International Students

As a requirement of the I-20 application for a student visa, international students must demonstrate they have sufficient funds to meet the costs of tuition, fees, and living expenses for approximately 2 years.    

Because US citizens or permanent residents may be eligible for federal student aid, international students, who are ineligible, have a more limited opportunity for financial assistance at the School. International students are, however, eligible for School-based scholarships and fellowships, and are encouraged to complete the steps outlined above in the “Fellowships and Scholarships” section.

At the doctoral level, international students may be eligible to receive funding from their academic department. Students must contact their respective academic department directly to review these funding opportunities.

All international students are advised to seek financial aid through their country of citizenship, private foundations, and international agencies such as the Pan American Health Organization, and Rotary International.

See attached pdf for programs providing loans and fellowships to international students and a list of support offered by country.

Before you apply, and especially if you are accepted, here are some important things to consider:

  • All Mailman School of Public Health students, both international and domestic, are ultimately responsible for funding their education. While the School of Public Health offers some fellowship support based upon a combination of merit and need, such funding is not guaranteed and, if granted, would likely apply only to the first and/or second year(s).

  • Each School of Public Health MPH Program requires at least two years of full-time study. Some allow up to five years for completion of the thesis project, though during the thesis period, tuition is greatly reduced. Current tuition and fees can be found here.

  • A monthly tuition payment plan is available. Information about the TuitionPay Payment Plan, can be found here.

Timely tuition payment is critical each semester. Current students who are beyond the first semester and who have student account balances over $999 from a previous semester are not allowed to register for subsequent semesters. This may place international students in jeopardy of violating their student visas.

Private Loans

In addition to contacting the above-mentioned organizations, international students can also access the University’s financial services pages which provide information on applying for private educational loans. While loans to international students by U.S. lenders are available, all require a cosigner who is a credit-worthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Please click here for more information.

(Note: the maximum amount that can be requested through any private educational loan is the cost of attendance for one school year (tuition, room/board, personal expenses, etc.) minus any aid that may have been awarded by the academic department.)

The Financial Aid Office determines the cost of attendance once the number of credits to be taken per semester is known. Tuition rates and other fees are determined each year during the summer.

Full-time status at the Mailman School of Public Health consists of at least 12 credits per semester. International students must be enrolled full-time. If you are already admitted and are seeking information on cost of attendance for purposes of applying for a student visa, be advised that you must contact the Office of International Students and Scholars Office.