FAQ: Cost of Attendance (COA)
Each year the Haas Financial Aid Office provides an estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) as the basis for determining financial aid eligibility during the academic program. Living expenses are calculated by the weeks of instruction.
Yes, the COA includes tuition and fees, as well as estimates for health insurance, books and living expenses.
The COA includes estimates for student expenses only. However, if you find that the estimates do not adequately reflect your living expenses, you may submit a COA Adjustment Request form to increase your budget. Costs related to dependents that may be considered for a COA Adjustment include the cost of childcare expenses.
FAQ: Scholarships for Prospective/Admitted Students
Review Dates and Decision Dates are noted on our Haas Scholarship page. Please note that you may start applying for the Haas Scholarships at the time of the admission application. We strongly encourage prospective students, for whom scholarships are a major decision factor, to apply for admission sooner rather than later.
Yes, most of our scholarships for entering students are open to both international and domestic students.
Berkeley Haas scholarships are limited and very competitive. The criteria for each award varies.
The Master of Financial Engineering Program scholarship application deadlines are aligned with the admission application deadlines for each round and will vary from year to year. Upon submission, your application will be reviewed by the various scholarship committees. Awards are given to students who best meet a scholarship’s criteria, many of which include a short essay. We provide a list of Outside Scholarships for opportunities outside of Haas.
FAQ: Loan Options
Students should complete the FAFSA for the current AND upcoming academic years by the end of February. Doing so will ensure that funds are received by the University and applied towards fees by the course start dates.
- Interest Rates – The interest rates for private loans are determined by the borrower’s credit score, where the federal loan interest rates are set by Congress.
- Fees – Private loans tend to have zero fees, while the federal loans have origination fees of approximately 1 and 4%.
- Repayment Plans – The federal loans offer a variety of repayment plans, where private loans offer only a standard repayment plan.
Yes, Haas has secured multiple loan options for international students that do not require a co-signer. These loans are referred to as “risk-share” loans. The current borrowing capacity for the risk-share loan options is $60,000 for the academic program. The lending market has other non-Haas affiliated options that may have better rates and terms. Students are encouraged to shop for lenders that best suit their needs before making a decision.
Both federal and private loan funds will disburse directly to the University approximately 10 days prior to the start of the term in March. Please note your loan amount will be broken up evenly between the 4 terms of your program.
FAQ: Other Funding
The Haas School of Business, as part of the public University of California system, is one of the few top ranked MBA programs in the country that is able to benefit from the expanded Post 9/11 Benefits signed into law in January 2011. Depending on the length of the qualifying service, veterans can obtain:
- Funding for up to 100% fees
- A monthly housing allowance (determined by the VA office)
- An annual book stipend up to $1,000
You must first contact your local VA Office to obtain a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility (COA). We recommend students contact our office once they have accepted admission to begin the process.
Once you have completed your the term and have paid your tuition you will be able to print your account activity from Cal Central. You can also reach out to your program office and request a Grade Letter which would itemize your class with the individual unit load, cost of the course, and the completed grade. Those 2 documents have successfully gotten students reimbursements through their employer.
If you have paid these fees in full using your own resources or loans, the Graduate Student Instructorships (GSI’s) fee remission will be refunded to you. However, fee remissions will not be paid to students as a refund if fees are being covered by outside sources.
If your fees are paid by a government agency, foundation, employer, or other outside organization, it is your responsibility to ensure that payment of fees is properly credited. Please have the third party email the Billing Office at [email protected] with an authorization letter on company letterhead.