Financing Your Master’s Degree

When it comes to attaining your master’s degree, there are many considerations: time, convenience, cost, etc. The cost aspect can often be a large deterrent to many who desire a master’s degree, but what they may fail to consider are the many different avenues that can be taken to finance a master’s degree. Below, we will list some options, which are by no means comprehensive, but are a start to acquiring a method for financing your graduate degree.

Corporate Assistance: Consult your employer about the availability of tuition reimbursement or tuition assistance programs. UGA online student Marissa Munroe found out that her employer had an educational reimbursement program that was rarely talked about because no one in the organization had had a need for it before that. When she inquired about it, as she thought about attaining her M.Ed. in Learning Design and Technology, they told her that they did in fact have a program, but had to create a policy on the spot since it had not been utilized before. 

Military Assistance: There are many avenues of support for military assistance at UGA. In fact, the university has received many awards for being extremely military friendly, such as being named to the “Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges 2015” rankings. UGA’s Student Veterans Resource Center offers much information on educational benefits. Active duty military, veterans, and military families should also visit the Veterans Educational Benefits page for more information on applying for and utilizing VA educational benefits. 

Grants and Loans: Grants and loans are available for graduate study. U.S. Federal Student Aid, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation. Visit the Federal Student Aid website to explore your options and to access the free online FAFSA application. 

Scholarships: While scholarships for graduate work are often more limited than those for undergraduate degrees, they are available if you are willing and able to put in the time to research and apply. For example, the American Institute of CPAs sponsors a number of scholarships for students pursuing degrees and careers in Finance and Accounting. The GetEducated.com Distance Learning scholarship is an interesting option, which is offered twice a year with application deadlines on March 15 and October 15.  There are various options offered through UGA that online students can qualify for, including a out-of-state tuition waiver. A lot of these opportunities are offered by individual departments, so information can be found by visiting the departmental websites. Visit FastWEB for additional links to opportunities open to graduate students. 

For assistance and additional information about financial assistance, visit UGA’s Office of Student Financial Aid or call (706) 542-6147.