FAQ: Cost of Attendance (COA)
Cost of Attendance (COA) is the average cost of the program. The Haas Financial Aid Office provides an estimate as the basis for determining financial aid eligibility during the academic program. COA includes both tuition and fees as well as allowances for living expenses, transportation and personal expenses.
Yes, your Cost of Attendance includes allowances for living, transportation and. personal expenses. These amounts correspond with the number of weeks you are attending classes, typically a total of 5 weeks per term.
No, the budget items outside of the Program Fees are estimates of additional funds you may need to help cover living expenses and books. Typically, as an Executive MBA student, most opt to only finance the Program Fees. You may accept/apply for loans in an amount less than the Cost of Attendance.
FAQ: Scholarships for Prospective/Admitted Students
Review Dates and Decision Dates are noted on our Haas Scholarship page. Please note that you will only be able to apply for Haas Scholarships via the admissions application. Decision dates are scheduled so that you will know the results of most scholarships prior to the program deposit deadline.
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 Executive MBA uses a separate online scholarship application which students complete once they are admitted into the program. 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.
If awarded a scholarship, your award will be disbursed in 5 equal payments at the beginning of each term and will be applied to your billable costs..
FAQ: Loan Options
Students should complete the FAFSA for the current AND upcoming academic years by the end of April. 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 a loan option for international students that do not require a co-signer. These loan is referred to as “risk-share” loans. The current borrowing capacity for the risk-share loan options is $100,000 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.
Federal Loan offers are split between the 5 terms of your program:
| Federal Borrowing | Summer 2017 | Fall 2017 | Spring 2018 | Summer 2018 | Fall 2018 | Total |
| Federal Direct Loan | $4,100 | $4,100 | $4,100 | $4,100 | $4,100 | $20,500 |
| Federal Grad Plus | $34,278 | $34,278 | $34,278 | $34,278 | $34,278 | $171,390 |
| Total | $38,378 | $38,378 | $38,378 | $38,378 | $38,378 | $191,890 |
Private loans are certified for loan periods that cannot exceed 365 days. Consequently, you will need to submit a second loan application for the second loan period. If you are approved and certified for the maximum amount (including living expenses), the amount will be disbursed equally among the terms of the loan period.
| Academic Term | Summer 2017 | Fall 2017 | Spring 2018 | Summer 2018 | Fall 2018 |
| Disbursement | $38,378 | $38,378 | $38,378 | $38,378 | $38,378 |
| Loan Period | First | First | First | Second | Second |
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 (everything except the Nonresident Tuition)
- 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.