consider the appeal.

Probationary Period

If an appeal is approved, the student will be placed on a Financial Aid Probation, which is a status assigned by Emerson College to a student who fails to make SAP and who has successfully appealed and has had eligibility for financial aid reinstated. To continue receiving financial aid, the student will need to satisfy both the academic plan as outlined in their appeal and the SAP criteria.

The Grad PLUS Loan is a federal loan that is offered to graduate students who have the need for additional funding beyond their financial aid award. This loan program serves the function of a private loan, and it also has the benefits of a federal loan program, such as deferment, forbearance, consolidation, and death and disability cancellation. The student must have approved credit and will need to complete a master promissory note (MPN) and online entrance interview to receive the loan funds.

Students must apply for the annual loan maximum eligibility under the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Program before applying for a Grad PLUS Loan and eligibility may be limited due to cost of attendance, financial aid received, and other factors. For details on interest rates, loan fees, and repayment options, please visit emerson.edu/financial-aid/graduate-student.

Alternative, private loans also assist students in need of financial resources. Please visit emerson.edu/financial-aid/graduate-student/types-aid/graduate-loans/alternative-loans to view a list of available loan options. Emerson does not refer or recommend alternative loan lenders to students and/or parents. While we understand that you may have questions, we believe you have the right and ability to seek the education loan provider of your choice. It is recommended that students utilize their full Unsubsidized Direct Loan eligibility before using alternative or private loans. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid if you have any questions or concerns.

A select number of first-year graduate students accepted into the Transformational Leaders Graduate Fellowship are awarded a financial scholarship and stipend and participate in leadership development training and mentoring. The Fellowship is designed for first-year graduate students in residential programs who are rising leaders looking to bring equity, diversity, and inclusion to the arts and communication fields

Each year, Emerson College awards scholarships to a limited number of applicants who have demonstrated past successes, professional promise, and are deemed exceptional candidates for their program of study.

Applicants seeking scholarships or financial assistance should complete the application for admission as early as possible and before the priority applications deadlines outlined on the application for admission. There is no separate application to be considered for scholarships. Decisions are based on the materials submitted with the regular application for admission. Both domestic and international students are eligible for scholarships. Scholarship offers cannot be deferred until a later semester. Continuing students are not eligible for additional scholarship awards; scholarships are only awarded at time of entry into Emerson College.

Students receiving scholarships must maintain satisfactory academic progress each semester. Award recipients should be aware that being awarded scholarships or any outside aid could affect federal loan eligibility. Recipients must contact the Office of Graduate Admission if they have concerns about meeting eligibility requirements. Renewal requirements must be met in order to retain scholarships beyond the initial award term. Scholarships will not be awarded for a value that is higher than the cost of tuition. Recipients are required to maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average each academic year. A recipient’s award amount will vary depending on the amount of credits enrolled in each term to ensure that the total scholarship amount is evenly dispersed throughout the entirety of the program. Please note that scholarship amounts may be revised based on changes to enrolled credit hours, transferring in credits, advanced standing, and other course-related circumstances. Please refer to the initial scholarship award letter for specific requirements.

Please note that you do not have to apply for each scholarship individually. They are awarded to students who match criteria.

The Cindy Bartlett Memorial Award

Established in 2016 to honor the memory of longtime Professor Emerita Cindy Bartlett in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department. This fund is given to a second-year CSD graduate student who demonstrates high academic achievement and financial need. The CSD Department executive committee decides on the recipient in the summer before their second year.

Bookbuilders of Boston Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded each spring to students in the Publishing and Writing program. Successful applicants will demonstrate a strong career interest in book publishing through past or current coursework, projects, employment, or extracurricular activities. Currently enrolled students will receive written notification about how to apply. For further information, please contact the graduate program director for the Publishing and Writing program.

Gina Di Bona ‘67 Scholarship

Established by Gina Di Bona ‘67 in 2010 to provide financial aid to graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Doriot Fellowship Program

Established in 1998 by the Beaucourt Foundation, the award is granted to outstanding graduate students with financial need who are enrolled in the Communication Disorders program. The grant program is currently funded through the generosity of the Rowe Foundation.

Naomi Stroh Janover Scholarship

The award was established in 1992 and funded by an endowment from the estate of Mrs. Naomi Stroh Janover for graduate students in Communication Disorders who wish to work with young deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Each year, two incoming graduate students receive partial funding for their fall and spring semesters and are selected based upon the strength of their academic records. Also, two returning graduate students receive partial funding for their summer, fall, and spring semesters and are selected based upon their strong clinical and academic performance during their first year of graduate school. All students receiving this award must provide clinical services to the deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families served by the Thayer Lindsley Program.

Diana King Memorial Scholarship Fund

Each year the College will use the Diana King Memorial Scholarship Fund to make awards that support the cost of attendance. King Scholars should be talented artists and storytellers with a passion and talent for the cinematic, television, and media arts who are in excellent academic standing and who have demonstrated financial need. The Funds are to be awarded at the discretion of the Office of Financial Aid, in consultation with faculty and the relevant dean. It is preferred that the Fund supports rising undergraduate juniors, rising undergraduate seniors, and/or graduate students in their final year of study.

Mitzi and Mel Kutchin Scholarship for Communication Disorders

Established in 2002 by the Kutchins, the award is granted to an incoming graduate student in Communication Disorders. Preference is given to those interested in working with young children or in a school or clinic setting.

Helen Hughes Lane Scholarship in Journalism

Established by a bequest from Helen Hughes Lane and further supported by The Edward H. Lane Foundation, the award is granted as tuition to an undergraduate or graduate student in Journalism.

Dr. Shelley Martin Scholarship

Established in 2007 in memory of Shelley Martin who had received a Master of Arts from Emerson in 2001. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a full-time graduate student who is a candidate for a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has financial need.

MFA in Writing Scholarship

Established in 2003 through the generosity of an anonymous funder, the scholarship is awarded on the basis of excellence in writing to candidates for a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

Robbins Center Scholarship Fund

Established in 1996 by a bequest from Dr. Cheney Calkins, the fund is currently awarded to CSD graduate students for their work in the Robbins Center.

Cecil and Helen Rose Ethics in Communication Scholarship

Established in 1994 by Emerson alumna and Trustee Emerita Helen Rose, the Cecil and Helen Rose Ethics in Communication Scholarship is awarded to a graduate student who demonstrates a career interest in political communication. The one-year nonrenewable award is granted to an incoming graduate student in the School of Communication.

Barbara S. Rutberg Graduate Scholarship in Fiction

Established in 2006 by alumna Barbara S. Rutberg ‘68 to recognize the creative writing of a full-time Master of Fine Arts candidate. 

C. Marcia Wood Scholarship

Established in 2000 by a bequest from C. Marcia Wood ‘49, the award is granted as tuition to a female graduate student (or students) based on high academic achievement and financial need. The student(s) will preferably be in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.