Finance Your Education

Financing continuing education and professional studies is a challenge and a major investment in a student's future. The majority of our students use a combination of personal savings, scholarships, loans, outside grants, sponsors, or employer tuition benefits to cover the cost of attendance. The School of Continuing Education, in conjunction with the Office of Student Financial Planning, works with each student to meet the financial needs of their programs' student budget.

Financial Aid

We realize that financing a graduate education can be a challenge. We also realize that you’ve come to SCE to do important work. Our job is to help you make sure that the cost of a graduate degree will not stand in the way of your goals.

Information about the financial aid process is detailed below. Please familiarize yourself with this information and feel free to contact the Office of Student Financial Planning if you have questions. We look forward to working with you as you continue your education.

Student Financial Planning
202 Kent
Phone: 212-854-7040
Email: sfp@columbia.edu
Walk-In: Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM

School of Continuing Education Contact
Donna Holloway
Assistant Director
Phone: 212-851-9130
Email: dh2553@columbia.edu

Federal Direct Stafford Loan

Students enrolled in SCE programs may be eligible for the Federal Direct Stafford Loan. To be considered for the loan, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States and plan to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis (at least six points per term). Other requirements apply for loan eligibility.

Graduate Students enrolled at least half time in an approved program are eligible to receive federal loans in the amount of $20,500.00 an academic year.

For information on Federal Direct Stafford Loans, visit: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/sfs.

To apply

1. Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In the school listing section of the form (Step 6), enter 002707 as the University’s Federal School code.
2. Approximately three to four weeks after filing the FAFSA, the student will receive a Federal Student Aid Report and the University will receive the same information directly from the U.S. Department of Education.
3. Student Financial Planning will then review the FAFSA data, inform the student of his or her eligibility for the loan, and provide information on application procedures.

Loan Programs

All School of Continuing Education students may arrange a private loan to help cover their educational expenses. For information on alternative education loans, please visit: www.columbia.edu/cu/sfs/docs/Grad_Fin_Aid/Private_Loans.

U.S. Military Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, as well as state and local government, offers a number of educational assistance programs for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces and their dependents. Based on the time and length of service, as well as current status, veterans can be eligible for one or more of these programs. For more information, visit Columbia’s Veteran Affairs website: http://veteranaffairs.columbia.edu/.

The Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP) for U.S. Military Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs provides significant financial aid opportunities to students who served in the U.S. Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001, as well as the dependents of these veterans.

Through a new initiative authorized by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, higher education institutions can provide eligible student veterans with a tuition waiver or grant that is matched by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This program, known as the Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP), enhances the base tuition benefits provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. More information about the bill's benefits and eligibility requirements is available at http://www.gibill.va.gov/.

The School of Continuing Education participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP). Information about this program may be found here: http://veteranaffairs.columbia.edu/content/yellow-ribbon-program-1.

The YRP application process consists of two steps:

1. YRP Online Application

Students who are qualifying veterans, or the qualifying dependents of veterans, and are interested in benefiting from the Yellow Ribbon Program in the Fall 2013 semester, must complete the online application. As stipulated by the Post-9/11 GI Bill, eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program is determined on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is important to complete the application as early as possible.

The YRP Online Application for Fall 2013 will begin accepting submissions on Monday, July 1, 2013, at 9:00 A.M.

Note: Students who received YRP funding in the 2012-2013 academic year do not need to submit the YRP online application; however, in order to receive YRP funding for the Fall 2013 semester, they must submit the Veterans Certification Request, as outlined in Step 2.

2. Veterans Certification Request

In addition to completing the YRP online application, each semester students must submit a Veterans Declaration Form to Columbia’s VA Certifying Official by completing the Veterans Request Certification, in order to receive VA benefits for that semester.

Contact Information:

Columbia University
School of Continuing Education
Office of Student Life and Alumni Relations
203 Lewisohn Hall, MC 4101
2970 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
Tel: 212-854-0419
Fax: 212-854-4101
sce-studentaffairs@columbia.edu

Columbia University
Attn: VA Certifying Official
(Amber Griffiths)
202 Kent Hall, MC 9206
1150 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
Fax: 212-854-2818
vets-certification@columbia.edu

For more information about veteran affairs at Columbia more generally, please visit:www.veteranaffairs.columbia.edu.

Outside Funding Sources for Students

Students are strongly encouraged to research and apply for scholarship funds from outside sources to help supplement the cost of their education, such as those that may be available from philanthropic, fraternal or non-profit organizations as well as corporations. The list below, while not intended to be comprehensive, may give students an idea of the types of funding opportunities available.