Graduate students are eligible to apply for two categories of assistance: non-need-based merit scholarships and student loans. To learn more about scholarships, visit our graduate tuition and scholarship page. 

In general, any graduate student who has matriculated into a degree program may be eligible for a student loan. Loans offered to the student have to be repaid, usually after graduation, so students should not borrow more than they need or are able to repay. Because your charges will be different depending on whether you are full or half-time, your eligibility for aid may change depending on your registration status.

When filing the FAFSA online, the information is submitted electronically. Your Graduate Student Financial Aid application will be filed through your admissions portal. Any private student loan applications should be submitted online directly with your lender of choice.

Once all required forms are received, an award letter is sent to your Clark University email address notifying you of your eligibility for financial aid. You can apply for student loans at any point before or during the academic year, but if you wait until after the priority deadlines, it is unlikely that you will have a loan approved in time for the beginning of classes.

After your loan has been certified by Clark University, an anticipated aid credit is placed on your student account for the value of your loan for the next semester. The anticipated aid credit informs Student Accounts that you have a loan in place and that the funding will arrive at a later date. If the anticipated aid credit covers the billable charges, then you are considered to have met the billing due date even if the loan funds arrive after the billing due date. The scheduled loan disbursement date typically occurs after the billing due date. In this case, there is no need to request an adjustment to either the billing due date or the scheduled loan disbursement date.

Tuition bills are usually due by the start of August for the fall semester and the end of December for the spring semester, but this may change from year to year. To confirm the tuition due date each semester, please contact Student Accounts.

All students should have personal funds available when they arrive at Clark University regardless of anticipated student loan funds for expenses. Do not rely solely on loan funds, as the process for awarding and disbursement may be delayed. Clark University does not advance funds based on anticipated student loans. Refunds are available after the end of the add-drop period, which is the first ten calendar days of the semester.

Cost of attendance is based on the number of units you take each semester and additional expenses, such as housing, health insurance, etc. For an estimated breakdown of your program’s cost, please refer to the Graduate Tuition Calculator on the Graduate Tuition and Scholarship page.