Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition
Business@American students are charged tuition on a per-credit-hour basis and the current rate of tuition for the October 2022 through July 2023 classes is $1,866 per credit hour.
| Program | Required Credit Hours |
|---|---|
MBA | 48 credit hours |
MS in Analytics | 33 credit hours |
MS in Marketing Analytics | 33 credit hours |
MS in International Relations and Business | 36 credit hours |
Please visit this PDF to view cost of attendance for these online programs per module (PDF, 121kb).
Tuition costs are subject to increase each academic year. The 3-credit KSB-600 Business Fundamentals course will count as additional credits to the required degree credit requirements, and tuition rates apply.
Enrollment Deposit
Admitted students are required to submit a nonrefundable $1,000 enrollment deposit by the appropriate deadline. The enrollment deposit is credited toward students’ tuition in their first term.
Financial Aid
Beginning in July 2019, the Kogod School of Business online programs have an academic calendar split into four individual 11-13 week terms in July, October, January, and April. For each term, students must be enrolled at least half time (3 credits) to be eligible for Federal Direct Loans. Due to the nature of the modular courses, please contact our office if you are considering dropping a course so we can better assist you in determining impacts to aid.
Graduate students enrolled at least half time in a master’s or PhD program may be eligible for federal loans and/or federal work study.
To apply, students must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA will be reviewed on a rolling basis as it is received. It is recommended that the FAFSA be completed by May 1 each academic year. FAFSAs should be submitted no later than 30 days prior to the end of the academic term in which you are enrolled at least half-time.
Federal Student Aid
The FAFSA is available October 1st for the upcoming academic year. New students planning to use federal student aid should complete the FAFSA while applying for admission; you do not need to wait until you are admitted.
Continuing students will need to submit a FAFSA each year they plan to receive federal student aid. Eligibility for federal student aid does not carry over from one award year to the next, you will need to complete the FAFSA for each award year for which you are or plan to enroll.
Please reference the chart below to determine which FAFSA academic year to complete based on your desired start, continue/return date:
| Start | Term | FAFSA Year |
|---|---|---|
October 2022 | T2 | 2022-2023 |
January 2023 | T3 | 2022-2023 |
April 2023 | T4 | 2022-2023 |
July 2023 | T1 | 2023-2024 |
October 2023 | T2 | 2023-2024 |
January 2024 | T3 | 2023-2024 |
April 2024 | T4 | 2023-2024 |
- Merit scholarships are awarded by the academic departments.
The Financial Aid Office does not administer these awards. Please visit your school’s merit scholarship web page or contact their admissions office for further information. - Complete your FAFSA online.
Be sure to list the American University (AU) FAFSA code, 001434, in the college release section. - Awarding Timeline
Continuing students will receive their notification letters via the student portal in late June after April term grades have been received and reviewed. Missing grades may delay the arrival of your award letter. - Additional Forms
You may be asked to download and complete a Verification Worksheet or other documentation as needed to complete your aid application. Do not complete these forms unless asked to do so by the Office of Financial Aid. - Loan Eligibility
Typically, graduate students are eligible for $6,833 per term from the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan as long as they are enrolled at least half time. Half time is defined as 3 credits per term beginning with the July 2019 term. Eligibility for the Unsubsidized Loan is determined based on information on the FAFSA as well as loan history found once logged in on the federal student aid website.
Please note that graduate students may not borrow more than $138,500 from the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan throughout the entirety of their academic careers. You may view your Direct Loan history on the student federal student aid website. - Loan Requirements
In order for your Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan to pay, you must accept the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan through the myAU portal. Complete the Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling on the federal website after accepting the loan. Please use your FSA ID and password to access the site and complete the required paperwork. - Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
Graduate students may be eligible for the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan to assist in defraying additional educational expenses not covered by the Stafford Loans. The Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan is a credit-based loan from Direct Loans and requires an additional MPN, if approved. Learn more about this loan or apply. If approved by the lender, graduate students are eligible for up to the total cost of attendance minus all other aid received. In order for the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan to pay, you must complete both the Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling for this loan. Be sure to complete the correct documents on the lender website as there will be options for both the unsubsidized Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Federal Direct PLUS Loan. - Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
The Federal government requires that you be maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) towards the completion of your degree program. In general, this requires that you maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, complete two-thirds of all attempted credits, and complete your degree program within the maximum timeframe as defined in the AU academic regulations. The AU Financial Aid Office will evaluate your SAP at the end of your program’s April term once all grades have been recorded in your academic record. To review AU’s complete SAP policy, visit our website.
More information on applying for federal loans can be found on our Graduate Students webpage.
Scholarships
Students may qualify for select competitive awards offered by the university in addition to other awards available from each program.
The Office of Graduate Studies at American University is accepting applications for The United Methodist Graduate Scholarship for full-time1 online graduate students. Annual scholarship amounts are as much as $7,000 per recipient and awards are given on an academic year basis. The application period for the award has not yet been set. Learn more information by visiting The Office of Graduate Studies online or contacting an Admissions Counselor.
Tuition Payment Plan
American University offers the American Payment Plan (APP) to students in the fall and spring terms as an alternative to paying your bill in full at the start of each term. Learn more about APP here.
Tax Benefits for Education
For information regarding 1098T Tax Forms and Tax Benefits for Education, please visit the information links listed below.
Request more information about Business@American.
1 A student is considered full-time with a course load of at least 18 credit hours per year including Summer semester.arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference