Just got accepted into a program, how do i ask for scholarships/discount

[dwanke1]

Hello

I was just accepted into a large public college (Maryland) for a dual MBA/MPP (Masters in public policy) degree. 

The total cost is around $80K!

Is there a way to approach them for a discount or scholarship? 

I was not a particularly strong applicant and may have been lucky to get in.

I'm in my 30s and my undergrad GPA in political science was only 2.81. I scored 165V and 149Q on my GRE. Other than my GRe verbal and my work experience (solid but non supervisoral) i sucked.

 

What can i do to avoid paying the full cost? How do i ask for discount or scholarship?

Thanks

Steve

 

 

 

[dwanke1]

 1.

I am considering the one program with Johns Hopkins that is 44K.

Would Maryland negotiate  the tuition down to be more competitive with the other programs number? Do things work like that with Grad school?

2.

Would i contact the financial aid office or the Admissions office with something like this?

 

Thank you

 

[Bayesian1701]

I'm not an expert on MBAs or MHP but my impression from spending a lot of time on this forum is that they are generally unfunded and $80,000 seems like a typical cost for a dual masters degree at an out of state or private university with no funding.   If you search for ”negotiating funding” on the site you should find a lot of old posts with tips.  I know some people have successfully negotiated but others were not sucessfull.  Maryland might have limited funding as a public university but if John Hopkins was almost half the price that seems like a better deal unless Maryland is better than Hopkins for MPH/MBAs.

[Dukemm]

On 7/13/2018 at 12:12 PM, Bayesian1701 said:

I'm not an expert on MBAs or MHP but my impression from spending a lot of time on this forum is that they are generally unfunded and $80,000 seems like a typical cost for a dual masters degree at an out of state or private university with no funding.   If you search for ”negotiating funding” on the site you should find a lot of old posts with tips.  I know some people have successfully negotiated but others were not sucessfull.  Maryland might have limited funding as a public university but if John Hopkins was almost half the price that seems like a better deal unless Maryland is better than Hopkins for MPH/MBAs.

i never knew you could "negotiate" with unis on their fees, apart from negotiating perhaps a different payment schedule. Are you able to share more on this?

[Bayesian1701]

You wouldn't negotiate the fees exactly, but you would negotiate for a better scholarship or grant.  You could maybe negotiate with Maryland for more funding, but the general rule of thumb is don't negotiate unless you would take the offer you were asking for.   Asking Hopkins for more aid is probably not going to work because you have no leverage.  If Hopkins wanted to give you more money they probably would have done it in the initial offer.

[HTM18]

email program coordinator if there is any funding or scholarships availability...

[Tesmaili]

I work in MBA recruiting and at our school, we do not have any funding for MBA students beyond a one-time first-year scholarship of $8k based on need (you file a FAFSA and are considered automatically). That being said, all graduate students are eligible for Graduate Assistantships which usually cover tuition. All universities have a general need for workers across departments with different skill sets. Although the pay is low, getting your tuition paid is a huge perk. If you are starting your program in fall, then keep trying for assistantships until fall comes around. Then, if you don't get one, ask for a deferral and keep trying. One last point, there are less expensive MBAs from AACSB accredited schools - so you could also keep looking for something more affordable or else find a job that gives their employees tuition reimbursement. Best of luck and don't give up.