Financial Aid for the MPA Program
Financial assistance programs are available to help with the costs of your MPA degree. Among the programs are
Loan programs,
Scholarships, and
Teaching Assistantships.
Financial aid information is also available for
International
Students and
Female Students, and resources are provided for
Students seeking part-time employment.
Educational loans provide a primary source of financial aid to domestic graduate business students.
Federal Loan Programs. The two major federal loan programs are:
- Stafford Loans (need-based)
- Unsubsidized Stafford Loans (non need-based)
Application information for these two loans or other private loans
can be obtained through the Office of Student Financial Services, Box 7758, University Station, Austin, Texas
To be eligible to apply for financial aid, a student must be admitted to the MPA Program at UT, be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident, be enrolled full-time for each semester that aid is received, and be in good scholastic standing (3.0 or better grade point average). The student must also have a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file. Once you have completed the FAFSA and are admitted to the MPA program, please feel free to contact Santa Garza in the Office of Student Financial Services at: santa.garza@austin.utexas.edu if you have any questions regarding the status of your financial aid.
The Franklin Lindsay Student Loan Fund.
This private loan fund offers student loans of up to $7,000.00 per academic year
($28,000 maximum) for undergraduate and graduate students of Texas colleges and
universities who have completed at least 24 credit hours. The fund is limited to
United States citizens and requires a co-signer. Interest is 4% simple interest.
Students interested in applying for the loan should contact John Dollard, Vice
Provost for Forecasting, Institutional Research and Modeling at dollard@mail.utexas.edu or
Dr. Robert Mettlen, Professor Emeritus in Finance at
Robert.Mettlen@mccombs.utexas.edu. Please note that an appointment is
a required part of the loan process. For more information, please see
http://www.franklinlindsay.org.
MPA Merit Scholarships and Tuition
Waivers
Applicants to the MPA program are automatically considered for merit scholarships
and/or out-of-state tuition waivers at
the time they apply. No additional
scholarship application is required when a
student applies to the MPA program. Merit scholarships are offered to students who demonstrate a superior record of academic accomplishment in their application materials. In addition,
out-of-state tuition waivers are awarded each year to
high-achieving non-Texas residents. The MPA Program Office will notify students
who are awarded merit scholarships or out-of-state
tuition waivers.
Fifth Year Accounting Scholarships
The Fifth Year Accounting Scholarships are funded by additional license fees
paid by Texas CPA's. The application forms are typically distributed to MPA students in September. Over their
academic career, students may receive a total of $3,000 or the amount of their
demonstrated financial need (whichever is smaller). Applicants are evaluated
based on the following criteria: Texas residency, financial need, and grade point
average. Students are most likely to receive funding if they score high on all
three dimensions. Also, all students applying for the scholarship will need to
have an FAFSA on file at the Student Financial Aid Office. The Accounting
Department does not make the decision regarding who receives these
scholarships.
Other Accounting Scholarships
Many organizations offer scholarships to encourage the pursuit of an accounting
education.
The
AICPA web site provides a listing of several scholarship opportunities.
Additional Scholarship Resources
Private foundations and agencies offer fellowships, grants and loans for
graduate education. Consult McCombs School of Business Financial Aid to learn about these scholarships.
Teaching Assistantships
A very limited number of graduate assistantship positions are available through
individual academic departments across the campus. Hiring practices of these
departments vary and are unrelated to the Graduate School of Business admission
process. Past employment patterns suggest that hiring preference is usually
given to departmental doctoral students and/or continuing students. Interested
students should request application information directly from the department(s)
of their choice. Students interested in Accounting Department Assistantships
should contact Professor Jan Gillespie
at jan.gillespie@mccombs.utexas.edu after
receiving an offer of admission from the MPA program. Positions in the
Accounting Department are typically assigned in late summer for the
fall semester.
Three types of positions are available: Assistant Instructors (AI's), Teaching
Assistants (TA's), and Lab Monitors. All positions require enrollment in at
least nine semester hours and an overall GPA of at least 3.0. Positions are
usually 10 or 15 hours per week. Assistantships do not qualify a non-Texas
resident or an international student for in-state tuition.
Financial Aid for International Students
International students are not eligible for federal loans or Accounting Department recruiting scholarships. Financial aid for international students is extremely limited and therefore should not be relied upon. International students should be prepared to meet all expenses, for a 43 credit hour program, from their own resources. Information about financial aid through International Student & Scholar Services can be found on the ISSS website at: http://www.utexas.edu/international/isss/students/financialaid/.
Private Loans
Possible sources of financial aid include private loans, most of which require the
international student to obtain a creditworthy U.S. citizen as a co-signer. Please note that these loan
programs are not administered through the University of Texas at Austin.
Tuition Assistance for Mexican Students
TAMS is a waiver
of non-resident tuition for a limited number of Mexican students who have
demonstrated financial need or who are participating in a reciprocal exchange
program. In order to be eligible for this scholarship, you must first be
admitted to a degree program. For more information please visit
http://www.utexas.edu/international/isss/students/financialaid/index.shtml.
For any additional questions, contact Angela Branigan in the International Office at
angr@austin.utexas.edu, (512) 471-2459.
E.D. Farmer Fellowship
Mexicans citizens who are currently studying or applying to a graduate program
at UT-Austin and have studied at least two years at a Mexican university are
eligible to apply for the
E.D. Farmer Fellowship. Successful applicants will become eligible for
in-state tuition and a monthly stipend for nine months, the amount of which will
depend on available funds. For further information, please contact the Mexican
Center at 512-232-2423 or
mexctr@uts.cc.utexas.edu.
Good Neighbor Scholarship
Students holding residency status of any country in the Caribbean and North, Central, or South
America (except the U.S. and Cuba) that have completed one semester of academic
study on a valid non-resident visa and plan to return to their home country
upon completion of the academic program may be eligible for additional
financial aid. For more information please visit
http://www.utexas.edu/international/isss/students/financialaid/index.shtml.
For any additional questions, contact the International Office at 512-471-2477.
Employment
Students should not plan to support their studies through
on- or off-campus employment. Students may be authorized to work part-time on
campus after registration. Off-campus employment is restricted by regulations
of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Permission to work off-campus
may be requested only after a student has been in the United States
for 12 months and only when there
has been an unanticipated change in financial status.
Financial Aid for Female Students
The American Association of University Women offers
fellowships, grants, and awards exclusively for women pursuing graduate
degrees. Please visit the AAUW web site for more information.
Employment Opportunities
Outside employment while enrolled as a full-time student is not
recommended. If outside employment is a necessity, several services are
available to assist in the job search. These include:
the hirealonghorn.org,
the Texas Workforce Commission,
WorkInTexas.com,
and the classified ads in The Daily Texan and The Austin American-Statesman.
