The financial planning process should begin well before you are admitted to the institution and continue throughout your academic career. We hope that you will find this information helpful as you move beyond your initial stage of graduate education exploration.
The tuition rate for 2019-2020 (Fall 2019, Spring 2020, and Summer 2020) is $1,700 per credit hour. The college fee is $468 per semester and cannot be waived.
The price of tuition per credit hour is the same for both master's and doctoral students. There is no in-state or out-of-state tuition rate with the exception of some special cohort programs. The average class is three credit hours.
Every student's budget and cost will be different and will vary depending on the number of credit hours & terms for which the student plans to attend during the year (period of enrollment). Additional items such as books/supplies, personal/living expenses, and transportation costs will also affect other costs you may incur during your time at TC. Note that these additional budget items, unlike tuition and fees, are variable expenses for you to determine how they would be factored in and covered by your financial aid as needed.
Budgeting Groups for the 2019-2020 Academic Year
Fall 2019 Tuition & Fees
Please note that the following costs are estimates that may be subject to change.
|
Enrollment |
Tuition Cost |
Mandatory College Fee |
Mandatory Columbia Health Fee |
Total Tuition and Fees |
|
6 credits |
$10,200 |
$468 |
N/A |
$10,668 |
|
9 credits |
$15,300 |
$468 |
N/A |
$15,768 |
|
12 credits |
$20,400 |
$468 |
$584* |
$20,868 |
|
15 credits |
$25,500 |
$468 |
$584* |
$25,968 |
Spring 2020 Tuition & Fees
Please note that the following costs are estimates that may be subject to change.
|
Enrollment |
Tuition Cost |
Mandatory College Fee |
Mandatory Columbia Health Fee |
Total Tuition and Fees |
|
6 credits |
$10,200 |
$468 |
N/A |
$10,668 |
|
9 credits |
$15,300 |
$468 |
N/A |
$15,768 |
|
12 credits |
$20,400 |
$468 |
$584* |
$20,868 |
|
15 credits |
$25,500 |
$468 |
$584* |
$25,968 |
*Students enrolling in all three semesters of the academic year (Fall, Spring, Summer) will only be charged the Columbia Health Fee in the Fall and Spring. Students enrolled less than full-time may voluntarily enroll in TC health insurance; these students will be required to pay the health program fee in addition to the cost of health insurance coverage.
Additional Items Factored Into Your 2019-2020 Budget
These items represent additional expenses that you may incur over the course of the year while attending TC. These figures are purely estimates and are NOT mandatory/applicable to all students. While every student is allotted an annual budget based on the Cost of Attendance (COA) for the items listed below, they are optional to include in your budgeting calculations.
|
Additional Items |
Estimated Annual Budgets* |
|
Columbia Health Plan Health Insurance**: |
$4,221 |
|
Books and Supplies***: |
Varied based on enrollment |
|
Travel Allowance: |
$1,089 |
|
Personal Expenses: |
$6,640 |
|
Living Expenses (Room and Board): |
$25,364 |
* Initial estimated annual budgets are based on the 2019-2020 TC Cost of Attendance for a student enrolling across Fall and Spring semesters only over a nine month period of enrollment. Budget figures will fluctuate for students planning to attend for the Summer term.
** All students enrolled in 12 or more billable credits and/or living in the residence halls are required to have health insurance coverage (TC or external). All international students are required to have health insurance. Full-time students/those living on-campus are automatically enrolled in TC's basic health insurance but may be waived with proper proof of external coverage. Official costs for 2019-2020 as well as coverage periods should be discussed with the Office of Insurance and Immunization Records.
*** Estimated budget for Books and Supplies is determined based on a student's enrollment at $50/credit hour. This figure will fluctuate based on a student's actual or anticipated enrollment per academic term. (IE: A student enrolling for half-time across Fall and Spring will have $50*12 credits =$600 budgeted for Books and Supplies. A student enrolling for full-time across Fall and Spring will have $50*24 credits =$1200 budgeted for Books and Supplies.)
Understanding Your Cost of Attendance
The Financial Aid Cost of Attendance (COA) budget is a set of estimated expenses that are used by the Office of Financial Aid to determine the amount of aid a student can obtain, taking costs such as tuition, fees, books/supplies, personal/living and transportation expenses into consideration. Because these are estimated expenses, these may not a student's actual cost of attending the college and will depend on each student's enrollment plans and individual circumstances.
Students who are receiving federal financial aid will have book/supplies, personal/living expenses, and transportation costs factored into the Cost of Attendance (COA) budget. Students utilizing federal student aid are limited to borrow up to the Cost of Attendance budget set forth by the Office of Financial Aid for the academic year and are encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid should they have any questions about their financial aid award offer.
Additional Information
Student financial aid award eligibility may change based on any internal or external aid (Institutional Scholarships, third-party scholarship payment, Employer Tuition Exemption etc.) that are administered throughout the duration of the academic year.
Note: These guides are intended to help you budget for the academic year. Fall/Spring students are enrolled for a total of nine months, which is the number of months used to determine some of the numbers found in the budget(s). If you intend to enroll in only one term, or if you plan to enroll in the summer, contact our office to discuss your budget.