<p>I'm still a freshman undergrad but I want to plan out my finances for the future.</p>
<p>How much would tuition cost for grad school at a private university. Also, is it paid per credit hour or is it like in undergrad where if you're fulltime you pay a set rate every semester?</p>
<p>You are too young to think about this part of your life. People change interests, and you may not enter graduate school immediately following college. Some people take breaks in-between to work, travel, and volunteer (usually in forms of fellowships). It’s too hard to plan ahead because grad programs varies (MS vs. PhD admissions).</p>
<p>It’s still a good idea to plan ahead financially. If he decides to not go to graduate school it would still be beneficial to have a nice savings.</p>
<p>If you are looking at a Ph.D. program, my son was told that if a program wanted him, the school (program) would pick up his tuition costs and pay him a living stipend. So, it’s totally different than undergrad. If they want you, they’ll pay for you. M.A. programs are different and you may have to pay 1/2 or full tuition.</p>
<p>How much support you get will vary a great deal depending on what field you are in. It is realatively easy to get support in the sciences and math (you work as a TA or RA), much more difficult in the humanities.</p>
<p>Xpt,</p>
<p>To clarify, grad students are charged tuition and fees just like undergrads - you can be full-time and pay a flat rate, or be part-time and pay by the credit. If you are at a public university, tuition may vary depending on whether you are an in-state, out-of-state, or international student. If you are enrolled in joint degree programs with a professional school (like MS/MBA or JD/PhD), you may be required to pay tuition at both programs seperately.</p>
<p>Grad students are eligible for funding in the way of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or fellowships. These funding sources generally provide some level of stipend (typically $12-30k per 9 month academic year) as well as a waiver of some or all tuition and fees. Availability and generosity of funding varies from field to field - in science and engineering, most or even all grad students will have funding, and it will typically include a full tuition waiver and a more generous stipend. In arts and humanities, many students will have to pay their own way, and even those who get funding may need to pay some tuition or find additional money for living expenses. In professional non-research programs (like MD, JD, MBA, etc) funding is almost nonexistent. When funding is available it is primarily for PhD students, and little or none may be available for masters students.</p>
<p>Hope this clears things up.</p>