Financial Aid Information

Financial Aid Information

You are setting out on what is likely to be one of your greatest investments of time, energy, and financial resources. It is important to come up with a detailed budget of your expenses for the upcoming year and begin reviewing the potential funding resources that are available (scholarships, savings, assets, student loans, etc.). 

MAcc Estimated Cost of Attendance
  • WhatWhen
    1. Login to ESTHER & Rice EmailLog-in information is provided 2-3 weeks after the deposit has been paid.
    2. Complete 2025-26 FAFSA (if applicable)Before July 31 (preferably)
    3. Review Cost and Funding Calculator & Funding ResourcesYou should know how you plan to fund your first year in school by July. Don't wait until the last minute.
    4. Contact Student Financial ServicesAny time. We're here to help!
    5. Loan Awarding BeginsWe begin processing on June 1
    6. Payment DeadlinesFall Semester: September 10, 2025
    Spring Semester: February 10, 2026
    7. Disbursement of FundsFall Semester: August 20, 2025
    Spring Semester: January 7, 2026

  • Approximately 2-3 weeks after you pay your enrollment deposit, you will receive access information for your ESTHER account. From there, you can view your semester bill (charges will be posted by August), make payments, set up semester payment plans, and view financial aid information. 

    The Jones School of Business' Student Financial Services Office will communicate with you using your Rice University email address, so you must 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. 

  • 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.

    It is recommended that your FAFSA be submitted before July 31st 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, September 10th.

  • A Cost and Funding Calculator is available to assist you in planning for your upcoming year and will provide you with a cost breakdown of each semester. 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 (The COA reflects the maximum amount of funding a student may receive in a given year)
    3. Loan Comparison Sheet
    4. MAcc Funding Calculator

  • There are 2 types of funding resources potentially available: Federal Student Loans and Private Student Loans.

    Federal Student Loan recipients are eligible for $20,500 per academic year (fall and spring) in the Federal Unsubsidized Loan upon completing the FAFSA. A Federal Graduate PLUS Loan and/or private student loans are potentially also available to assist students in covering the cost of the program (tuition, fees, living expenses, etc.).

    Our Federal Student Loan page provides additional information and outlines the steps needed to apply. 

    Private Student Loans are an additional funding option to be used in combination with, or as an alternative to Federal Student Loans. Approval and loan terms are based on the applicant's credit worthiness as determined by the lender.

    Our Private Student Loan page provides additional information and outlines the steps needed to apply. 

  • We begin processing FAFSA applications around June 1, for the 2025-2026 academic year. As of that date, we strive to process Financial Aid Award Packages within two weeks of submitting your enrollment deposit and completing the FAFSA application.

    When determining the amount of funding to apply for, it is important to remember that all loan funding is automatically processed for the academic year and our system will disburse the funds half in Fall and half in Spring. Please also note the following: 

    • Each loan type (Federal and Private) has its own unique processing steps and procedures. You will find additional guidance in the Student Loan Instruction section on the Funding Resource page. 

  • The University Bursar’s Office begins billing in early July for Fall and early December for Spring. The Payment Arrangement Deadlines are:

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

    It is by these dates that the Bursar's Office has to know how you'll be covering your balance each semester (this does not mean payments are due on these dates). For example, if you are financing through student loans, then all steps must be completed BEFORE the above dates for your funding to show as expected aid on your ESTHER account. Students are encouraged to have all steps completed by August 1 to allow our office sufficient processing time to meet the above deadline. 

    The University Bursar’s Office offers a Semester Payment Plan that allows you to pay a semester balance in 4 equal 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.

    The Payment Due Dates are listed below:

    • Fall: September 10, 2025 (If you enroll in the optional Semester Payment Plan, your payments are split over 4 payments: September 10, October 10, November 10, and December 10)
    • Spring: February 10, 2026 (If you enroll in the optional Semester Payment Plan, your payments are split over 4 payments; February 10, March 10, April 10, and May 10)

  • Loan funds and scholarships will be disbursed to the University Bursar’s Office around August 20th for Fall and around January 7th for Spring.

    If you choose to borrow an amount that is greater than your tuition bill (for living expenses, etc.), the credit will be refunded to you once we've received the funds from the lender.  

    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 up to 2 weeks to receive. 

    1. Log-in to ESTHER
    2. Select the 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

Special Resources for International Students

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.

In the interest of assisting you with the funding process, our office has compiled a list of educational and funding-related websites for your convenience. Please note that you are not limited to the lending institutions or organizations listed here and you must research, apply individually, and work directly with the funding resource.

Have a Question?

Bethany Denton

Director of Student Financial Services
Email

Brenda Vazquez

Assistant Director, Student Financial Services
Email