Graduate Students

The Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment processes Graduate Student loans. If you are going to attend one of the professional schools (Johnson, Law or Vet), please contact their financial aid office directly to discuss your options.

This page will give you information about cost of attendance, applying for federal and private loans, applying for additional loan (budget increase), and information about signing promissory notes and entrance counseling.


Academic Year Federal Loans

To apply for the upcoming academic year:


Summer Federal Loans (only if enrolled in 6 or more credits)

You may apply for and receive graduate federal loans if you will be enrolled in six (6) or more credits over the summer.

To apply for summer graduate federal loans:


Budget Increase

You may find that you need additional loan due to your actual cost of attendance being greater than the estimated cost of attendance. Complete and submit the Graduate Student Budget Increase Application.

 

Cost of Attendance

We create a budget based on an estimate of what it will cost a student to attend Cornell University Graduate School for one academic year/summer. To find details on which budget column is applicable to you, find your field here. Below are our estimated budgets for 2016-17 and 2017-18.

2016-17 Estimated Budget

2017-18 Estimated Budget

Private Student Loans

If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or are ineligible for federal student loans, you may apply for a student educational loan through an alternative/private lender. Information about alternative loans can be found here.

Private lenders will vary on interest rate, how much can be borrowed, and repayment terms. Research the different options to see which you prefer and apply directly through that lender.

****The selection of a private lender is the students’ choice.  Many vendors offer educational loans.  Any list of vendors provided is a partial listing of the largest commercial lenders compiled based on services offered to students, interest rates, and past loans taken out by students. The Graduate School receives no compensation or items of value from these vendors.  Students should consult with lenders regarding loan terms, particularly whether or not lenders sell loans and if terms or conditions beneficial to the borrower travel with the loans that are sold.

For information regarding internal fellowships or assistantships please contact your department.  For information on non-internal fellowships or assistantships you may visit our fellowship database.