Paying for Your Degree

Tuition

The Bursar’s office updates the tuition rate for M.Eng. degrees each academic year. M.Eng. degrees are considered Tier 1. For Distance Learning (DL) M.Eng. programs, tuition is charged by the credit hour. Rates for DL credits are listed under "Other Tuition Fees".

The Cornell Graduate School has compiled a comprehensive list of admissions costs for International Students.

Funding for M.Eng. Students

There are several funding sources available to M.Eng. students:

• Individual M.Eng. Programs may offer three types of funding to M.Eng. students: tuition fellowships, graduate teaching/research specialist (GTRS) awards, and hourly paid positions. Contact your field for more information about the types of funding they offer
  • Tuition Fellowships
    • A tuition fellowship is a financial award applied directly to a student’s bursar account to help offset the cost of tuition.  There are no teaching or research responsibilities associated with a tuition fellowship.
  • Graduate Teaching/Research Specialists (GTRS)
    • A GTRS is an award for an academic semester in the form of an appointment. The appointment consists of a stipend and a commitment to provide regular support for a designated course or research project. The standard commitment is 7.5 hrs/week and may not exceed 10 hrs/week. GTRS awards are typically offered at the time of admission, but later offers may be made to recognize outstanding performance. Stipend rates are approved annually by the Cornell Board of Trustees. GTRS appointments do not include a tuition waiver and should not be confused with Teaching Assistantships (TAs) for M.S. and Ph.D. students.
  • Hourly Paid Positions
    • Depending on their teaching support needs, academic departments in the College of Engineering or elsewhere on campus may invite M.Eng. students to apply for hourly paid positions. Duties and pay rates may vary by position (e.g., grader, lab assistant), and pay rates are set by each department.
• The College of Engineering selectively awards a small number of full-tuition fellowships and partial-tuition fellowships to incoming M.Eng. students. See below for details.
• The Cornell Graduate School provides a Graduate School searchable database of external scholarship opportunities.
• M.Eng. students may take advantage of the variety of student employment options available on campus.
• Student Loans are a resource that can help fund your education. Typically, you do not have to begin repaying loans until after you have left school. Here are some options:
  • Information about federally funded student loans
  • Information about the Cornell Installment Plan
  • Information about applying for loans as a Graduate Student
  • If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, or if you are otherwise ineligible for federal student loans, you may apply for a student educational loan through an alternative/private lender. Private lenders will vary on the interest rate, how much can be borrowed, and repayment terms.

College of Engineering Fellowships for M.Eng. Students

Submit your complete M.Eng. application by February 1 to be considered for a merit-based fellowship offered by Cornell Engineering. Applications submitted after February 1 may not receive full consideration. Please note that M.Eng. financial aid awards are usable only in the designated academic year and are not guaranteed for recipients who choose to defer their program start.

Early Admit students are eligible to receive funding for the semester they are fully matriculated as M.Eng. students. Regardless of when Early Admit students apply, they will be considered for the College level awards for which they are eligible during their Early Admit semester, i.e., just prior to their M.Eng. matriculation.

Master of Engineering Dean's Fellowship*

• Master of Engineering Dean’s Fellowships are highly selective, merit-based fellowships that cover the full cost of tuition for two semesters. Each year, outstanding applicants who have been admitted to eligible M.Eng. programs are chosen for this award by a College-level committee. Special consideration is given for those who contribute to the diversity of our M.Eng. population. No extra application is required. The number of M.Eng. Dean’s Fellowships awarded in any given year is based on available funding and may vary.

Master of Engineering Committee (MEC) Fellowship*

• Master of Engineering Committee (MEC) Fellowships are highly selective, merit-based fellowships that partially cover the cost of tuition. Each year, outstanding applicants who have been admitted to eligible M.Eng. programs are chosen for this award by a College-level committee. No extra application is required. The number of MEC Fellowships and the award level in any given year are based on available funding and may vary.

GEM Fellowship

• Awarded by the Diversity Programs in Engineering to underrepresented minorities. Cornell Engineering (Ithaca, NY, campus only) is a member of the GEM Consortium. Cornell Engineering offers one (1) year of fellowship support for GEM fellows. Open to PhD and M.Eng. students, this fellowship requires an application: GEM Fellowship application

Arps Fellowship

• Awarded annually to a Master of Engineering student(s) who was a member of the Cornell Crew Team for three years while an undergraduate student. Applicants also must be U.S. citizens. Arps Fellowship application form (PDF)

Lazaro Memorial Fellowship

• The Lazaro Fellowship is awarded annually to one or more Master of Engineering students who are permanent residents of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and are admitted to the Civil and Environmental Engineering program. If you would like to receive consideration for a Lazaro fellowship, please provide legal documentation of residence along with the application. Lazaro Memorial Fellowship form (PDF)

Lester B. Knight Jr. Scholarship

• Awarded on a highly selective basis to eligible applicants interested in earning sequential M.Eng. and MBA degrees at Cornell University. Recipients will receive up to $30,000 towards the M.Eng. degree and up to $30,000 towards the MBA. Submit your Knight essay with your M.Eng. application by February 1 (Fall admission) or October 1 (Spring admission) to be considered for this award.

*Applicants admitted to the Computer Science M.Eng. program offered by the Bowers College of Computing and Information Science and the Biological and Environmental Engineering M.Eng. program offered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are not eligible for these awards.