Navigating Financial Aid

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

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.

Once you receive your log-in credentials, 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.

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.

You can review next steps for each type of loan here:

• Federal Student Loans
• Private Student Loans

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 FAFSAs and private loan applications beginning June 1 for the 2026-2027 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, and will provide you with the next steps.

The loan application steps are provided to make this process simple. 

• Federal Loan Steps
• Private Loan Steps

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

• Fall: September 10, 2026
• Spring: February 10, 2027

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 beginning August 19th for Fall and beginning January 6th for Spring.

If you choose 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 your Payment Portal in ESTHER so that refunds can be processed via direct deposit. Otherwise, a check will be mailed to you and may take more than 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 have been 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  2025-2026 academic year is $29,920.95. New rates for the 2026-27 year should be posted May 2026, and will take effect August 1, 2026.
• 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 participates at the maximum percentage, 50%, to share the remaining cost (after you have met your annual 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, and with remaining months and days, will have the full cost of their program (tuition and required 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
   • VA Information Form
   • JGSB Degree Plan - (provided by VA Certifying Official)
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.