Cost of attendance is one of the primary components used to calculate your financial aid package.
Below is the cost of attendance, including tuition and other expenses, for a first-year MBA student for the academic year, from Sep. 11, 2020 to Jun. 13, 2021.
| Cost | Single Student | Married Student |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $74,706 | $74,706 |
| Living Allowance | $33,693 | $55,929 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,671 | $1,671 |
| Materials and Program Fee | $900 | $900 |
| Transportation | $1,050 | $2,250 |
| Medical Insurance | $5,928 | $5,928 |
| Health Fee | $696 | $696 |
| Total | $118,644 | $142,080 |
The living allowance listed above includes rent, food, and personal expenses for a moderate lifestyle. An additional allowance may be made for eligible dependent children.
Stanford University Cardinal Care medical insurance is included in the cost of attendance for all students, even if covered by an alternative insurance plan. The single student health insurance rate is listed above, on the assumption that spouses will have separate coverage.
Expenses related to the global experience requirement are not included above. The total cost for the GER may range from $3,000 to $4,500. Some GER experiences can be considered in your cost of attendance calculation, and some cannot. Recipients of need-based fellowships may be eligible for additional grant funding up to forty percent of approved expenses for one qualifying trip.
Your cost of attendance may differ from the calculation above based on allowable budget adjustments, such as certain GER experiences or medical expenses, if applicable. To see what can’t be considered in your cost of attendance, see non-allowable budget adjustments.
Federal Regulations specify the components of your cost of attendance and we use a standard budget to determine your financial aid eligibility. However, if you have special circumstances we may be able to add additional items to your cost of attendance. While budget adjustments can increase your loan eligibility, they do not typically increase your fellowship award.
Medical Expenses or Childcare Costs
If you can submit documentation of required medical expenses not covered by insurance and/or childcare costs, we may be able to adjust your budget. The most common budget allowances are for unusual medical expenses and childcare costs, when both the student and spouse are working or attending school full-time.
Global Experience Requirement Expenses
Stanford MBA students complete their global experience requirement prior to winter quarter of their second academic year. Global Study Trips and the Stanford Tsinghua Exchange Program can be allowable budget adjustments. We add the required costs for these programs to your budget so you can receive fellowships (if eligible) and loans to help cover these expenses. Other programs that satisfy the GER requirements, such as the Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX) and self-directed global experiences, cannot be added to your budget.
Laptops
We assume that most students already have laptops and will not need to purchase a new one. However, if you do need to purchase a laptop, we will consider a reasonable purchase price for financial aid purposes. Once you have been admitted, you will be provided with more detailed information on how this expense can be incorporated into your cost of attendance.
Travel to and from Home
Your flight costs to and from home can be considered as part of your cost of attendance. Stanford GSB allows two round-trip tickets to be added to the cost of attendance each academic year.
The Stanford GSB Financial Aid Office cannot factor in the following costs when determining your financial aid package.
Consumer Debt
Federal regulations specifically state that we cannot include consumer debt (i.e., credit cards, consumer loans, and car loans) in your budget. Therefore, we are unable to increase your cost of attendance — or decrease the value of your assets — to demonstrate additional financial aid eligibility to assist you in making payments for such debt. We strongly encourage you to repay your consumer debt before you come to Stanford.
Non-Deferrable Education Loans
Though most U.S. government educational loans have deferment options for students enrolled at Stanford GSB, some educational loans may not have this option. We do not consider these loans as debt against your assets. We encourage you to try to repay prior educational loans that cannot be deferred while attending Stanford GSB before entering the program.
Global Experience Requirement Expenses
Some programs that satisfy the global experience requirement are allowable budget adjustments. However, options such as the Global Management Immersion Experience or self-directed global experiences are non-allowable budget adjustments. Also, expenses incurred on additional global study trips that do not fulfill the GER are non-allowable budget adjustments. Some GMIX participants may receive Stanford GSB subsidies.
Other Expenses
Some expenses, like Stanford club fees, are not part of the required curriculum, and are not included in the cost of attendance or considered for budget adjustments.
The U.S. Department of Education compensates for the cost of additional family members by reducing the amount of income a married student is expected to contribute toward the cost of attendance, which is lower than that of a single student with the same income. If you are a married U.S. citizen or permanent resident, the cost of attendance that appears on your award letter will reflect that of a single student, and loan eligibility will be determined based on the single student cost of attendance. However, your fellowship eligibility will be determined based on the married student cost of attendance.
GSB Fellowship support is enabling me to acquire the technical knowledge, practice the managerial skills, and learn from the people and ideas that are helping me in my career and life exploration.
Stanford is teaching me the skills that I need to improve as a leader. My goal is to have a career of impact through service and education. Thank you for your very generous support.
