Differential Tuition Financial Support can reduce your tuition by $100 per course for in-state students and $200 per course for out-of state students. An in-state student could save $1,400 off the standard CUNY MPA tuition rates – and the CUNY rates are the lowest in the region.

To be considered for merit-based or need-based Differential Tuition Financial Support, you must file a FAFSA application by August 1st for eligibility review for the Fall semester and January 1st for eligibility review for the spring semester.  If you have already filed a FAFSA this year you do not have to re-file.  Your FAFSA must show an unmet financial aid need.

New Spring semester students must have filed a FAFSA application by January 1st or eligibility review for the spring semester, May 1st for the summer semester, and August 1st for eligibility for the Fall semester.

To qualify for the Differential Tuition Financial Support, you must complete a FASFA. The FAFSA collects the basic information needed to determine your eligibility – the unmet financial aid need. If you file the FAFSA and receive a denial notice from the state, it does not necessarily mean that you will not qualify for the Differential Tuition Financial Support.

If you file a FAFSA your are automatically considered for Differential Tuition Financial Support. Click here to complete the FAFSA Online.

Summary of the Rules for DTFS

The College will offer four financial support programs, using Differential Tuition funds, reflecting four different merit criteria, as well as financial need criteria in three of the four financial support programs.  The following general rules apply:

  •  Only MPA students subject to the Differential Tuition are eligible.
  •  Effective for Fall 2014, funding is limited to $100 per course for students paying in-state tuition and $200 per course for students paying out-of state tuition. Support is doubled for Honors Merit DTFS: $200/$400.
  •  Students may receive funds from only oneof the four DT-funded programs, and having met the criteria for one program will not be considered for another.
  •  Students shall not receive financial support for more than four courses per semester;
  •  All determinations of eligibility for DTFS shall be made at the time of admissions, and with the exception of Honors DTFS which is determined after 18 credits, shall apply for the duration of matriculation provided that the student maintains satisfactory academic progress as specified below, and shall be communicated if possible to the student in the admissions letter. Students shall not be required to requalify for DTFS, but may apply for reconsideration if new circumstances might enable the student to qualify for DTFS.

Continuing eligibility for DTFS requires satisfactory academic progress, which is defined as follows:

  • Students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA. A cumulative GPA below 3.0 is permitted for one semester, but a GPA below 3.0 for more than one consecutive semester constitutes unsatisfactory progress which disqualifies the student for DTFS.
  • Students must complete at least 2 courses per academic year, or 1 course during the first year if the student is admitted for the Spring semester.
  • Students in non-matriculated status must comply with the conditions of non-matriculation.
  • Students must pass the MPAQE within the first to regular semesters of study, or they will be disqualified for DFTS for the third semester.
  • Students must have complied with the terms of text book and device loans.
  • Students must have a Degree Completion Plan on file with MPA Services, and must be complying with the original or revised version of it. Failure to comply can result in suspension of DTFS for a semester.

Changes in satisfactory academic progress will be communicated to Financial Aid by the end of July for the Fall semester and by January 15 for the Spring semester.

Students who withdraw from courses and are eligible for tuition refund shall not receive refund for the portion of tuition for which any differential tuition financial support  was applied.

The following is a summary of the eligibility requirements for the three financial support programs:

  • Academic Merit Financial support: The student must have, at the time of eligibility determination, a graduate or undergraduate (in the case of newly admitted applicants) GPA of 3.25 or above. The student has an unmet financial aid need as defined through the Federal student financial aid form (FAFSA) and process.
  • Academic Honors Financial support: The student must have, after completing 18 credits, and a graduate GPA of 3.67 or above. The student has an unmet financial aid need as defined through the Federal student financial aid form (FAFSA) and process.
  • Military Service Financial support: The student is receiving tuition benefits or assistance based on current or prior military service and the differential tuition increment is not covered by the assistance involved.
  • Public Service Financial support: The student has completed an application and an MPA Director or designee has determined that the student has a record of public service in one or more categories including of the following: volunteer and career uniformed service, public and independent sector employment, public service internship, student council or student activities service, college employment in temporary service including work-study service. A student may also qualify based on a prospective commitment to a special public service activity completed with the JJCCJ Office of Community Outreach. The student must also have an unmet financial aid need as defined through the Federal student financial aid form (FAFSA) and process. In exceptional circumstances the MPA Directors may approve eligibility without a FAFSA determination.

Application Deadlines

To be eligible for consideration for Differential Tuition financial support, the following deadlines apply:

  • Continuing students must have filed a FAFSA application and registered for classes by August 1st in order to be considered for financial support applicable to the following fall, spring and summer semesters.
  • New students must have filed a FAFSA application by August 1st for eligibility review for the fall semester or January 1st or eligibility review for the spring semester, or May 1st for eligibility for the summer semester.

Determination Process

MPA Services & The Office of Financial Aid will determine eligibility, based on College records available at the time that eligibility is evaluated, for the Academic Merit Financial support and the Military Service Financial support. No application is required for this determination.

The Office of Graduate Admissions and the MPA Deputy Director for Admissions shall identify students who, at the time of admission are not eligible for Academic Merit Financial Support but who may be eligible for the Public Service Financial  Support based on a record of volunteer service. The Office of Graduate Admissions and the MPA Deputy Director for Admissions shall provide the Office of Financial Aid the names of such students.

If you have any questions regarding Differential Tuition Financial Support, please contact email mpaadvising@jjay.cuny.edu