The College of Communication’s financial aid resources include various scholarship funds and graduate assistantships (teaching, research, administrative). In addition, graduate can request the Federal Unsubsidized Loan, The Federal Graduate PLUS Loan, and other state and private funds. Numerous on-campus and off-campus employment opportunities are also available.

View the tuition, fees and estimated living expenses for Fall 2024/Spring 2025 academic year.

For current interest rates and loan fees, please visit the U.S. Department of Education website.

Scholarship awards are merit based—on academic promise and the availability of funds.  The majority of scholarship is awarded during the admission process. All full-time students who apply for admission are automatically considered for COM merit-based scholarships. A separate application for financial aid is not needed.

Available funds do not allow us to provide assistance to all graduate students; however, most receive partial support and avail themselves of the various loan programs to further finance their education.

The University and the College of Communication assume that all students will contribute financially to their graduate education.

In order to be considered for any federal financial aid you must submit a Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA). You may apply online at studentaid.gov.

Continuing Students Only: Fall and/or Spring

  • Make sure you fill out the FAFSA (free application for federal student aid) at studentaid.gov before applying for any federal loans.
  • If you have completed your FAFSA and submitted it to Boston University, you will be offered the Federal Unsubsidized Loan through your MyBU portal. Students can accept or decline the loan through the portal directly.
  • Information on the 2024/2025 Direct Graduate PLUS loan and the online application can be found here: https://studentaid.gov/plus-app/.
  • Information on private educational loans can be found here.

Summer 2024 Federal Loans

  • Summer 2024 Federal Unsubsidized Loan Information and Application. Students must register for at least six academic credits over the course of the summer in order to be eligible. Summer borrowing may impact the amount of Unsubsidized Loan you are eligible for in future semesters.
  • The Summer 2024 Federal Grad PLUS Loan Application is also available. We encourage you to apply for the Summer Unsubsidized Loan before the Graduate PLUS Loan.
  • All students must complete Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note on https://studentaid.gov/ to be eligible for summer loans.

Additional Resources

For additional financial aid help from resources, explore these search engines and loan centers below. Note: These sites are not affiliated with Boston University or the College of Communication, and should be used for informational purposes only.

Resources beyond Boston University

BU has identified some private loans if you are interested in researching additional options. This list of options is certainly not all inclusive and we encourage you to search for other outside private loan options that may be available to you.