College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences > Admission & Aid > Graduate Admission > Tuition and Aid

Tuition and Aid

Graduate school is an investment in your future. The following information can help you make an informed decision about financing your graduate education.    

Tuition information for graduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is available on the Student Financial Accounts website.

Graduate students may be eligible for assistantships and/or scholarships. University-based graduate assistantships and scholarships are awarded by the individual academic departments. Funding is limited and highly competitive.

Graduate assistants typically complete up to 20 hours of weekly service for the academic department in exchange for a tuition waiver and stipend. Please note service hours and award amounts are different for each department.

The application process for graduate assistantships and scholarships also varies by department. Please visit the program website for application deadlines and more information. The following programs offer assistantships and/or scholarships:

Applied Diplomacy
English Literature and Publishing
History
Interdisciplinary Self-Designed Program
International Public Service
International Studies
Nonprofit Management
Philosophy
Public Administration
Public Health
Public Policy
Public Service Management
Social Work
Sociology
Sustainable Urban Development
Women's & Gender Studies
Writing and Publishing
Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse

Double Demon Scholarship

 

Any newly admitted student who has already graduated from a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree program at DePaul is eligible to receive the Double Demon Scholarship. The scholarship covers 25% of the tuition for graduate degree coursework, certificate coursework and non-degree coursework taken after the student's first degree is conferred. It does not include coursework from the Center for Professional Education (CPE), Institute for Professional Development (IPD), doctoral programs, Music, Theatre, Law and select other programs. The Double Demon Scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other institutional aid or discount. Should a student be offered any additional assistance from the University, the more advantageous of the two awards will be applied.For more information, contact the Office of Graduate Admission at graddepaul@depaul.edu or (773) 325-7315.

The DePaul Graduate Catholic Scholarship

Eligible alumni of any U.S. Catholic college or university can receive a 10 percent discount off tuition for graduate and professional programs.

DePaul Corporate Education Partnerships

DePaul has established education partnership agreements with several Chicago based corporations. The partnership agreements provide a tuition discount to qualified employees of those companies. Inquire with your HR or benefits department for more information.

DePaul Graduate Award

DePaul offers a Graduate Award to new graduate students starting a School of Public Service program. The amount of $500 per course for the duration of the program (or a total of $6,500) will be awarded to new students. The DePaul Graduate Award cannot be used in conjunction with any other DePaul awards. Should a student be offered any additional assistance from the University, the more advantageous of the two awards will be applied. For details including eligibility requirements, please contact the Office of Graduate Admission at (773)325-7315 or graddepaul@depaul.edu.

The Kolnick Scholarship for returned Peace Corps Volunteers and Fulbright Scholars

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is pleased to announce, The Kolnick Scholarship for returned Peace Corps volunteers and Fulbright Scholars. Consideration for this scholarship shall be given to newly admitted students in any master's program in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, who are alumni of either the Peace Corps or Fulbright Scholars programs. In order to receive the award, the student must be enrolled as a full time (8 credit hour) master's student in the fall and remain enrolled as a student in good standing throughout the year. Awardees will receive a scholarship in the form of a 25% tuition waiver for the academic year that will be split equally between the fall, winter and spring quarters and may not be used for summer.  The award will be applied towards tuition only and cannot be used for course-related expenses (books, supplies and fees). Therefore, students with full-tuition remission, Graduate Assistantships or any other DePaul scholarships, waivers or awards are not eligible. Awards will not be applied until the fall quarter after the last day to add/drop. Students who drop below 8 credit hours per quarter will no longer receive the award and will not have the opportunity to renew. 

The Kolnick Peace Corps and Fulbright Scholarship for returned Peace Corps volunteers and Fulbright Scholars is currently offered for one year with the possibility for renewal. 

Students can apply for the Kolnick Scholarship for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and Fulbright Scholars using Academic Works. The scholarship application is open now to admitted students and will close on July 1.

If you have questions, please contact the Office of Graduate Admission at graddepaul@depaul.edu or (773) 325-7315.

Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship Program (For Returning Peace Corps Volunteers)

The Paul D. Coverdell Felllows Program (formerly known as Fellos/U.S.A.) is a graduate fellowship program that offers Financial assistance to returned Peace Corps volunteers. All fellows complete internships in underserved American communities, allowing them to bring home, and expand upon, the skills they learned as volunteers. The Fellowship program is available to School of Public Service students only. More information can be found at https://las.depaul.edu/academics/school-of-public-service/student-resources/graduate/Pages/peace-corps-fellowship.aspx.

Graduate Presidential Scholarship

This scholarship is for the amount of $12,000. The Graduate Presidential Scholarship (for qualified international students admitted into select degree programs: Applied Mathematics – MS, Applied Statistics – MS, Chemistry – MS, Environmental Science – MS, and Sustainable Urban Development – MA) is disbursed evenly($2,000 per quarter) over the first six quarters of continuous, full-time enrollment (excluding summer). The Graduate Presidential Scholarship is disbursed per quarter, up to six quarters while enrolled full-time, with a maximum award of $12,000. Except for the Double Demon Scholarship (for DePaul alumni), awards are not renewable and are not disbursed in summer, nor are they disbursed in the December intercession. Additional criteria includes.

· Financial awards (scholarships, assistantships, reimbursements, corporate discount programs) cannot be combined and students may only receive one award for the duration of the program. The one award received will be the most advantageous award the student is qualified to receive.

· Some scholarships offered by outside agencies may not be included in the “one award” policy of the University, but all financial support is considered and can impact a student’s final financial aid package including any scholarships that may be offered.

· Final awarding of scholarships and financial aid is done by the University’s Office of Financial Aid and are contingent on hours enrolled, the award may be updated with any enrollment changes made prior to the last day to drop classes.

· Scholarships are “tuition restricted” awards and do not cover fees, textbooks and living expenses.

· Some scholarships require formal application and acceptance procedures with established deadlines.

· The Graduate Presidential Scholarship is awarded based on the program of study and term that a student has applied for. Deferral to another term or switching programs may revoke the scholarship.

· Payment of tuition and fees is the sole responsibility of the student regardless of any financial assistance that may be offered.

· If an awarded student’s plans change, they must promptly contact the LAS/CSH Graduate Admission office and inform either their admission officer or the Director of Graduate Admission of this change. Awarded students must also promptly inform the Financial Aid office of any and all scholarship awards or graduate assistantships they receive, to ensure that they remain eligible for the awards that they have accepted. Failure to do so may result in a loss of scholarship opportunity.

Graduate students are encouraged to seek additional funding from outside sources. A listing of scholarship search engines is available on the Office of Financial Aid website. DePaul Scholarship Connect lists external scholarships that have been sent to the Office of Financial Aid. New scholarships are frequently posted at this link.

You also may contact any social, religious, military or professional organizations with which you are affiliated to see if they sponsor scholarship programs.

To help fit the cost of graduate school in your budget, DePaul provides multiple methods of payment and payment plans.

Many employers offer a variety of tuition reimbursement or assistance programs to cover advanced education for their employees. To find out if you are eligible to receive employee tuition assistance, please contact your employer's human resource office. DePaul offers an extended payment plan option for students participating in an employer reimbursement program. For more information, visit the DePaul Central website.

If you are a veteran of U.S. military service, an eligible active-duty member of the military or an eligible dependent, you may qualify for Veteran's Affairs (VA) Educational Benefits. DePaul is also a proud participant in the Yellow Ribbon program. For more information, visit the Office of Financial Aid.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) may apply for federal financial aid. Visit fafsa.gov to complete the FAFSA online. You will need to complete a FAFSA for each academic year that you want to receive financial aid. DePaul's code is 001671.
A student loan is a form of financial aid that must be repaid with interest. Student loans are offered through the federal government direct loan program or through private lenders (also called alternative student loans).

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
Eligibility for unsubsidized direct loans is not based on financial need; however, you will still need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The direct loan limit is $20,500 per year as a graduate student. Direct loans borrowed after July 1, 2012 will be entirely unsubsidized, meaning that loans will accumulate interest while you are in school. However, you may either pay the interest while you are enrolled, or it will be accrued and capitalized to the principal. Repayment of the principal is deferred until you graduate or cease to be enrolled at least half time.

Federal Direct Grad Plus Loan
The Grad Plus Loan is a credit-based federal loan which requires students to be enrolled at least half time in a degree-seeking program. Students may borrow up to the estimated cost of attendance minus any other financial aid received.

This is a fixed-interest loan and repayment begins immediately after graduation or if the student withdraws or drops below half-time enrollment. A credit check and FAFSA are required.

Private educational loans are available from private lenders as another source of funding for students when federal funding does not fully cover the cost of attendance. Private educational loan lenders perform credit checks for eligibility.

The Office of Financial Aid website provides guidance on what to look for and what questions you should ask when researching private lenders. Visit the Types of Aid section of the financial aid website for more information.

The federal government may cancel all or part of your student loan debt if you agree to work in certain fields, under certain conditions. Military service, teaching in low-income schools, public service or practicing medicine in some communities may qualify you for loan forgiveness. For more information, visit studentaid.ed.gov under the "Repay Your Loans" section.

Please note that the information provided is current as of November 2022 ​and is subject to change.