Financial Aid

• Financial Planning
• Estimated Tuition and Fees
• Overview of Graduate Aid
• Managing Your Aid: Information for New and Current Students

Students should be aware of NYU’s policies regarding financial aid, including:

• To be considered for federal financial aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• To maintain eligibility for financial aid, students must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.

Students should be aware of the Gallatin policies regarding financial aid:

• Graduate Gallatin students are eligible for scholarships toward a maximum of 40 credits of study, which is the required number of credits for the MA degree as determined by Gallatin.
• Students must be enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits to be eligible for Gallatin scholarship.
• The amount of a scholarship awarded upon admission to Gallatin is based on the Gallatin program's full-time enrollment requirement (12 or more attempted credits per semester during the academic year, fall and spring semesters).
• If a student registers for fewer than 12 credits, but for 6 or more credits, scholarship amounts will be prorated as follows:
  • registration for 6-8 credits, 50% of the semester scholarship amount
  • registration for 9-11 credits, 75% of the semester scholarship amount
• Students who are granted Full-Time or Part-Time Equivalency are not eligible for scholarship aid.
• A student registered only for MA Thesis II (2 credits) in the final semester of study does not qualify for scholarship aid.
• A student registered for Thesis Advisement (1 unit) does not qualify for scholarship aid.

Financial Aid Eligibility

Equivalency is used to help students retain their eligibility for loans, but it does not make a student eligible for scholarships. Scholarship funding can be used ONLY to cover the actual cost of tuition generated by enrollment in courses, that is, the actual number of credits for which a student is enrolled. Thus, students awarded a scholarship for study in the Gallatin MA program would not be eligible to retain the scholarship based on equivalency. In addition, since the Gallatin MA program defines full-time status as a minimum of 12 credits, any Gallatin scholarship aid is predicated on this definition of full-time.

Please note that during a semester in which a student seeks equivalency while registered only for Master's Thesis II (2 credits) or Thesis Advisement (1 unit), the student will be registered for fewer than six credits and, therefore, not able to receive a Gallatin scholarship. Students may still, however, be eligible for loans. Please consult the Office of Financial Aid at 212-998-4444 for more information.

Full-Time, Half-Time Equivalency

The Gallatin MA Program defines full-time status as enrollment in a minimum of 12 credits in one semester, and half-time status as enrollment in a minimum of 6 credits in one semester (the two summer sessions combined are regarded as one semester).

For the purposes of immigration and federal aid eligibility (student loans), NYU considers full-time status as enrollment in a minimum of 9 credits in one semester, and half-time status as enrollment in a minimum of 4.5 credits in one semester (the two summer sessions combined are regarded as one semester).

Graduate students may be certified as having full-time or half-time equivalency for an academic term under several conditions that are explained below under Eligibility for Equivalency. Generally, students are eligible for full-time or half-time equivalency for a maximum of four semesters. Students should also understand that equivalencies carry no unit value toward the degree.

Eligibility for Equivalency

Gallatin may certify full-time or half-time equivalency under any of the following circumstances:

1. A student who is working full time on the thesis and is registered for Master's Thesis II or Thesis Advisement may be granted full-time or half-time equivalency. Equivalency granted for any of these reasons counts toward the four-semester maximum for equivalency.
2. A student who needs fewer than 9 credits to reach 38 credits may register for 8 or fewer credits and will be eligible for equivalency; the student may not, however, be considered for equivalency if taking fewer credits than needed to get a total of 38. This form of equivalency may be granted one time only, and if granted, would count as one of the four semesters maximum for equivalency.
3. A student working as a Graduate Assistant or Research Assistant at NYU for at least 20 hours per week may be granted full-time equivalency if in the final semester the student is registered for at least 6 credits, or half-time equivalency if she/he is registered for 3 to 5 credits; a student is eligible for this equivalency for as many semesters as she/he works as a Graduate Assistant or Research Assistant.
4. A student who is taking an approved graduate class at another university (external study) may be eligible for full-time equivalency, if the student is enrolled for a combined total of 9 credits or more at both NYU and the other institution, or half-time equivalency, if the student is enrolled for a minimum of 4.5 credits, but fewer than 9 credits, at both NYU and the other institution. Equivalency may be required for eligibility for insurance, federal financial aid or visa status. Keep in mind that NYU financial aid grants and scholarships are awarded on the basis of courses taken at NYU only.

To speak with a representative from Gallatin about financial aid, see School Financial Aid Contacts.