Tuition & Fees

Modest increases in tuition and fees may be expected each year.

The regular tuition for 2024-2025 is $552 per credit hour. Note that Counselor Education tuition is $613 per credit hour; Data Analytics tuition is $693 per credit hour; and Public Administration & Policy tuition is $647 per credit hour. A late registration fee of $35 will be charged to those graduate students completing their registration after the first day of class.

Tuition and fees must be paid in full before the first class session. An additional charge (late payment penalty) of $50 per month will be added if payment is not received by the first class. The proceeds of a Direct Loan are exempt from the late payment penalty provided a completed application is received in the Financial Aid Office located in Rouzer Suite 237, 410-857-2233, at least three weeks prior to the first day of class. Checks should be made payable to McDaniel College. Secure online payments can be made.

A McDaniel College Graduate Tuition Contract Payment Plan is available during the Fall and Spring semesters for students desiring monthly payment arrangements. Payment plans are obtained through my.mcdaniel.edu. Due to the brevity of the summer sessions, a payment plan is not offered. Payment in full is required before the first class.

Students who have not fulfilled all payment obligations may not drop or add courses in the current semester/term, may be dropped from future registration, are blocked from future registrations, and may have their transcript held until payment obligations are met. Additionally, the student is responsible for attorney fees and other costs necessary for the collection of any amount due.

Tuition payment is due 10 days prior to the start of each course. The last day to drop a course without financial obligation is anytime before the class start date.

Fall 2024

Fall tuition (16-week, 8-week session I, and 4-week session A) due: August 16, 2024

Fall tuition (4-week session B) due: September 13, 2024

Fall tuition (8-week session II and 4-week session C) due: October 11, 2024

Fall tuition (4-week session D) due: November 8, 2024

Spring 2025

Spring tuition (16-week) due: January 17, 2025

Spring tuition (8-week session I and 4-week session A) due: January 11, 2025

Spring tuition (4-week session B) due: February 7, 2025

Spring tuition (8-week session II and 4-week session C) due: March 14, 2025

Spring tuition (4-week session D) due: April 11, 2025

Summer 2025

Summer tuition (12-week session) due: To be determined

Summer tuition (8-week session I and 6-week session I) due: To be determined

Summer tuition (8-week session II and 6-week session II) due: To be determined

Summer tuition (4-week session A, B, & C) due: To be determined      

Federal Direct Loans are available for graduate degree seeking students who are registered for at least half-time per semester. Private educational loans are available for less than half time enrollment and certification programs. Visit the Fast Choice site for participating lenders.

Graduate students from Maryland are encouraged to contact their Maryland state delegate and senator for available funding or visit the website for state aid.. The state also offers various grant opportunities under the Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grant Program.

Please note:

To qualify for government student loans, students must be registered for at least half-time credits per semester.

If a student is taking only one class at McDaniel and others at another college, the Electronic Enrollment Report (Clearinghouse) will not reflect the necessary status for loan deferment.

Release date of refund checks is determined by the start date of your second class. If the second class does not start until midterm, your refund will be held.

Contact the Financial Aid Office for application information. The phone number is 410-857-2233 and the fax number is 410-386-4608. The email address is as follows: finaid@mcdaniel.edu.

McDaniel College offers a limited number of graduate assistantships and other scholarships. Assistantships are available in a variety of departments/offices on campus. Graduate assistants receive tuition remission in return for their work (120 hours per course). Contact the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies for more information.

The College must make financial commitments to its faculty, staff, and service contractors on an annual basis. It is assumed a student will not withdraw from the College during a semester. Should withdrawal become necessary because of prolonged illness or similar unusual circumstance, the following refund policy will prevail, “I understand that I am registering for educational courses at McDaniel College (“College”) and that I am fully responsible for the cost and expense of all tuition, fees and other related educational expenses associated with my enrollment and status as a student at the College (“educational expenses”). I further understand that payment for any amounts due for these educational expenses must be made ten days prior to the start of the class for the semesters/terms that I am enrolled. Should I incur any expenses for items not set forth therein, payment is due at the time they are incurred, or I am otherwise informed they are due. Any payments not made by these deadlines will be considered an unpaid balance on my account.”

Tuition Withdrawal Refund Policy

Tuition refunds are based on the length of a course and the amount of time that has elapsed since the start of a course. The following refund policy applies for Fall/Spring Semesters and Summer Term:

Should a credit balance be generated due to a reduction in tuition or other charges when a student withdraws, policies regarding refunds to federal aid programs will take precedence. Any remaining credit balance will be mailed to the student within 2-3 weeks of the effective date of withdrawal.

If you are a student who has received federal financial aid in the form of a loan and drop a course or all courses, the financial aid office may be required to return your full or partial loan amount and as a result your financial obligation for any prorated outstanding loan balance may be owed to McDaniel College or to the lender. It is important that you work with the financial aid office to determine how dropping a course after the semester or session begins will impact your financial responsibility. You can reach the financial aid office at finaid@mcdaniel.edu or 410-857-2233.

Effective Date of Withdrawal

The effective date of withdrawal is the date upon receipt of the completed Withdrawal Form to the Graduate & Professional Studies Office. Students receiving financial aid may have a portion of their original award returned to the program as required by federal regulation and the McDaniel College refund policy, thus creating a balance due to the college. If the result is a credit balance, the credit balance will be mailed to the billing address within three weeks of the withdrawal date. More detailed information is available in the Financial Aid brochure.

Credit Balances 

It may happen that financial aid postings may exceed the cost of tuition. If this occurs, a credit balance will appear on the billing statement. Refunds are automatically processed after the start of the second class of each semester. Student refunds will be mail to the home address on file. If you would like to use a portion of the credit towards books, we can transfer up to $600 to your McDaniel 1Card by completing the 1Card deposit form which can be found on in the Student Portal under Billing/Bursars Office > Forms.

Federal Title IV Aid Refunds

FEDERAL TITLE IV aid includes programs such as Pell grants (graduate students are not eligible) and Federal Direct Loans. To learn more about Federal Loan programs that a graduate student is eligible for visit: studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans. Federal regulations require McDaniel College to use these funds to pay for your tuition, and mandatory fees. Your bill or account may also include other charges on it, such as parking, McDaniel 1card, library fines etc. Federal regulations allow the college to use Title IV funds to pay for these other charges only if you authorize the college to do so. The authorization form is available on the Bursar’s home page on the portal.

Force Majeure

I understand that there may be instances beyond the control of McDaniel College that result in a modification or cancelation of classes and/or closure of the college. Such instances may include, but are not limited to: (a) acts of God; (b) flood, fire, earthquake or explosion; (c) war, invasion, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), terrorist threats or acts, riot, or other civil unrest; (d) actions, embargoes or blockades in effect on or after the date of this Agreement; (e) action by any Governmental Authority; (f) national or regional emergency; (g) strikes, labor stoppages, or industrial disturbances; and (h) epidemic or pandemic (each a “Force Majeure Event”).  

I understand and agree that the Tuition Withdrawal Refund Policy above will not be offered in the case of modification or cancelation of classes and/or closure of McDaniel College resulting from a Force Majeure Event, and hereby waive any and all claims against McDaniel College arising out of or related to the modification or cancelation of classes and/or closure of McDaniel College that arise out of or relate to a Force Majeure Event. 

Tuition and fees are due prior to the first class to avoid the $50 late fee and Bursar restriction (hold).

The Bursar Hold may prevent students from

• Participating in preregistration of the upcoming term’s classes
• Receiving their academic transcripts
• Receiving a diploma/certificate (must be paid in full)

ACH payments take five banking days to clear. Credit card payments are cleared within 48 business hours.

Veterans or their dependents who are eligible for veteran’s’ educational benefits should contact the VA Certifying Official located in the Registrar’s Office for certification of enrollment at vasco@mcdaniel.edu. Veterans Administration regulations require students receiving benefits to enroll in courses that lead to a degree or certificate and maintain satisfactory progress. 

Monthly allowances, paid directly by the Veterans Administration to the veteran, are based on the student’s total credit hours per semester. Student tuition and fees are paid to McDaniel College by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Students using Post 9/11 GI Bill ® Benefits (Chapter 33) or Veterans Readiness and Employment Benefits (Chapter 31) at McDaniel College will be allowed to attend McDaniel College for up to 90 days from the date the beneficiary provides a certificate of eligibility, or valid VAF 28-1905 without payment of tuition and fees. A McDaniel College Request for Benefits Form must accompany the certificate of eligibility or Valid VAF 28-1905 and should be submitted to the Veterans Affairs Coordinator. McDaniel College will not impose a penalty, or require as student to borrow additional funds to cover tuition and fees due to late payments from VA. 

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

Training Time

The VA Training Time refers to how the Department of Veterans Affairs views your course load, to determine the amount of benefit you will be paid. When your GI Bill® benefit is certified, your school certifying official is required to report the number of credit hours you are taking and your training time for each enrollment period.

The chart below reflects how training time is calculated for graduate students based on the length of the enrollment period and the number of credit hours of enrollment. Keep in mind that the VA training times indicated below are for the individual enrollment periods only. Each sub-term must be considered individually and cannot be combined with other enrollment periods for the assignment of a training time.

Graduate Semester/Sub-Term Lengths

Graduate Summer Term Lengths