The Bottom Line. Sometimes, it all boils down to one question: How much does it cost? When considering graduate school, you have a lot of options. We believe our costs are competitive, and know you’ll receive an outstanding education. The estimated cost of attendance is our best approximation of what each student at St. Mary’s will need to cover direct and indirect expenses. A standard student budget is assigned to every enrolled student.

tuition and fees
estimated graduate cost
View Financial Aid Forms

Graduate Financial Aid Checklist

  1. Apply for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
  2. After completing the Enrollment Confirmation Form through your application portal for Gateway credentials (username/password setup), you can then review your Financial Aid Award by logging into Gateway
  3. You can then expect an Unsubsidized Stafford Loan award offer for the aid year (Fall and
    Spring).

  • To Review/accept your loan offer, you can follow the steps below:

    • Under LAUNCHPAD > Select Financial Aid
    • In the new window, select Award then View Award Offer and Select Aid Year
    • Select the Accept Award Offer tab and begin Accepting or Declining your loans

    Then complete the Unsubsidized Federal loan requirements:

    • Entrance Counseling
    • Master Promissory Note for Graduate/Professional Students
  1. Optional: If you need help finding credit‐based loan options to assist beyond the Unsubsidized
    Stafford loan amount, the following are available:

Student Loan Information

During the fall and spring, a graduate student’s cost of attendance is based on full-time enrollment (9 credit hours per semester). To be considered for federal financial assistance, you must be considered half-time, which is a minimum of 4 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters. If your actual enrollment is different than this enrollment hours, please notify our office.

  • Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
    • The Unsubsidized Stafford Loan is automatically awarded when students submit their FAFSA. You can find details on loan limits, interest rates, and terms of repayment at www.StudentAid.gov.
    • You will need to complete Loan Entrance Counseling and sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN) at www.StudentAid.gov.
    • Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans are non-need based and may be offered up to a maximum of $20,500 per academic year. The maximum aggregate for Stafford loans is $138,500, of which no more than $65,500 may be subsidized.
  • Credit-based Loan options

If you fail to meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress standards (SAP), you will be placed on Suspension.

You can appeal this suspension by writing a letter to the Appeals Committee after receiving the official notification. Please include the reason why you did not meet the minimum academic standards and state why financial aid should not be terminated. You may also include supporting documentation regarding your plan of action. Appeals must be submitted prior to established deadlines.

The Appeals Committee will review your appeal and determine whether the suspension is justified. You will be notified in writing of the final decision. If your appeal is granted, the status will be updated to Probation and you will be eligible for financial aid for the next semester. If your appeal is not approved, you may become eligible again by meeting the standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

How to appeal
Back to top