user188404

I applied for just the MSSP and am still on the fence. Atm I'm leaning away from it because of cost, esp since I was offered full tuition elsewhere and I think I could probably make more connections/do better research in a longer program. Waiting on a funding reevaluation for Penn, but unless they somehow give me a ton more I don't think I'll end up there...

I would definitely email — worst thing they can do is say no. Although, I will say that I did email them with a competing offer (100% tuition from another school) and they said "We understand the challenges that students face in financing their studies. Our resources to assist are limited, and the awards we can offer to first-year students are very competitive. At this time, all funds we have to offer first-year entering students have been committed," soooo it's not looking good for me hahah.

Emailed the financial aid office since there was no funding in my letter and I tried to leverage my 100% tuition from another program... and let's just say they said no hahah. (This is their email): Congratulations on your acceptance to the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University! SIPA has much to offer, and we hope that you will be joining us in September. We understand the challenges that students face in financing their studies. Our resources to assist are limited, and the awards we can offer to first-year students are very competitive. At this time, all funds we have to offer first-year entering students have been committed. Many SIPA students receive aid from outside sources such as charitable or professional organizations, their employers, philanthropic groups, or agencies in their own countries. We offer a comprehensive list of scholarships and a search engine on our website and recommend that all students familiarize themselves with this resource and apply for all applicable awards.

Dang itttt. I knew Columbia was going to be a reach because they're already so expensive but I was hoping they'd give me at least a dollar. I got a 100% tuition offer from another program, though, so I guess that answers that question...

Just got accepted into MPA!! But no mention of funding/scholarship in the letter... does this mean I didn't get any? ?

Okay I spoke too soon! Just got an email saying I was recommended for admission (for MPP), and would be receiving official notification within the next two days. Scholarship information was included in the email. Super excited and got half tuition but it's still pretty expensive so I'm not sure if it's worth it ?

Has anyone here actually heard back who applied to the MPP program (not MPA)? I emailed admissions asking specifically about MPP for people who applied by the scholarship deadline and got the same response about decisions already having been released on a rolling basis and that people would be hearing back from now until May, but so far I've not seen anyone say they actually heard about the MPP. I assumed applying early for the scholarship deadline would mean I would hear back sooner during the rolling admissions process, so the fact that I haven't is making me nervous!

Hi! I applied to Penn's SP2 school (for the MSSP) on Dec. 1 for the scholarship deadline. I had an interview on Dec. 18 and got my acceptance Jan. 27. Not sure the typical timeline for all of SP2's programs, but the interviewer for my program said those who apply by the scholarship deadline would have a decision by early February and everyone else's decisions would come out mid-March.

@GradProsMPP Update for anyone wondering about the financial aid letter that was sent out yesterday! Looks like it was definitely an accident, so I don't think it matters whether or not you received it in terms of your admissions prospects. Figures! Received this email from the Director of Financial Aid today (assuming it was sent out to everyone who got their aid award yesterday): "You recently received an email informing you that the Office of Financial Aid at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) has reviewed your financial aid eligibility for the 2021/2022 academic year; a copy of that email is below. This email was sent in error: This information will be relevant for applicants later in the admissions process, but is not applicable to you at this time. We apologize for the confusion that this email caused. Below is clarification for the current admissions process: Admissions decisions have not been released, or even confirmed internally at Columbia. The Admissions Committee has not completed its assessment of all applicants, and after they have done so, the Fellowship Committee will be meeting to review applicants who will be offered funding. Your admissions decision and financial aid details will still be released in mid-March. There is no change right now regarding the status of your application for admission or financial aid other than it is being given full consideration. You will hear from us in March. We value you as an applicant, and we know that graduate school applications are already a stressful process. We apologize again for this error and for causing any confusion, and we appreciate your patience. If you have any other concerns regarding this email, please do reach out to me at sipa_finaid@columbia.edu; my team and I can provide more context if needed."

I'm also not international and I filled out the FAFSA. It looks like the financial aid package only includes things like federal work study or federal loans, so I'm assuming that's why you as an international student wouldn't have gotten that, as I believe those things only apply to domestic applicants (?). I wouldn't worry then that you haven't gotten an aid letter, as I believe scholarships and other funding sources are announced if you receive an acceptance or in mid-March. Not sure what the letter means for admissions prospects for domestic applicants, though. Haven't reached out to SIPA to ask since I just received it today.

Same here! Kind of confused by that? I would think a school wouldn't spend time reviewing financial aid for an applicant they aren't planning on accepting, so I'm hoping it's a good sign! Though based on the almost $70k cost after aid that's in the letter, it doesn't seem like attending is going to be very likely if I get accepted anyway haha but fingers crossed for all of us

Anyone here get a decision from the University of Pennsylvania's MSSP program already?? I was surprised to get my offer today (applied by the Dec. 15 scholarship deadline), as I thought decisions didn't come until February at the earliest. And if you did, assuming your scholarship/funding offer was in the letter as well. Any thoughts on the advantage of Penn given the high cost? Got an okay scholarship and it's only one year so it's not exactly ridiculous, but I know other programs (like IU Bloomington's MPA) are pretty good and offer decent funding as well. Is Penn's MSSP really worth the money for the quality of the program, or is a lot of it name recognition?