At Johnson admissions decisions are made independently of an applicant’s financial situation. We work in partnership with our applicants and students to find the most beneficial mixture of funding options available to help cover their educationally related costs without compromising institutional, professional, or legal standards. Obtaining an MBA is a big investment in time, effort, and money. Most will have to make significant lifestyle adjustments to accommodate the cost of school and the decrease in personal income. We ask students to take on the primary responsibility for covering educational costs and to use savings, income from work and other resources at their disposal to help cover such costs.

Learn more about scholarships and grants.

Johnson’s scholarships are merit based and awarded at the same time as admission. Similar criteria are used to determine merit as are used to evaluate applicants for admission: demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills, prior academic performance, GMAT scores, the breadth and depth of work experience, writing skills, interviewing ability, extracurricular and community involvement, recommendations, and previous achievements.

Scholarships are granted at the discretion of the admissions committee. You do not need to apply to these scholarships separately—you will be considered for them as part of your application for admission.

Learn more about scholarships and grants.

Yellow Ribbon Program for U.S. veterans

The Cornell MBA program participates in the Post-9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon Program. This program is available to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who are eligible for 100% of the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. While funding per participant is not capped, participation may be limited annually based on institutional policy. 

Annual Yellow Ribbon participation cap

The Johnson School maintains an annual institutional cap on the number of Yellow Ribbon participants in accordance with its agreement with the VA.

• The number of available participant slots will be established annually by the School.
• Yellow Ribbon funding contributions for approved participants are not subject to an individual annual dollar cap under the School’s current participation model.

Eligibility

To be considered for a Yellow Ribbon participant slot, students must:

• Be awarded 100% Post-9/11 GI Bill® benefits as determined by the VA;
• Be admitted in an eligible Johnson School degree program; and
• Complete all required school Yellow Ribbon application materials and processes.

Final determination of VA eligibility is made by the institution’s designated School Certifying Officials.

Allocation of participant slots

Yellow Ribbon participant slots are administered centrally across participating Johnson School programs.

Participant slots will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis based on the official submission date and time of a completed school Yellow Ribbon form.

Continuing students

Students who receive a Yellow Ribbon participant slot retain their participation status in subsequent academic years provided they:

• Remain continuously enrolled in an eligible program; and
• Maintain good academic standing as defined by their program and the School.

Continuing students are not required to reapply annually for a Yellow Ribbon participant slot.

Waitlist process

If all available participant slots are filled:

• Additional eligible applicants will be placed on a centralized, date-stamped waitlist.
• Waitlist priority will be determined by the date and time of completed application submission.
• Should participant slots become available, offers will be extended in waitlist order.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. government website.

Scholarships from outside the school are available from many sources. There is some effort involved in securing outside funds. The key is to apply early. Private scholarships may be based on various selection criteria: academic achievement, religious affiliation, ethnicity, memberships, civic activities, hobbies, or special talents. The internet is a great resource for free scholarship information.

Learn more about scholarships and grants.

Some employers offer tuition benefit programs for employees and/or their dependents. Students that have been awarded federal or university funding are required to report all tuition benefit and aid resources to the Financial Aid Office. Students borrowing student loans, in addition to their tuition benefit, may not receive financial aid resources that exceed the cost of attendance. Thus, student loans will be adjusted accordingly to stay within the established cost of attendance.

Your educational-related costs may be different from the budget we use for financial aid purposes. Many Johnson students meet their educational costs by borrowing through various student loan programs. Student loan debt represents a serious financial commitment with long range repercussions. Please remember that you cannot use education loans (federal or private education loans) to cover costs above our published budget.

A significant amount of your student aid will be in the form of student loans, it is imperative that you establish and maintain a clean credit record. If you have had credit problems in the past, it is important to take steps to improve your record. All aid applicants should request a free credit report annually.

By being proactive and making good decisions now, you can ensure manageable loan debt upon graduation.

• Students can borrow through the Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan and the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan programs up to the published cost of attendance less any other aid.
• Students complete the upcoming year Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and complete the Johnson School Federal Loan Application request form.
• Completed federal loan request are uploaded to a document tracking system for processing.
• Before federal loan requests can be processed or awarded, any adverse Comment Code reflected on one’s FAFSA must be reviewed and resolved.

Johnson Financial Aid Office will begin processing federal student loan requests mid-March. Loan award notifications are then emailed to the student’s Cornell University email account. In order to be considered for federal student loans, students must have accepted their offer of admission, completed the FAFSA and uploaded Johnson’s Federal Loan Application Request Form.

The Federal Direct and Graduate PLUS loan programs are repaid to the U.S. Department of Education via a loan servicer under contract to the Department of Education. Visit the U.S. Department of Education website for federal loan terms and repayment options at studentloans.gov.

Students may borrow private education loans in place of or in combination with federal loan programs. Students are responsible for researching and applying for their private loan. Students may borrow up to the published total cost of attendance less any other aid received. Students should upload the Johnson Private Loan Certification Request Form to ensure timely processing.

Johnson offers a no co-signer loan through Quorum Federal Credit Union to students enrolled in the Two-Year residential MBA program. This loan currently allows international students to borrow up to cost of tuition plus $10,000 additional expenses without a cosigner, as long as the international student either has no credit or, at least, good credit in the United States. Details and application link are emailed directly to admitted, international students.

• Loans will be paid in equal installments that correspond to university billing periods.
• The bursar will use the first installment of loans toward your first semester’s tuition bill. If the loan exceeds the billed amount, the bursar will issue a refund check to the student after official registration.
• The remaining installment(s) of your loans will work in the same way. If the loan exceeds the billed amount, the bursar will issue a refund check to the student after official registration.

Most University charges and credits are processed through the University Bursar system. Tuition is billed on a semester basis. Your bill must be paid in order for a student to be considered officially registered with Cornell University. All financial aid is disbursed directed to a student bursar account. The University Bursar offers several payment options. For more information, please visit the Cornell University Office of the Bursar.

Students attending Cornell University who are receiving federal Title IV financial aid (e.g., Federal Direct Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS) are required to return the portion of unearned federal aid if they withdraw, do not register, or otherwise fail to complete the period of enrollment for which the Title IV aid was provided. The return of funds does not apply to any student whose date of withdrawal is beyond the 60 percent enrollment period for which the student has been charged. The last date of attendance is determined by the date the student began their college’s withdrawal process or the student’s last date of recorded attendance.

For financial aid applications, Federal regulations require that Cornell University review the academic progress of students who apply for and/or receive financial assistance. Satisfactory academic progress is comprised of three areas as required by federal regulations. A student must complete their degree within a specified period, demonstrate they are making progress towards the completion of their degree by earning a minimum number of credits hours each semester, and achieve a GPA that is consistent with meeting graduation requirements. This regulation applies to each financial aid applicant, whether a previous recipient or not. This policy on satisfactory academic progress relates to Johnson students who apply for and/or receive federal financial aid. In addition to meeting the standard for receiving financial aid, students must also meet the academic standards for their specific MBA program.

Cornell University has established a set of publicly available principles and policies to govern educational lending practices for undergraduate, graduate and professional students. These principles emphasize that our lending practices come from a commitment to the best interests of our students. Neither Cornell nor its employees accept financial payments, goods or services of material value from lenders. All employees involved in financial aid and student lending are subject to a rigorous conflict-of-interest policy. Administrators may serve as unpaid members of lender advisory boards in order to help shape the products and services that will best meet the needs of our students. Visit Cornell University website for a complete policy on Lending Code of Conduct.

• Cornell MBA program
• Cornell Executive MBA programs

Email: financialaid@johnson.cornell.edu