Navigating Financial Aid

Most students will use a combination of personal funding resources, student loans, partial scholarships, and possibly employer sponsorship to pay for their education. You can review the cost of your program and find information on a wide range of funding options in the Financing Your Degree section of our website. 

During the admissions process, all applicants to the Full-Time program were assessed for merit-scholarship eligibility. If you were offered a scholarship from Rice Business, it will be noted in your admissions letter.

The first step following admission is to submit your enrollment deposit by the date specified in your letter of admission. Once your deposit has been submitted, you will receive log-in credentials for your ESTHER account (typically 10 days). 

Your deposit is non-refundable and will be applied toward the cost of your first semester’s tuition and fees.

After submitting your enrollment deposit*, you will receive log-in credentials for your ESTHER account (typically 10 days). From there, you will be able to view your semester bill (charges will be posted by July), make payments, set up semester payment plans, and view financial aid information. 

The JGSB Student Financial Services office will communicate with you using your Rice University email address, so it is important that you complete the steps provided to access your system accounts and check them periodically. We encourage you to set up your account so that it forwards your Rice emails to a personal account you check often. 

*Please note that credentials will start to be assigned in April. After which, it takes about 10 days to process your credentials to become a student in our system.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step when applying for Federal student loans.

Note that this funding resource is limited to domestic students only (US Citizens and Permanent Residents – green card holders).

When completing the 2025-2026 FAFSA you will be asked to use your 2023 tax information. The Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) allows you to download your tax information directly into your FAFSA application.

Your FASFA should be submitted prior to July 31st (preferably) to allow us sufficient time to process your awards, and for you to complete the necessary loan application steps to meet the Fall Payment Arrangement Deadline.

You are setting out on what is likely to be one of your greatest investments of time, energy, and financial resources. Therefore, it is important to fully understand all of the potential funding resources available (scholarships, payment plans, corporate sponsorships, student loans) and to reach out to the Student Financial Services Office with any questions you may have. 

The best place to start is on the Financing Your Degree section of our website to view funding options and details for your program.

Cost and Funding Calculators are available for each MBA program to assist you in planning/budgeting for your upcoming year. Once you've downloaded the document in Excel, you'll find tabs with the following information:

1. Important Dates and Helpful Links
2. Cost of Attendance Budgets
3. Loan Comparison Sheet
4. Funding Calculator

The Cost & Funding Calculator will help you determine which type of loans to apply for and help you calculate how much to request.

Once you have determined which type of loan you're interested in, use the application steps to ensure you complete all of the requirements.

Rice University begins processing FAFSA applications beginning June 1 for the 2025-2026 academic year. 

At that point, our office will notify you via your Rice email address once we have received your FAFSA and/or private loan application. At that point we will provide you with next steps.

In addition to completing the FAFSA, there are additional steps you'll need to take for each type of loan that you apply for. The loan application steps are provided to make this process simple. 

• Federal Loan Steps
• Private Loan Steps

The University Bursar's Office begins populating charges on your bill in early July for Fall. You will receive an official statement of your Fall bill on August 1st. The Payment Deadlines are:

• Fall: September 10, 2025
• Spring: February 10, 2026

You can access your student account in ESTHER at any time to review charges, check your balance, make payments, etc. Additional information can be found here. 

Payment Plan
The University Bursar’s Office offers a Semester Payment Plan that allows you to pay the semester balance in 4 installments. This will be available to set-up through your ESTHER account in July for the Fall semester and in December for the Spring semester. There is a $75 charge each semester to enroll in the payment plan. 

Third Party Sponsorship is a billing method in which an employer, corporation, or government can be invoiced directly. Additional information about setting this up can be found on the Bursar's website. 

Tuition Reimbursement is an arrangement with your employer that typically involves the student covering their costs either through student loans or out of pocket and then being reimbursed at the end of the semester once grades have been posted. Employers typically ask for a tuition breakdown per class. Because tuition is a flat-rate charge (no matter how many credits you take), you will not find per-class charges in your ESTHER account. Simply reach out to jgsbfina@rice.edu, and we can provide documentation for your employer. 

Loan funds and scholarships will be released to the University Bursar’s Office around August 21st for Fall and around January 8th for Spring.

If you chose to borrow an amount that is greater than your tuition bill (for living expenses, etc.), the overage will be refunded to you in approximately 3 business days following disbursement. 

You are encouraged to add your bank account information to ESTHER so that refunds can be processed via direct deposit. Otherwise a check will be mailed to you and may take at least 2 weeks to receive. 

1. Log-in to ESTHER
2. Select Student Services and Account Information link
3. Under Account Summary - Pay My Bill - Bill Payment Suite, select Payment Suite
4. Select Electronic Refunds located on the My Profile setup menu on the right side of the screen

Individuals with at least 90 days of aggregate service after September 10, 2001, or individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 continuous days on active duty, are eligible to participate in the Post 911 GI Bill. The percentage of eligibility ranges from 50% - 100%. You must also be on Active Duty or have received an honorable discharge to be eligible.

The Veterans Affairs Post-911 GI Bill will assist you in determining your percentage of eligibility.

• The 100% eligibility cap for Private Schools for the  2024-2025 academic year is $28,937.09 and for the 25-26 academic year is $29,920.95.
• Pays up to 36 months of education benefits.
• Annual book stipend up to $1,000.
• Pays MHA/BAH at the E5 with dependents rate - input Rice University's zip code (77005) when utilizing the BAH Calculator.
• Please reference the US Department of Veterans Affairs: Post 911 GI Bill for further information.

The Yellow Ribbon Program allows institutions to enter into a voluntary agreement with the VA to fund tuition and fee expenses that exceed the tuition and fee amounts payable under the Post 911 GI Bill cap. If you are Yellow Ribbon eligible, Rice Business will cover 50% of the remaining cost (after you have met your GI Bill cap) with a Yellow Ribbon scholarship, which will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the VA for a full 100%. 

In other words, students attending Rice Business who are Yellow Ribbon eligible will have the full cost of their program (tuition and requied fees) covered through a combination of their GI Bill benefits and the Yellow Ribbon scholarship program. 
 
To be eligible for the VA's Yellow Ribbon Program:

• You must be eligible at 100% for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
• Please reference the US Department of Veterans Affairs: Yellow Ribbon website for further information.

Rice Business does not limit the number of veteran students who may be awarded Yellow Ribbon or the total dollar amount of the Yellow Ribbon scholarship. There are no additional steps required to apply. 

In order to certify your benefits, the following documentation must be submitted through the Rice Box (our secure online portal).

1. Rice University Veterans Affairs Information Form: Authorization to Certify Benefits
   • Please email the Rice University VA Certifying Official to request this form: Bethany Denton (bd36@rice.edu)
2. Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD-214):
   • If you have been discharged from active service, please submit a copy of your MEMBER-4 or SERVICE-2 form. The document must indicate Character of Service: Honorable.
3. Certificate of Eligibility (COE): You may request your Certificate through the VA.gov site – the Post 9/11 GI Bill section will walk you through the application steps. Please be sure to indicate “Rice University” as the school for which you are applying.
4. Military Transcript(s): This is a listing of all military training received while in the Service. Please utilize the applicable link below to request your transcript:
   • Joint Services Transcript: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy
     • Please designate your transcript be sent electronically to "Rice University (William Marsh)."
   • Air University/Community College of the Air Force: Air Force
     • Please have your transcript mailed to you directly. Once received, please submit it for your University VA file.

Veteran students at Rice Business have their own dedicated VA School Certifying Official. Instead of reaching out to the Rice University Registrar's Office for assistance, you can speak directly to Bethany Denton, Director of Student Financial Services, with all your military funding and financial services questions. Bethany can be reached at bethany.denton@rice.edu.

As an International Student, you are required to demonstrate sufficient funding to cover the Cost of Attendance in order to obtain your student visa. We encourage you to review the information on the Office of International Students and Scholars site and reference the International Financial Declaration Form for MBA Students.

For those planning to wire funding from abroad, Rice University has partnered with Flywire to facilitate this process for as low a cost to you as possible. Please reference the University Bursar's Office for additional information.

The primary sources of funding for International Applicants are personal resources, a lending institution in the home country, or a private loan through a domestic bank with a US Citizen or US Permanent Resident cosigner. US law mandates that you demonstrate adequate funding to obtain your visa for enrollment. Further information is available through the Office of International Students and Scholars.

The following loan opportunities may not require a US citizen or permanent resident co-signer.

Banco de México-FIDERH is a federal trust managed by the Central Banco de México that offers affordable low-interest loans to Mexican students for graduate studies either in Mexico or abroad. The Jones Graduate School of Business (JGSB) participates in a collaboration agreement with FIDERH. If (1) a Full Time MBA applicant is awarded an admissions scholarship and (2) is approved for funding by FIDERH, the JGSB guarantees that the total admissions scholarship award will be a minimum of 25% of tuition*.
*Funding awarded as an admissions merit scholarship will be considered toward meeting the institution’s portion of the joint agreement.

CONACYT is a member of Mexico’s department of education and offers scholarship and stipend opportunities to Mexican nationals seeking to study abroad.

FUNED is a non-profit private organization which offers Mexican nationals low-interest loan funding. The Jones Graduate School of Business (JGSB) participates in a collaboration agreement with FUNED. If (1) a Full Time MBA applicant is awarded an admissions scholarship and (2) is approved for funding by FUNED, the JGSB guarantees that the total admissions scholarship award will be a minimum of 25% of tuition*.
*Funding awarded as an admissions merit scholarship will be considered toward meeting the institution’s portion of the joint agreement.

Global Student Loan Corporation is a third-party loan facilitator that assists in providing educational loans without a US citizen or permanent resident co-signer to citizens of India. The interest rate is approximately 13.0% based on HSBC’s Retail Lending Rate which is occasionally reset. There will be a one-time administration fee of 2.75% paid by the borrower. There will also be a site-use fee of approximately $75. Borrowers may have up to 15 years to repay.

The Leo S. Rowe Pan American Fund grants interest-free educational loans to outstanding students, from Latin American and Caribbean OAS member countries, to help them finance their higher education studies in the United States. These loans are granted with the understanding that loan recipients commit to repaying the loan in full within a term of, at most, fifty-three months after completion of the studies or research program for which the loan is granted and to returning to their home countries within a year after completion of their studies in the US.

Prodigy Finance is a third-party lender specializing in loans for international, post-graduate students at competitive interest rates without requiring collateral or co-signers. At this time, Prodigy Finance will only provide loans to students in our Full-Time MBA program.

Most private lending institutions in the U.S. require international students to have a U.S. citizen or permanent resident cosigner (green card holder). 

There are two lenders who do not require co-signers: Prodigy Finance and MPOWER Financing. Please note that Prodigy Finance will only lend to students in our Full-Time program. 

If you will be using private student loans or applying to third-party scholarship organizations, please thoroughly research the organization and choose the funding option that is right for you. Additional information about private student loans can be found here. Select "International" from the drop down menu and click on "View Loans". 

• American-Mideast Educational & Training Services Inc.

• Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

• Ayn Rand Essay Scholarship

• College Board

• College Scholarships

• COMEXUS

• EduPass

• Fastweb.com

• FinAid.org

• Government Finance Officers Association

• Graduate School Scholarship Search

• International Education Financial Aid

• International Scholarships

• International Student Organization

• Latin America Network Information Center (LANIC)

• Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities (LASPAU)

• Mensa Education & Research Foundation

• Mobility International USA (MIUSA)

• Organization of American States

• Organization of American States Scholarship

• Rotary International

• U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs

Disclaimer: The above list of funding organizations is provided as a courtesy to assist you in your funding research; we do not promote the use of any particular entity.