For the 2023–2024 academic year, the cost per credit is $1,650. The total cost of the program is approximately $100,200 for traditional track students and $65,130 for students who have full advanced standing. You are billed for the number of credits for which you are enrolled. Tuition typically increases each year, and this figure does not take into consideration the increase.

There is a $20-per-credit fee assessed for online programs. 

When you confirm your enrollment, you will pay a $200 confirmation fee.

Federal financial aid cannot be used to pay your enrollment deposit.

Financial aid packages are created after you are admitted to the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, and you have completed both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CWRU Financial Aid Form. The financial aid packages are sent out via email as soon as the determination is made. We will be able to give you the exact details of your aid package prior to you submitting your deposit.

Below are sources of funding that may be available to you. Please refer to the specific section for more information.

*Must complete the FAFSA to apply.

External Scholarships

To learn more about external scholarship opportunities, please visit our resources page.

The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan is a federal loan offered to students to help with the cost of education. The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan is not based on income or financial need.

The Direct Unsubsidized Loan is not based on income. To apply for federal student aid, you must: 

Learn more about federal student aid eligibility criteria on the Federal Student Aid website.

The aggregate loan limit is the total amount that you may borrow for undergraduate and graduate study. In addition to borrowing limitations based on the cost of attendance for the program, students are also limited in terms of lifetime borrowing. The aggregate loan limit for all federal loans, including undergraduate and graduate study, is $138,500.

If the total loan amount you receive over the course of your education reaches the aggregate loan limit, you are not eligible to receive additional loans. However, if you repay some of your loans to bring your outstanding loan debt below the aggregate loan limit, you could then borrow again, up to the amount of your remaining eligibility under the aggregate loan limit. You can learn more about graduate annual loan limits on the Federal Student Aid website.

You may visit the National Student Loan Data System website to view your federal student loan borrowing history. Please note that private education loans are not listed on this site.

Direct Subsidized Loans are available to undergraduate students with financial need. The U.S. Department of Education pays the interest on subsidized loans while students are enrolled in their undergraduate program. The Direct Unsubsidized Loan is available to undergraduate and graduate students and does not require demonstration of financial need. The Unsubsidized Loan begins accruing interest as soon as funds are disbursed. To learn more about the difference between unsubsidized and subsidized loans, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

Most graduate-level students are potentially eligible to receive up to $20,500 per academic year from the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Learn more about graduate annual loan limits on the Federal Student Aid website.

To apply for the Direct Unsubsidized Loan, you must complete and submit the FAFSA form.

The Direct Unsubsidized Loan interest rate is determined on an annual basis. Learn more about interest rates on the Federal Student Aid website.

There is a loan origination fee that is a percentage of the total loan amount. The loan origination fee is deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement you receive. Information on Unsubsidized Loan origination fees can be found on the Interest Rates and Fees page of the Federal Student Aid website.

Your federal loans will disburse the first day of class. You must complete your Master Promissory Note and your entrance counseling on the Federal Student Aid website in order to accept the loans that are offered to you.

Students whose accounts carry a credit balance after financial aid has been applied will be issued a refund within 14 business days of the posted credits exceeding charges.

The Direct Graduate PLUS Loan is a federal loan that graduate or professional degree students can use to help pay education expenses in addition to the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. To learn about Direct PLUS Loans, visit the Federal Student Aid website.

Only Direct Subsidized/Direct Unsubsidized Loans (formerly referred to as Stafford loans) and federal loans made through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program count toward your aggregate loan limit. 

One of the eligibility requirements to receive a Graduate PLUS Loan is that you must not have an adverse credit history. A credit check is performed to determine whether a Graduate PLUS Loan applicant meets this requirement. Learn more about Graduate PLUS Loans on the Federal Student Aid website.

If approved for the Grad PLUS Loan, you can borrow up to the cost of attendance as determined by the program. The cost of attendance includes tuition and fees, and allowances for indirect expenses like books, supplies and living expenses. 

The credit decision for a Grad PLUS Loan is good for 180 days. For fall and spring semesters, you can apply anytime after May 15. Typically, students apply around 45 days prior to the start of classes in order for the loan to disburse at the proper time. If you are interested in applying for a Grad PLUS Loan for the summer term, please adhere to the May 15 date as well. 

In order to apply for the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, you must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Once you have completed the FAFSA, apply for the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan by completing the credit application on the Federal Student Aid website. You must also complete the Graduate PLUS Loan Agreement Master Promissory Note (MPN).

If you are denied the Graduate PLUS Loan, you may reapply with an endorser or follow the instructions to appeal the denial on the Department of Education’s website.

The Direct Graduate PLUS Loan interest rate is determined at the beginning of each academic year and is available on the Federal Student Aid website’s Interest Rates and Fees page.

There is a loan origination fee that is a percentage of the total loan amount. The loan origination fee is deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement you receive. Learn more about Direct Graduate PLUS Loan origination fees on the Federal Student Aid website’s Interest Rates and Fees page.

Your federal loans will disburse the first day of class. To accept the loans that are offered to you, you must complete your Master Promissory Note and entrance counseling on the Federal Student Aid website. 

Students must also accept their financial aid award in the CWRU My Financial Aid Portal.

Private education loans, also known as alternative loans, are offered by private lenders to help students bridge the gap between the cost of education and the amount the government allows you to borrow in federal loans.

CWRU offers an extensive list of private student loans for which graduate students can apply. Visit FastChoice to view this list.

There are several different forms of employer support: direct billing from CWRU to your employer, or tuition reimbursement directly to the student, either after registration or when the term is complete and grades are issued. 

Written authorization is required for special billing arrangements. If a third party (for example, an employer; private trust fund; or domestic, foreign or other government agency) will pay all or part of your tuition and fees, Student Financial Services will bill your sponsor directly. A copy of your sponsor’s agreement must be forwarded to Student Financial Services during the first week of each semester.

Some employers reimburse for graduate education. Every organization and agency has specific guidelines on the terms and conditions regarding their internal employer reimbursement process. Please review the terms and conditions with your human resource representative at your place of employment. We will be glad to provide any documentation that your HR department needs to process the benefits in a timely manner.

To begin the process of applying for military education benefits for which you are eligible, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Visit Vets.gov to complete the Education Benefits Application, which generates a request for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Once approved for benefits, the VA will mail the COE to you within six to eight weeks after you submit the application. 

You should submit one copy of your COE to the University’s Registrar’s office so your enrollment is certified properly. It can be faxed to 216.368.4310, scanned and emailed to vabenefits@case.edu, or delivered to Enrollment Services, Yost Hall, Room 135.

In addition to the COE, you must be registered for the upcoming semester. We will begin initial certifications one to two weeks prior to the upcoming semester.

The School Certifying Official will certify VA Education Benefits twice at the beginning of the term. The first certification process will entail enrollment information only. This will happen one to two weeks prior to the start of the term. This will allow for an applicable BAH/book stipends to process. After the designated Drop/Add period found on the university’s Academic Calendar ends, certifications are resubmitted to the VA. The second certification process includes both enrollment and financial (net tuition and fees) information. 

Military benefits are posted to your student account once they are received from the VA. 

Active duty means someone who is serving in the military full time and is not currently eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP). Non-active duty means someone who is not currently serving or is no longer serving in any capacity of military service of the United States and is eligible for YRP if at 100 percent per the COE.

You are potentially eligible for this VA-administered program if you have at least 90 days of aggregate active duty service after Sept. 10, 2001, and are still on active duty, or if you are an honorably discharged veteran or were discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. Learn more about the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The tuition and fee payment rate and MHA are determined at the beginning of each military academic year on Aug. 1. The current rate table is located on the Education and Training page of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs site.

The Yellow Ribbon Program allows degree-granting private colleges and universities in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with the VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the annual maximum cap for the resident tuition and fees at public institutions.

Veterans who are utilizing Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and who are entitled to 100 percent of their benefit may be eligible. To participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, you must be using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits at 100 percent eligibility, not be on active duty, and not be a military spouse. There are a limited number of Yellow Ribbon awards available.

Yes, CWRU does participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. In order to be eligible to participate in Yellow Ribbon, you must be 100 percent eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

General Certification/Registration, Degree Verification, Diploma Services:
Office of the University Registrar
Yost Hall, Room 135
216.368.4310
Email: vabenefits@case.edu

A list of the most frequently asked questions about military benefits can be found on the University Registrar webpage.

To receive a financial aid award, you must be accepted into the program and have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with the Case Western Reserve University code 003137. Financial aid awards for new students are reviewed on a rolling basis. All financial aid award notices are sent electronically to your email address on file at CWRU.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the application the Department of Education uses to determine if you are eligible to receive federal student aid.

The FAFSA is available online at studentaid.gov. The FAFSA is a free application; you will not be asked to pay.

If you are applying for graduate school, you are considered an independent student and do not need to include your parents’ information to complete the FAFSA.

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a measurement of your ability to contribute toward your educational costs. As a graduate/professional student, your EFC is not a factor in your eligibility for federal student loans.

The FAFSA is available every Oct. 1 for the upcoming academic year. New students planning to use federal student aid should complete a FAFSA while applying for admission. Continuing students will need to submit a FAFSA each year they plan to receive federal student aid.

The FAFSA must be completed each academic year in order to remain eligible for federal student aid. Please reference the chart below to determine which FAFSA to complete based on your desired start date:

Yes, if you are interested in receiving federal financial aid, you will need to complete the FAFSA for each academic year in which you plan on applying for federal student aid. Please keep in mind that the award year for this program starts in the summer term.

An academic year is the year for which financial aid is used to fund your education. Generally, this is the 12-month period that begins on July 1 of one year and ends on June 30 of the following year.

The types of federal student aid graduate students are eligible to apply for include the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan. Learn more about the types of federal student aid.

The Department of Education awards Federal Pell Grants and Subsidized Loans only to eligible undergraduate students who have not yet completed their bachelor’s degrees and who demonstrate financial need. Graduate students are not eligible for the Federal Pell Grant nor the Direct Subsidized Loan. 

In addition to the FAFSA, students must submit the CWRU Financial Aid Form, available from the My Financial Aid Portal. You must have an active CWRU Network ID to use this system. If you wish to accept the loan(s) that were offered to you, you will need to complete entrance counseling and the Loan Agreement Master Promissory Note (MPN) for both the Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. 

Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to continue receiving financial aid. Guidelines for graduate students are determined by the individual graduate schools and are published in their bulletins. View the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy here (PDF, 94KB).

You must be enrolled at least half-time to receive federal financial aid, or a minimum of three hours

Full-time

6 or more

Three-quarter Time

less than 6 to 4.5

Half-time

less than 4.5 to 3

Less than half-time

less than 3

For detailed information regarding the calculation of enrollment status, please visit our CWRU Enrollment Status resource.

Assuming you are admitted and your FAFSA is on file with Case Western Reserve University, you will receive your financial aid award 45 days before classes start. Financial aid awards are made on an ongoing basis after that point. 

No. You can choose to accept all, part or none of your financial aid award.

Enrolled students are billed per semester (summer, fall and spring). Students and authorized users can expect the billing statements to be available after 4 p.m. ET on the billing dates listed on the Student Financial Services webpage. 

An email notification will be sent to students and their authorized users when billing statements are available to view. When making a payment, please allow enough processing time for receipt of your payment. It may take up to three weeks depending on your payment method for the credit to appear on your account.

CWRU uses a paperless tuition billing system. Instead of mailing a paper bill, the student, as well as any authorized users, will receive a billing notification via email, typically around 4 p.m. on a billing date. The message informs the student that new billing information is available and provides the billing statement access link. Billing statements are only generated for accounts with a balance owed before pending financial aid (if applicable). Billing statements will NOT be generated for accounts that are paid in full or have an actual credit balance at the time of billing.

The current billing statement will include all charges, credits and pending financial aid available since the previous billing cycle. Subsequent billing statements will only reflect new charges and payments. For a summary of activities for a term, please use the Statement of Account page in the Financial Account section of the Student Home.

To access the most current billing statement, please perform the following steps:

The university’s preferred method of payment is electronically through SIS. However, many more options are available, including payment plans and mailed-in payments. Payments are applied to tuition accounts and not specific charges. Payments are applied to the term with the oldest balance.

Users can access the Student Information System—available at case.edu/sis on a desktop or sismobile.case.edu on a mobile device—to make payments. Domestic payments can be made via e-check and credit card. Credit and debit cards accepted are American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Debit and credit card payments made with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover will be charged a 2.7% service fee by the credit card processing agent. Credit card payments are an online option only. To learn how to make an online payment, access the Student Financial Guide.

Occasionally, an online payment from a checking or savings account is invalid. Both the payer and the student will receive an email informing them why the payment failed. Within a few days, the university will be informed and the payment will be removed from the account.

The university makes available three payment plans. There is no payment plan available for summer term.

TMS and E-Z Payment plans are pre-payments or installments toward your educational expenses. It is a monthly budgeting tool only. The university will notify plan participants of under/over budget amounts before the due date so you can plan accordingly. The Extended E-Z Payment Plan allows you to make two monthly payments past the semester’s due date. You can view the list of tuition due dates here.

To enroll in the spring plan, your account must not have an outstanding prior balance. The university has the right to cancel your enrollment in the payment plan.

You can also extend your tuition payment plan by two months. You do not need to be enrolled in the TMS or E-Z plans to take advantage of the Extended E-Z plan. There will be a 2.7% fee added to your plan and account, if enrolled. The plan would run from October through November for the fall semester and from February to March for the spring semester.

Accounts that remain unpaid after the due date are placed on financial hold. The “Past Due Balance” hold will prevent the student from participating in registration. This hold will also prevent the release of a transcript or a diploma. In addition, past due accounts will be charged a 1.5% late fee during monthly billings starting with the first bill after the payment deadline. 

Yes, you can borrow additional funds in excess of your charges at CWRU to cover books and/or other living expenses. You may receive these funds in the form of a refund from your financial account.

If after all charges are paid and the SIS financial account has a credit balance, we will automatically refund the credit balance if financial aid (grants, scholarships, loans, etc.) is posted to the account. If financial aid is not posted to the account and the SIS financial account shows a credit balance, we will refund the credit balance upon request or separation or graduation from CWRU.

There are two methods of distribution:

Students whose accounts carry a credit balance after financial aid has been applied will be issued a refund within 14 business days of the posted credits exceeding charges. Mailed checks may take up to three weeks to be received by the student. Students have the option to enroll in direct deposit for tuition account refunds through SIS. Direct deposit allows the refund to be conveniently delivered into the designated bank account.

Instructions for enrolling in direct deposit are located on the Student Financial Services webpage.

Federal regulations require that we refund to you all federal aid in excess of allowable charges (tuition and mandatory fees). By completing the Title IV Authorization, we can apply your federal aid to all of your charges, such as medical insurance, parking fines and other miscellaneous charges. It will help prevent outstanding balances from remaining on your account after a refund is processed. The Title IV authorization must be done prior to the financial aid disbursement and is in effect for future terms unless revoked by the student or the University.  

You can defer payment on your federal student loans if you are enrolled at least half-time. You should be aware that although you can defer payments while you are in school, interest will still accrue on your loan(s). 

Your unsubsidized loan will go into repayment six months after you graduate, fall below half-time status, take a leave of absence or withdraw from the program. Most private loans also have deferred payment options while you are in school; however, you will need to check with your loan servicer.

After you graduate, leave school or drop below half-time enrollment, you will have a six-month grace period before you are required to begin repayment. During this period, you’ll receive repayment information from your loan servicer, and you will be notified of your first payment due date. Payments are usually due monthly. You are not required to pay while in school (although interest will accrue), however if you choose to, there is no penalty to prepay. Learn more about repayment timelines.

The Department of Education (DOE) offers multiple options for repayment. You may visit the DOE website for more information on loan repayment plans.

Yes, visit the DOE website for repayment calculators.

A Direct Consolidation Loan allows you to consolidate (combine) multiple federal education loans into one loan including both graduate and undergraduate loans. The result is a single monthly payment instead of multiple payments. Learn more about loan consolidation.

In certain circumstances, all or a portion of a borrower’s federal student loans may be forgiven under the federal government’s loan forgiveness program. Please review the Department of Education website for more information on federal loan forgiveness programs.

For details on tax benefits for education, see IRS Publication 970: Tax Benefits for Higher Education (PDF, 2.2MB), which provides detailed information. Case Western Reserve University is unable to provide tax advice. We urge you to contact your tax advisor or the IRS (at 800.829.1040 or visit the IRS website) if you have any questions regarding the American Opportunity or Lifetime Learning Tax Credits.

It is an informational form filed with the Internal Revenue Service to report the amounts billed to you for qualified tuition and related expenses, and to relay related information. The primary purpose of IRS Form 1098‐T is to inform you that we have provided this required information to the IRS.

Form 1098-T reports amounts paid for qualified tuition, scholarships and grants processed during a calendar year to students enrolled in courses at Case Western Reserve University for which they receive academic credit. The information reported on the 1098-T Form helps students evaluate whether they are eligible for an educational tax credit. 

Additional information is available on the Student Financial Services webpage, or you can contact Student Accounts at studentaccounts@case.edu.

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