Graduate Tuition and Financial Aid

Russell Sage College believes in college access, including for graduate students. That’s why we have competitively priced our graduate tuition – making us more affordable than most private colleges and not far off from tuition at public universities but with a more personalized student experience.

Many colleges and universities, particularly state universities, advertise a per-credit tuition cost, but they aren’t as clear about any recurring fees graduate students may have, which can add a significant amount to the overall program cost. At Russell Sage, we keep it simple. While there may be an additional fee – usually one time – attached to a specific academic program, we don’t layer in recurring fees.

When you were considering colleges for your undergraduate education, you probably had financial aid packages to sort through with hefty merit scholarships and other forms of financial aid from the college or university. In general, these options are not as common in graduate school.

But Russell Sage does offer a lot of Graduate Assistantships, where you work at Russell Sage in an academic or administrative office, assisting faculty in research, or — in limited instances — teaching undergraduate classes, in exchange for a 3-credit tuition waiver and $1,000 stipend per semester. You can see the types of GA positions currently available here.

There are numerous online databases for scholarships that are searchable by student type – including finding scholarships specific to graduate students. We’ve created a page with a list of these resources to assist you in your search.

We’re sure you remember the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) you had to fill out each year when you were an undergraduate student. We recommend graduate students complete the FAFSA to determine eligibility for federal unsubsidized loans. Visit the federal government’s student aid website to learn more about federal loans for graduate students.

The U.S. Department of Education released a new, simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This revised application is meant to make the process easier and is now available.

Some companies and organizations offer tuition assistance or reimbursement as an employee benefit. Always be sure to check with your employer to see if these benefits are available to you. 

In addition, Russell Sage College has partnerships with numerous employers to offer a tuition discount and deferred tuition payments (so those who receive an employer tuition benefit can have those funds in hand before they have to pay their bill).

Often, colleges offer opportunities to pay your bill in installments instead of all at once, but the details vary by institution. We have an interest-free payment plan option at Russell Sage. (Note that not all payment plans at other colleges and universities are interest-free).

If you have federal student loans, there are forgiveness programs available depending on your field and circumstances.

Because Russell Sage College has many students who are in the health professions or education, these two programs might be of particular interest: