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 provides 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. We strongly recommend that you read our Loan Information for Graduate Students.
Academic Year Federal Loans
To apply for the upcoming academic year, complete the following by May 1:

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. Below is the estimated budget for 2018-19.

2018-19 Estimated Budget

2018-19 Graduate Cost of Attendance

Disbursement of Loans:

Loans will be paid in equal installments that correspond to your billing periods.

For students accepting the Federal Direct Loan, Cornell University uses an online Master Promissory Note (MPN). Students who will borrow through the Grad PLUS program and who have submitted the required separate application to our office will also complete a separate MPN. First-time borrowers at Cornell University must complete the MPN and required entrance counseling session. Continuing borrowers do not need to do anything as you signed a Master Promissory Note in the past.

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.
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.