Scholarships and Grants

• Scholarship Awards: More than $14 million each year in merit-based scholarships go to a large number of Johnson students, no matter their country of origin. Scholarship applicants are selected by the Admissions Scholarship Committee by leadership, academic achievements, aptitude test results, work experience, writing ability and sample, extra co¬-curricular activities, recommendations, and goals. All these scholarships are communicated to students together with the admission notification for the selected candidates. 

• Johnson Endowed and Annual Scholarships: Johnson provides named scholarships to merit scholarship beneficiaries by way of alums, corporate partners, and donors. These post-enrollment merits do not bring additional money but replace previous merit scholarships. First-year students who do not get scholarships are barred from receiving any funding in the second year except five Fried Fellows for achievement and accomplishment.
• Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellowship – open to applicants applying to the Two-Year MBA program: Managing Diversity in Business Education and Leadership. Since 2009, Johnson has supported the consortium for graduate study in management organizations. It is for this reason that all applicants for full tuition merit-based Fellowships must be qualified U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or any aspirant that supports the mission and objectives of the Consortium and, in return, has to be facilitated to access continuing professional development.
• Park Leadership Fellowship – open to applicants applying to the Two-Year MBA program: Besides the merit scholarships, we do have Park Leadership Fellowships. The fellowship is a full tuition and fees grant that is available to up to twenty-five new students each year. Park Fellowships are, again, exclusively for American citizens. For any questions relating to the program, consult the Park Program Web site or to Admissions.
• Forté Fellow Program: Johnson has been a strategic partner of Forté since 2004 and engages in the Forté Fellows Program. The Forté Fellowship is open to any candidate of any nationality and sex who supports Forte’s mission and is dedicated to the development of women in business. Only the MBA admissions committee determines which applicants of the program will be awarded a Forté Fellowship, and if you don’t apply for the fellowship, you are chosen.
• ROMBA Fellowship – open to applicants applying to the Two-Year MBA program: Johnson is honored to be a part of the Reaching Out LGBTQ MBA Fellowship Program that fosters and empowers future LGBTQ and ally business masters and graduates. For at least $10,000 per year, two fellows are provided leadership development and opportunities through Reaching Out. There is no need to apply for this highly sought-after fellowship as the admission committee makes a selective choice.
• Sage Scholars Program – open to applicants applying to the Two-Year MBA program: Johnson takes a few applicants each round to be referred to as the Sage Scholar and to receive a scholarship from the university depending on the applicants’ performance in their undergraduate studies and standardized tests such as the GMAT or GRE. The Scholar position will be available to apply during the admission application period. There is no extra application required for the scholarship, but to qualify for the scholarship, the student has to provide a GMAT/GRE test score, preferably during the application process.
• The MD MBA – Dual Degree Program and Lee Family Scholarship: The Weill Medical College of Cornell University has admitted a partnership with Johnson to propose an MD/MBA combined degree in as little as 12 months. In this program, students are equipped to lead health organizations and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. One full-tuition scholarship to the Tech MBA is awarded annually to one student through the Charles R. Lee Family Foundation.
• Lester B. Knight M.Eng./MBA Scholarship: The Knight Scholarship, which Mr. Knight and his family have provided, provides up to $60,000 in tuition fees. Scholarship recipients will be awarded $15,000 per semester for up to two semesters for the M.Eng. program and MBA program at Cornell. If M.Eng. graduates wish to complete the MBA part, the latter is open to them within the last five years of obtaining the former.
• Peter and Stephanie Nolan Veterans Scholarship: Peter Nolan ’80, MBA ’82, Trustee Emeritus, and his wife Stephanie Nolan ’84 have donated over $1.9 million to allow the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management to offer scholarships to MBA aspiring U.S. military veterans. The Nolan Scholarship gives the Admissions & Scholarship department an opportunity to consider talented Veterans who we feel will be an invaluable addition to the Johnson organization.
• GI Bill® Assistance (Post 9/11 and Yellow Ribbon): Cornell University and Johnson have signed with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take part in the Yellow Ribbon Program as a supplement to the 9/11 GI Bill tuition assistance.  Any veteran wishing to attend a program that is funded through VA benefits should consult their regional office of the Veterans Administration. Enrollment for the VA will be done through Cornell’s Office of the University Registrar for every term.

Loan Programs

Pursuing an MBA major is a costly investment because it demands making a thorough financial assessment. You should be aware of tuition fees, living expenses, and future student loan payments, and these should ideally be 6.5-12% of your after-tax income or 5-9.5% of your gross salary. Cornell is careful in instructing students to take up only ”what is necessary” to ensure proper debt management.

The prospective students seeking a Full-time MBA and Cornell Tech MBA are given the following steps to obtain assistance with federal loans for the Fall/Spring semesters 2025-2026.

• Complete the 2025-2026 Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as of January 1 each year before attending another school or pre-finals. 
• Complete, sign, and upload the documents for Federal Graduate PLUS Loans.
• Release all Personal Credit Freeze with the three credit reporting bureaus for the review and processing of the PLUS Loan credit check.

In addition to them, those applying for loan assistance during the summer 2024 semester would need to complete all these steps no later than June 30, 2025.

• Complete the required 2024-2025 Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Complete and upload the Federal Graduate PLUS Loan Application.
• Lift any credit freeze you placed with the three credit bureaus to process the PLUS loan check.

For all borrowers:

All first-time federal direct loan students must be involved in completing loan entry counseling and signing appropriate Master Promissory Notes (MPN) for Graduate/Professional Students. 

The following general information regarding the submission of the application is also a must-know:

• The place where it is located is formally entitled Cornell University’s Federal School Code: 002711. 
• If a student applies before the end of June, they will enable the provision of an on-time distribution. Remember, requests for the fall loan must be worth the equal cost of attendance. 
• All as much as you think that should (correction: could) be done with the money. 
• Maximum annual borrowing amounts: $20,500 for the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. A Direct Graduate PLUS loan allowed can be requested for which the student is eligible. 
• New rates for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, are given below for the academic year 2024-2025. The origination fees are valid for loans requested first from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, for that period. 

• Private Education Loans: Private lenders offer private loans as an alternative or supplement to federal loans. Interest rates depend on credit scores and loan type. Cornell encourages comparing lenders via tools like FASTChoice, an independent loan comparison resource. Students must research, apply, and choose lenders, including those outside FASTChoice.

Reference: https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/financial-planning/scholarships-and-grants/, https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/financial-planning/loan-programs/