Tuition costs of the most popular MSW programs

[Lola1233]

Something that might be helpful for applicants or those deciding on schools is to create a list of top/most popular MSW programs on this forum, and a *rough* estimate of tuition costs both in/out of state. I'm willing to manage the list if everyone wants to chime in on how much these programs cost per year -- in tuition/fees, and not counting books, living expenses, etc. This will save a prospective applicant many hours of searching through school websites that are often confusing and vague when it comes to tuition and fees.

[paige_elizabeth10]

I'll be at UW this fall. As an in-state resident who will be "living with parents" tuition will cost me around $17,500. Cost of living/personal expenses/books/fees/etc...bring it to around $26,000. 

Edited June 18, 2013 by paige_elizabeth10

[Kristopher]

Wow. That's incredibly pricey for in-state tuition. Ohio State's will cost me $12,200 and I thought that was on the more expensive side. 

[Lola1233]

That doesn't seem too bad. Paige and Kristoper, are these estimates per semester/year/or for the entire 2-year program? Paige...do you have the numbers for the other schools you applied to?

[Kristopher]

I should have clarified. That is for one year. So in total the program will cost me $24,400 in tuition.

[paige_elizabeth10]

That doesn't seem too bad. Paige and Kristoper, are these estimates per semester/year/or for the entire 2-year program? Paige...do you have the numbers for the other schools you applied to?

 

Mine is per year. The only other school I received financial info for was DU, but I no longer have access to my login (since I turned down my acceptance) so I can't remember the exact numbers. I believe it was around 25k? I'm not sure if that included cost of living. 

Edited June 18, 2013 by paige_elizabeth10

[Lola1233]

ANNUAL cost of TUITION/FEES  (this estimate does not include books, living expenses, etc)

 

This estimate is for standard, on campus, full time, 2-year programs. (Prior to Financial Aid)

 

Resident/Non Resident (where applicable)

 

Ohio State -                       12,200/

Univeristy of Washington - 17,500/

UCLA -                               20,000/

UC Berkeley-                      20,000/

WUSTL -                                 47,000

University of Denver -        39,000

University of Arizona -       11,000/26,500

Univeristy of Michigan-      23,000/37,000

Boston College-                39,000

Boston Univeristy-             29,000

NYU -                                 47,000

Columbia -                         44,000

 

 

I will start an xls on this...just wanted to throw some numbers out there.

[TheCrow]

UNC Chapel Hill 10,248/27,460 

[Provincial Cosmopolitan]

I'm wondering, are these numbers really accurate? What I mean by this: in undergraduate education, you apply and see what financial aid you get. Some schools, like Harvard, meet everything, so if you're dirt poor and get in, you pay nothing. Other undergraduate schools might have a lower price tag, but actually provide on average less financial aid or meet less of a person's calculated need than Harvard. In that sense, the cheaper school is more expensive in reality. I wonder if this is the same with MSW programs, and you really have no idea if you can afford a school until you're accepted and see your financial aid. Anyone know? I know that with undergrad, you can check the most basic websites and see what percent of financial need is generally met by a school. Something like this for MSW programs?

[nugget]

Somewhere on this forum, a person posted a link to a website that tells you how much financial aid schools tend to give (based on data provided by students from schools all over the country). It also gives numbers for different departments/programs at various schools. I can't seem to find it anymore as I don't remember the forum sub-heading name.

 

But such a thing does exist. Perhaps if you do a google search you will be able to find it. 

[citychild]

I'm wondering, are these numbers really accurate? What I mean by this: in undergraduate education, you apply and see what financial aid you get. Some schools, like Harvard, meet everything, so if you're dirt poor and get in, you pay nothing. Other undergraduate schools might have a lower price tag, but actually provide on average less financial aid or meet less of a person's calculated need than Harvard. In that sense, the cheaper school is more expensive in reality. I wonder if this is the same with MSW programs, and you really have no idea if you can afford a school until you're accepted and see your financial aid. Anyone know? I know that with undergrad, you can check the most basic websites and see what percent of financial need is generally met by a school. Something like this for MSW programs?

This.

I applied to SUNY Buffalo. It was about $18k for an out-of-state student, I got a $4,000 scholarship. I was also in the running for a grant of $10k/year... which, if I received, would have made my MSW $4k.

In the end, I chose a different--much more expensive school--because I was not confident the opportunities would exist for me in Buffalo that I need to grow as a professional. I also went to a different school in Chicago because I cannot stand driving. At all. I prefer public transit. And felt Chicago was a city I could do this in more so than Buffalo.

[paige_elizabeth10]

Here is a link that includes past estimated budgets for UW grad students. 

 

http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/graduate/past.budgets.html

 

Link for the 2013-2014 academic year: http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/graduate/grad.costs.html This one is pretty accurate except my tuition is $2000 more.

Edited June 24, 2013 by paige_elizabeth10

[Lola1233]

I'm wondering, are these numbers really accurate? What I mean by this: in undergraduate education, you apply and see what financial aid you get. Some schools, like Harvard, meet everything, so if you're dirt poor and get in, you pay nothing. Other undergraduate schools might have a lower price tag, but actually provide on average less financial aid or meet less of a person's calculated need than Harvard. In that sense, the cheaper school is more expensive in reality. I wonder if this is the same with MSW programs, and you really have no idea if you can afford a school until you're accepted and see your financial aid. Anyone know? I know that with undergrad, you can check the most basic websites and see what percent of financial need is generally met by a school. Something like this for MSW programs?

 

This is a VERY good point. In gereral, I find that private schools have MUCH more leeway in terms of giving huge scholarships/tuition forgiveness than public/state schools. For me, the process of narrowing down schools to apply to was heavily based on cost -- a list like this would have been very helpful for me. So, I figured other applicants who are choosing schools based on tuition fees will find this type of list helpful. Of course, you have to do your due dilligence once you decide on a school -- and everyones final cost will differ. But, knowing at a glance that USC, for example, costs over 80k for their MSW degree, automatically eliminated them in the running for me, scholarship or not (unless it was a full-ride).

[MJL34]

Good points, all. For those of you that were awarded scholarships or grants, were those primarily "need based" or were they awarded regardless of financial situation. And, in the case of merit, any idea what that criteria was based on? As someone whose FAFSA is going to look much better in the year I apply than when I'm actually going to school, I'm curious what drives the decision to lower tution costs.

[Purplescarves]

University of Chicago $40,770

Smith $30,060

The types of grants and scholarships are dependent upon the school. Smith is mostly need-based, while Chicago and Berkeley seem to take both into consideration. USC...I'm not quite sure what their deal is.

It is true that you don't know what you will pay until you apply, are accepted, and receive your financial aid package. Private schools have a few full-ride scholarships to give away and then typically are generous with providing scholarships that are usually up to 50% tuition remission. Public schools in CA offer great financial aid packages due to the stipend programs. UC Berkeley also offers some grants and scholarships outside of the stipends that can be really generous (full tuition and a living stipend). In my conversations with the admissions teams, I learned that merit scholarships went to candidates who had substantial experience and on-the-job knowledge to contribute or would add to the diversity of the program.

Overall, you can expect that financial aid packages for Masters programs won't be as generous. Even a school like Harvard, which does provide decent financial aid for undergraduates, is limited in what it gives to graduate students.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Purplescarves

[awright228]

Good points, all. For those of you that were awarded scholarships or grants, were those primarily "need based" or were they awarded regardless of financial situation. And, in the case of merit, any idea what that criteria was based on? As someone whose FAFSA is going to look much better in the year I apply than when I'm actually going to school, I'm curious what drives the decision to lower tution costs.

 

I think the best idea to get the most bang for your buck and the best options is to apply to State schools if your state has a program you like and ALSO big private schools with a good reputation for giving merit based aid -- they do give a lot of merit aid if you have the credentials. After you line up the scholarhips you have gotten with the tuition cost, I would take my top three choices (least expensive options) and apply for any GA position that I thought would remotely aid my study.

 

That's what I did when I got my J.D. and now as I am going back for my MSW and I had a lot of affordable options. I went to Michigan State University Law on a full-ride (not the best law school in the country but climbing the ranks and def. got a great education) and I'm going to BC for my MSW w/ $20k tuition remission and a GA position that will cover the remainder of my tuition plus a stipend. I had to apply to alot of positions at various schools..it was basically like a part time job trying to find positions that would work with my program and would cover the remainder of my tuition not covered by scholarships. I ended up having several options in by the time May rolled around and I went with BC because it was gunna be free of cost and it was my first choice.

 

I just think applying to both State schools and private schools gives you a lot of options as far as tuition range and chance to get merit aid or other unique scholarships...also at huge univeristy's you have the opportunity to apply for GA positions or teaching assistant positions. I was a TA at MSU for 2 years which helped me not take out many loans for living expenses.

 

Best of luck to all! 

[Lola1233]

I think the best idea to get the most bang for your buck and the best options is to apply to State schools if your state has a program you like and ALSO big private schools with a good reputation for giving merit based aid -- they do give a lot of merit aid if you have the credentials.

 

I completely agree. Does anyone know or have a list of these big private schools with a good reputation for giving lots of merit-based aid?

[nugget]

I posted here a while ago stating that there is a website that tells you how much US students receive in financial aid and scholarships but I no longer had the link. Here it is: http://gradpay.herokuapp.com/

Edited July 9, 2013 by jenste