Tuition and Financial Assistance

Columbia Tuition

Students in Columbia University M.A. programs may enroll on a full time or part time basis each term. A full-time student must register for a full Residence Unit (“RU”). Part-time students may register for full, half, or quarter Residence Units. The equivalent of two Full Residence Units is required for conferral of the MA degree.

You can find more details about enrollment categories on the GSAS website.

The current tuition and fees for the 2023-2024 academic year are as follows. Please note that tuition and fees are adjusted yearly. You can check the GSAS website for final information:

Full Residence Unit (less than or equal to 20 points): $33,932 (Students who register for more than 20 points will be charged tuition + $2,276 per point, for each point beyond 20 points)
Half Residence Unit (three or fewer courses): $18,390
Yearly Fees (fees may be slightly lower or higher depending on each student’s individual situation): $7,346 (full-time students), $6,386 (part-time students)

Note: International Columbia University M.A. students must enroll in a full Residence Unit (less than or equal to 20 points) for each semester they attend Columbia.

Upon accepting the offer of admission, M.A. students are required to submit a non-refundable tuition deposit. The tuition deposit for this program is $2,000.

Dual Degree Tuition

For students enrolled in the dual degree masters with Aga Khan University, the tuition costs breakdown for the 2023-2024 academic year is as follows:

Semesters 1-2, Columbia University:

2 semesters of full-time tuition (2 Residence Units) at $67,864 and fees at $7,346 = $75,210

Semesters 3-4, Aga Khan University:

To check the most updated tuition fees at Aga Khan University, please visit this page.

1. AKU-ISMC Tuition Fees: Tuition is set at £1,800/semester at AKU-ISMC. Tuition for 2 semesters at AKU-ISMC will be £3,600 for students beginning in the autumn 2023 semester.

2. Financial Assistance: Dual Degree students are eligible for financial assistance, but they must apply in the spring of 2023 for a September 2023 start date. AKU’s Financial Assistance packages can comprise of (needs based) scholarships, interest free loans and accommodation.

AKU is offering accommodation with a market cost of £1,360/month.
Estimated living cost see: https://www.aku.edu/ismc/ma/Pages/tuition-fees.aspx

Please Note: This information may change.

Additional Fees and Living Expenses

When making your financial plans, it is necessary to consider tuition as well as other costs and living expenses in estimating the overall cost of attendance, including:

  • Health and Insurance Fees

  • Other University Fees (such as Services and Support Fees)

  • Room and Board

  • Personal expenses

  • Books and supplies

  • Transportation

An estimated breakdown of these costs can be found on the GSAS website. Note that students may incur additional expenses that are not covered by the standard Cost of Attendance, such as the purchase of a computer, medical expenses not covered by insurance, conference expenses, etc.

Financing Information

There are a limited number of scholarship funding opportunities available for MA students are automatically considered for upon review of their application by the admissions committee. MA students often finance their education through a combination of the following:

Students may be eligible for both federal work-study and loan programs. Please visit Columbia's Student Financial Services page for detailed information about eligibility, direct loans, work-study, etc.