Graduate Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid

Meeting LIM College’s Costs 

Financial aid is generally offered to meet the gap (financial need) between what a student can contribute (expected family contribution), and what it costs to attend LIM College (cost of attendance): Cost of Attending LIM College (COA) - Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Financial Need. Students may use certain types of loans to finance their expected financial contribution as well. The COA at LIM College is based on the estimated budget established by the College (see below). A student’s EFC is calculated from the information provided on the FAFSA. 

International students will also be assessed an $850 International Student Fee in each fall and spring semester (regardless of credit load).

Students who are enrolled in the LIM College Student Health Insurance plan are eligible to include that expense in their Cost of Attendance should they choose to. All requests to borrow for Indirect Costs must be made in writing and eligibility will be evaluated individually and verified by a Student Financial Services Counselor. 

The COA at LIM College is based on the estimated budget established by the College. The EFC is calculated from the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Enrollment Deposit (students enrolled in on-campus degree programs)

Upon acceptance, students enrolled in on-campus degree programs are required to submit a $500 non-refundable enrollment deposit to be considered an enrolled student at LIM College. The enrollment deposit must be submitted with the Graduate Tuition Agreement and will be applied as a payment towards the first semester’s tuition. Please also see Tuition Liability.

Transfer Students Applying to LIM College Graduate Programs 

Each transfer student’s record will be evaluated and interpreted individually for course equivalencies. Only transfers from accredited graduate institutions will be taken into consideration. Students can apply to transfer a maximum of six credits, earned within five years prior to the date of application. 

Tuition and Fees

For the 2024-2025 academic year, the tuition rate is $1,179 per credit hour. LIM College requires that on-campus applicants submit a non-refundable $40 application fee. The application fee can be paid through your Admissions Portal. The application fee can also be paid with a check or money order made payable to LIM College. 

Graduate Comprehensive Fee 

• The Graduate Comprehensive Fee is associated with technology resources and student activities programming for graduate students (not including Commencement). The fee is $220 per semester for full-time study (9 or more credits) and $110 per semester or session for part-time study (less than 9 credits). 

Prior Learning Assessment Fee

• Students have the ability to earn credits based on prior learning outside of the classroom.  Credits earned by submitting an approved prior learning assessment application are assessed a fee of $300 per credit.

Additional Tuition and Fee Information 

LIM College provides several payment options for students to pay the enrollment deposit and tuition charges:

1. Online E-Cashier Payments through Nelnet Business Solutions: A one-time payment or installment payments may be made online with an ACH checking/savings account or credit card (all major credit cards are accepted).  Fees will be assessed for using a credit card.  Debit cards and ACH payments are not assessed fees.  The cost to budget an interest-free, flexible payment plan option is a $30 per semester ($50 for an annual plan) non-refundable enrollment fee. 

Please visit www.limcollege.edu/pay.

2.  International Student Payment Option: LIM College has partnered with Flywire (https://www.flywire.com/pay/limcollege) to streamline the process of payments from international banks. Flywire allows students to pay securely from any country and any bank, generally in their home currency. Students can also pay by credit card.

3.  Mailing Payment: Payment by mail can be made with a check or money order to: LIM College / 216 East 45^th Street / New York, NY 10017 / Attn: Office of Student Financial Services. Checks or money orders should be made payable to LIM College.

4.  In-Person Payment: Payment may be made in person at the LIM College Office of Student Financial Services (Maxwell Hall, 216 East 45^th Street, 1^st floor) with a check, money order or cash. Checks or money orders should be made payable to LIM College.

Since the educational experience at LIM College remains rigorous, flexible and productive regardless of the learning environment (on-campus or virtual), our tuition charges for on-ground (main campus) students will be the same no matter how the coursework is delivered.  The College’s assessed tuition is in exchange for learning, academic credit, and critical non-academic services that will continue to be provided whether in a hybrid in-person or in a hybrid virtual format.  You understand and accept that just as the College had to pivot to remote learning in prior terms, we may have to make necessary or required changes to the delivery of instruction if circumstances dictate so.  We want you to remain confident in knowing that the high quality and innovation of the LIM College curriculum and learning objectives will remain the same.

For questions regarding the payment options above, please contact the Office of Student Financial Services at 212-752-1530 Ext. 389 or sfs@limcollege.edu

Scholarships

Merit-Based Scholarships (only available to students enrolled in on-campus degree programs)

A limited number of merit-based scholarships are available to graduate applicants, ranging from $1,500-$6,000. Applicants with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.50 or higher will automatically be considered for scholarships at the time of admissions review. Funds depend on availability and are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Scholarship recipients will be notified via an award letter and will have an enrollment deadline date, which will be specified in the award letter. 

Federal Financial Aid

To receive aid from any of the federal student loan programs, students must meet all of the following criteria:

• File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Have completed a bachelor’s degree
• Be enrolled as a matriculated student working toward a degree
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Have a valid Social Security number
• Meet satisfactory academic progress standards set by the College
• Certify that you are not in default on a federal student loan and that you do not owe money on a federal student grant
• Comply with Selective Service registration, if required
• Fulfill any other requirements stipulated by the U.S. Department of Education

Federal Student Loans

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
  Students enrolled at least half-time (minimum of six credits) are eligible for this loan. Graduate students are eligible to receive up to a maximum of $20,500 per academic year.  For the 2024-25 academic year, the fixed-interest rate for Unsubsidized Direct Loans is 8.08% (rate subject to change July 1 each year). Direct Loans are also assessed a 1.057% up-front origination fee that is deducted from the amount of loan funds disbursed to the College (subject to change on October 1 annually).
   
• Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
  This is a non-need-based loan for graduate students to borrow funds to help meet educational expenses not met by the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Successful credit approval is required. For the 2024-2025 academic year, the interest rate on Federal Direct PLUS loans is a fixed rate of 9.08% (rate is subject to change July 1 each year). PLUS Loan borrowers are assessed a 4.228% up-front origination fee that is deducted from the amount of loan funds disbursed to the College (subject to change on October 1 annually).

All students who borrow any federal loan(s) are required to complete mandatory loan entrance requirements upon enrollment and loan exit requirements upon graduation or withdrawal from LIM College.

To determine eligibility, a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, available at www.fafsa.ed.gov, must be submitted annually by the priority deadline of June 1 for fall enrollment. (See the LIM College website for other start dates). The LIM College federal school code is 007466.

Federal (Title IV) Return of Funds

The U.S. Department of Education requires the return of Title IV funds if a student receives federal assistance and withdraws completely on or before completing 60 percent of the semester. Students have only “earned” the portion of their federal aid that is equal to the percentage of the semester that they have completed. Thus, the percentage of Title IV funds that must be returned to the government is essentially equal to the percentage of the semester that the student has not completed at the time of withdrawal. The order in which Title IV funds are to be returned has been determined by the U.S. Department of Education and is as follows:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
2. Federal Direct PLUS Loan

(Please note: LIM College does not currently offer loans in the Federal Perkins Loan program.)

The U.S. Department of Education has different rules and regulations for each type of aid offered in the Federal Title IV Aid Program. Students who partially withdraw likely will require adjustments to their Federal Title IV Aid. Please consult with the Office of Student Financial Services to determine how your aid may be affected prior to withdrawal from a course(s).

Installment Payment Plan from Nelnet Business Solutions 

To help meet educational expenses, LIM College offers an installment payment plan through Nelnet Business Solutions. Payments can be made using an Automatic Bank Payment (ACH) from a checking or savings account or by credit card (all major credit cards are accepted). Fees will be assessed for using a credit card.  Debit cards and ACH payments are not assessed fees.  The cost to budget this interest-free, flexible payment plan option is a $30 per semester ($50 for an annual plan) non-refundable enrollment fee. 

Tuition Liability

If a student withdraws from a course or the program within the first several weeks of a semester or session (measured from the date classes start), the student will be charged an adjusted tuition amount based on a percentage of the original tuition amount and tied to the week in which he/she withdrew from the course and/or program. The tuition liability scales for full or partial withdrawal are listed below for on-campus and online respectively.

On-Campus Graduate Tuition Liability for Withdrawal

Students who withdraw fully from the College or partially from one or more course during the first four weeks of the fall (semester 1), spring (semester 2), or summer (semester 3) terms will be charged an adjusted tuition amount based on the week of withdrawal as follows:

Week 1: 0% tuition liability
Week 2: 25 % tuition liability
Week 3: 50% tuition liability
Week 4: 75% tuition liability
After Week 4: 100% tuition liability

Housing charges and associated fees are subject to the terms and conditions of the housing contract. For further information, please contact the Office of Housing & Residence Life at residencelife@limcollege.edu or (212) 752-1530 Ext. 330.

Online Graduate Student Tuition Liability Schedule for Each Session:

Session 1 & 2

Students who withdraw fully from the College or partially from one or more courses during the first three weeks of each session will be charged an adjusted tuition amount based on the week of withdrawal as follows (each week ends at 12:00 p.m. Monday - Eastern Time):

                    Week 1: 0% tuition liability
                    Week 2: 25% tuition liability
                    Week 3: 50% tuition liability
                    After Week 3: 100% tuition liability

Session 3

Students who withdraw fully from the College or partially from one or more courses during the first eight weeks of each session will be charged an adjusted tuition amount based on the week of withdrawal as follows (each week ends at 12:00 p.m. Monday - Eastern Time):

                    Week 1: 10% tuition liability
                    Week 2: 30% tuition liability
                    Week 3: 50% tuition liability
                    Week 4: 60% tuition liability
                    Week 5: 70% tuition liability
                    Week 6: 75% tuition liability
                    Week 7: 75% tuition liability
                    Week 8: 80% tuition liability
                    After Week 8: 100% tuition liability 

Extenuating Circumstances

The Office of Student Financial Services is authorized to exercise professional judgment and discretion in reviewing special or unusual financial circumstances that students and parents may experience. These special or unusual circumstances may include, but are not limited to involuntary loss of employment, change in housing status (e.g., homelessness), severe disability of the student or other member of the student’s household as well as incurring certain expenses such as unreimbursed medical or dental expenses, funeral expenses, tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school, child care costs, and adult dependent care (including nursing home costs). Please contact the Office of Student Financial Services to discuss your circumstances and to determine the appropriate documentation procedures.