M.Eng. Tuition and Financial Aid FAQ

The 2017-2018 academic year tuition for the Master of Engineering degree program is $52,612 for the two-semester academic year.

For 2017-2018, estimated living expenses (cost of books, housing and meals, personal expenses, and medical insurance) for a single graduate student over 9 months are $22,242 ($2,149/month living expenses + $2,816/year health insurance + $85/year student activity fee). Tuition, travel, and income taxes should also be budgeted.

We do not waive tuition. Fellowship support, if any, is applied against tuition charges.

Financial aid is awarded by the School based on merit- versus need-based. Financial aid is in the form of Teaching Assistantships and fellowships. Top applicants are awarded financial aid in various combinations depending on the relevance of their backgrounds to teaching opportunities and the strength of their candidacy. Two or three applicants per year are offered full tuition aid, i.e., waiver of tuition. About 20% of the remaining applicants are offered aid, ranging from 10% to 65% of tuition. The rest pay full costs, on the philosophy that the M.Eng., a professional degree similar to law, medicine, and business, increases earning power and constitutes an investment by the student toward that end.

You are a candidate for a Teaching Assistantship if you are among the top applicants and have received a grade of A in an ORIE course (or equivalent) for which teaching assistants are needed. Teaching assistantships are for one or two semesters, require 7 1/2 hours per week of time commitment, which may include grading and/or student contact, and pay about $5000 per semester, with no waiver of tuition.

From time to time, other university departments such as mathematics and computer science are unable to meet their teaching needs. We do not maintain a list of such openings, which can only be obtained through direct contact with the departments involved, based on strong credentials in their areas.

There are no Research Assistant positions for Master of Engineering students.

Merit for aid is assessed on the same criteria as admission, namely grades, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, the statement of purpose, and other relevant information that has been provided.

There are many part-time jobs available on campus and in the community. See Cornell Student Employment Services.

Since the M.Eng. program is intense and requires schedule flexibility, make sure not to take employment that impedes the successful completion of degree requirements. International students are not usually allowed work outside of Cornell while in the United States, except under the terms of Optional Practical Training.