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CONTINUING STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP RENEWAL, 2009-2010

FLETCHER SCHOLARSHIPS

Each year The Fletcher School allocates funds for student scholarships. The funds are divided equally for first- and second-year students and are awarded on the basis of merit and need. To be considered for a Fletcher scholarship, all students who will take classes at Fletcher next year should complete the Continuing Student Scholarship Application. Submit the completed form to Fletcher’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid (Goddard 213) by April 17, 2009. You must submit this form even if you received a Fletcher scholarship for your first year of study. (Note that PhD students charged only the enrollment fee should use the simplified Continuing PhD Student Scholarship Application.)

The Office of Admissions aims to provide students with their Scholarship Announcements by mid-June, provided the application is complete and was received by the deadline. In addition, please note that:

” Each Fletcher scholarship will be divided equally between the student’s fall and spring semester tuition charges, assuming the student is enrolled full-time and registered for four courses per semester. Scholarship awards will be pro-rated to reflect a tuition reduction when a student enrolls in fewer than four courses. The remaining scholarship funds will not be applied to subsequent tuition charges. For example, if a student who was awarded a $3000 Fletcher scholarship each semester drops from four courses to two courses in one semester, the scholarship for that semester will also be reduced by half, from $3000 to $1500.
” Students who receive fellowship assistance from outside sources are required to provide this information in writing, including the amount and source of the scholarship, to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. If a student does not provide information regarding the outside scholarship, all current and previous Fletcher scholarships may be withheld.
” Fletcher scholarship funds include approximately sixty “named” fellowships. Students who submit the Scholarship Renewal form will be considered for these awards as part of the normal award review process. Awards that require a separate application are advertised via the Fletcher Official listserve.
” Scholarships for continuing students will not be awarded if the student has received an incomplete grade, UNLESS a written statement, also signed by the professor, is submitted to explain why the assigned work was not completed before grades were submitted, and to provide a date when the work will be complete. It is the student’s responsibility to submit the explanation of the incomplete grade.

Renewal Scholarship Awards
Scholarship awards are not renewed automatically. Students who received scholarships in their first year must reapply for their second year or subsequent semesters of study. Scholarship support to first-year MALD and MIB students is renewed for the second year only if the student has achieved passing grades in all first-year courses and the student has adhered to the School’s Honor Code.

New or Increased Scholarship Awards
In general, because the total number of students in a class can fall after the first year due to reasons such as leaves of absence or study at other institutions, some funds will be available to make new awards, or to supplement awards, for continuing students. New awards and increases to existing awards will be made based on merit and need, for both U.S. and non-U.S. students. Merit is based on first year academic performance at Fletcher. Need is based on the student’s financial resources as indicated on the Continuing Student Scholarship Application. Incomplete or incorrect forms may make it impossible for the School to determine actual need and, under this circumstance, no new scholarships or increases will be awarded. Awards will not exceed tuition, and will not be greater than demonstrated financial need.

Awards to PhD Students
The School reserves a significant sum for scholarships for doctoral candidates and makes awards to assist students with the tuition fees and PhD enrollment fees. Tuition scholarships for doctoral candidates are awarded on the basis of need and merit, using the same criteria as for master’s program candidates, upon review of the same application forms. Students no longer charged tuition (enrollment fee only) should submit the simplified Continuing PhD Student Scholarship Application available from the Admissions Office.

STUDENT BUDGET 2009-2010

MALD, PhD MIB
Tuition $35,200 $41,200
Room and board $14,400 $14,400
Books and supplies $800 $800
Misc. Personal Expenses $1,200 $1,200
Health service fee $632 $632
Total $52,232 $58,232

This budget is used currently by Tufts Student Financial Services when calculating loan eligibility.

LOANS FOR ALL STUDENTS

Alternate Loan Programs
There are a variety of supplemental loan programs available to U.S. citizens and to international students with a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen. Contact the Tufts Student Financial Services Office (Dowling Hall) for further information. (The terms and conditions of the alternate loan programs are not as favorable as U.S. government loans. U.S. students should, therefore, borrow the maximum available through federal Stafford and GradPLUS Loan Programs before requesting funds through one of the private loan programs.)

LOAN PROGRAMS FOR U.S. CITIZENS AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS

U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible for federal loan and work study programs. The Tufts University Office of Student Financial Services determines loan and work study eligibility based on financial need, as demonstrated on the FAFSA form. Detailed information on the loan and work study programs can be found on the University’s financial aid web site at: http://uss.tufts.edu/finaid/gradaid/. Please note that students are not required to submit the FAFSA for Fletcher scholarships, but you must submit it if you wish to be eligible for U.S. government loans.

Beginning with the 2009-2010 academic year, Tufts will participate in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. If you borrow a federal Stafford or GradPLUS loan next year, your funding will come directly from the federal government instead of from private lenders as in the past. By participating in the Direct Loan Program, the University ensures that Fletcher students have a secure, dependable, and affordable source of funds to finance their educational costs during these difficult times. Connected to this change, every student borrowing a Stafford or GradPLUS Loan will need to sign a new Master Promissory Note. You will receive email notification of this requirement during the summer.

If you have previously taken federal loans, then when you begin repaying your loans, some of your payments will be go to the federal government while repayments of previous loans will go to private lenders. We recommend that when you begin repayment, you consider consolidating all of your loans under the Direct Loan program to simplify repayment. Please contact Tufts Student Financial Services with questions about these changes to the loan program.

Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
The Stafford Loan Program is a federal program open to graduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who can demonstrate financial need on the FAFSA form and who are enrolled on at least a half time basis. Graduate students may borrow up to $8,500 annually with a cumulative limit of $65,500. Repayment begins six months after the student ceases to attend school on at least a half time basis and may continue for a maximum of 10 years. The government subsidizes the loans by paying the interest to the lender while the student is enrolled at least half time, and for six months after the student leaves school or drops below half time. The FAFSA form is required and will determine your eligibility for the Stafford Loan (subsidized and unsubsidized) program. In addition, you must complete a Federal Stafford Loan Master Promissory Note if you have not done so already.

Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
The unsubsidized Stafford Loan Program is a federal program open to graduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are enrolled on at least a half-time basis. The award of the loan is not based on need. Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 annually, minus any amount borrowed under the subsidized Stafford Loan Program. The cumulative maximum borrowing limit is $138,500, including both unsubsidized and subsidized Stafford loans taken for undergraduate and graduate study. Repayment of principal begins six months after graduation, or after the student ceases to be enrolled at least half time. Students may either pay interest during periods of enrollment or request an in-school deferment of interest. Deferred interest still accrues interest charges and is capitalized (added to your loan principal at repayment).

Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan borrowers are required to attend an Entrance and Exit Interview before they graduate or leave Tufts. In addition to the FAFSA, students receiving a Stafford loan (subsidized or unsubsidized) must complete a Federal Stafford Loan Master Promissory Note.

GradPLUS Loans
U.S. citizens and permanent residents who need additional funding after taking Stafford Loans should borrow through GradPLUS. The interest rate on a GradPLUS Loan is determined by the federal government and is fixed at 7.9%. Interest begins to accrue on the loan from the date of the first disbursement. Repayment can be deferred while the student is enrolled at least half time. Applicants must pre-qualify through a credit check. Those who are approved may borrow up to the cost of attendance, less other financial aid. You will be charged a net fee of 2.5%, which is subtracted from the amount borrowed. You are able to apply for a GradPLUS via the following link: http://finaid.tufts.edu/PLUS.

Federal Perkins Loans
The Tufts University Student Financial Services Office awards Perkins Loans from funds allocated annually by the U.S. government. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Perkins loans are available to a limited number of students who demonstrate the greatest financial need as determined by the FAFSA form. The cumulative borrowing limit is $40,000 including undergraduate and previous graduate Perkins loans. There is an annual limit of $6,000 for graduate students. The interest rate is 5%. Interest is subsidized while the student is in school. Repayments may extend over 10 years.

Because the allocation of work study funds and Perkins loans is relatively small, Tufts Student Financial Services requires students to obtain the maximum Stafford loan before awarding aid from these other sources.

Federal Work Study (FWS) Program
FWS is a federally funded program which provides eligible students with employment opportunities on-campus, and off-campus with certain community service programs, during the academic year. The FWS funds administered by the University subsidize the wages paid to the student by the hiring department. Students are paid weekly by check. Students, however, secure their own employment.

2009-2010 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
U.S. citizens and permanent residents, please note that you should also complete and submit the FAFSA, which is required if you are seeking funds under the Federal Stafford Loan program (subsidized and unsubsidized), the Federal Perkins Loan program, and the Federal Work Study (FWS) program.

FAFSA forms should be completed by April 15 (March 15 for first-time applicants). A Financial Aid Announcement cannot be generated until the Tufts Financial Aid office receives your FAFSA data. Even if you have not completed your tax return forms, it is strongly recommended you use estimated income/tax information in order to submit the form on time.

You can complete the FAFSA on-line at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. To file on-line, you will need a PIN (personal identification number). First time applicants, and those who have forgotten their PIN, can apply for a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov. The Tufts Federal Institutional Code Number is 002219.

If you have questions about the FAFSA or the federal programs, please contact Student Financial Services. You can also contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243).

LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LRAP)

Although it is not designed for those currently at Fletcher, students should know about the Tufts Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which is designed to assist Fletcher graduates employed in the public and non-profit sectors to repay educational loans incurred while studying at Fletcher. The Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) demonstrates The Fletcher School’s commitment to enabling its graduates to pursue careers in the public or non-profit sector despite relatively low salaries and the need to repay education loans. The program has been made possible through a generous donation from the estate of George B. and Helen J. Hargens and through the interest generated by the Omidyar Tufts Microfinance Fund. Information about the LRAP is available at http://lrap.tufts.edu/.

FINANCIAL AID RESOURCE PEOPLE

The Fletcher School (617/627-3040)
Laurie A. Hurley, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Goddard 213
Jessica Daniels, Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Goddard 213
Peter VanDerwater, Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Goddard 213
Kristen Zecchi, Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Cabot 404
Jenifer Burckett-Picker, Director of Ph.D. Student Services, Cabot 403D (outside fellowships only)

Tufts University Student Financial Services Office (Dowling Hall; 617/627-2000)

http://uss.tufts.edu/finaid/gradaid/

To help serve students efficiently, the Student Financial Services Office has assigned the graduate student caseload to Ms. Sheila Hoffstedt. She has primary responsibility for Fletcher student financial aid cases. You should first ask your financial aid questions to someone at the student services desk. The student services desk staffers will have you speak to Sheila Hoffstedt if they are unable to handle your question.

Tufts University Student Employment Office (Dowling Hall; 617/627-2697)

http://uss.tufts.edu/finaid/gradaid/