The Graduate Education tuition rate for MS level courses for the 2008-09 academic year is $357 per credit or $1071 for a three-credit course. Even though Wilkes University is not a state institution, we charge the state tuition rate for Graduate Education courses. Tuition increases are typically announced in July for the upcoming fall semester. Tuition and fees are subject to change without notice.

In addition some courses carry a fee. These fees are listed on the schedule that is sent to students each semester. All online courses will be charged a fee of $50 beginning Fall 2008. Fees are added to the student's tuition invoice.

Normal Wilkes procedures require tuition payment at the time of registration or by the start of the semester. However, all Graduate Education courses offer a personal tuition deferment. A personal deferment requires that tuition payment is due at the Wilkes Financial Management Office absolutely no later than thirty days after the end of a class. We recommend payment by August 1 for summer sessions, December 1 for fall courses, and May 1 for spring.

The personal tuition deferment does not mean that you can wait for the reimbursement check from your school district before paying Wilkes. If you don't have the reimbursement check by the due date (30 days after the end of the course) then you are responsible for payment to Wilkes. After the allowed 30 days, if you have an unpaid, past-due balance Wilkes will place a finance hold on your account which will not allow processing of a course registration for the next semester and delays mailing of grades/official transcripts. The Financial Management Office is also prohibited from signing graduation clearance forms until all outstanding tuition balance is paid in full.

Students who drop a class or withdraw after the course begins will be responsible for a portion of the tuition even if they did not attend or, in the case of online classes, log in to the class. Students are responsible for making sure they process a drop via the proper process to ensure the highest refund possible. Fall/Spring semester

Weekend courses are subject to a different refund schedule.

Financial aid is only available to graduate students in the form of student loans. Students interested in financial aid must meet the following criteria in order to apply:

• Must be accepted into a master’s degree program,
• Must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at least eight weeks prior to the first semester of the academic year aid is desired (FAFSA is only needed once per academic year),
• Must be registered for 6 credits per semester where classes are online or meet on the Wilkes campus.

More information pertaining to financial aid as well as graduate assistantships can be found on the Financial Aid site at http://www.wilkes.edu/pages/564.asp as well as in the Graduate Bulletin.