Tuition and Funding

The University of Texas at Austin is annually recognized as one of the best values in higher education by national publications that evaluate academic quality and cost. Learn more about graduate tuition costs, payment options and more.

Applying for a Dual Degree? Please note, tuition rates for dual degrees vary greatly. Be sure to review tuition costs for Dual Programs here.

There are many opportunities to find employment as a graduate student on campus. Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), Teaching Assistant (TA) and Assistant Instructor (AI) positions are available at the LBJ School and across campus. 

You can also explore campus employment opportunities:

• Student Employment
• Hire a Longhorn
• UT Job Search

LBJ School Master’s and PhD applicants are automatically considered for merit-based and needs-based fellowships during the admissions review process as long as funding remains available. To be considered, please fill out the application for admission and answer in detail, all the questions related to financial need. No additional application is required. If you receive an admissions fellowship, you will be notified with your admissions offer.

There are three (3) types of admissions fellowship awarded to graduate-level students at the LBJ School:

1. stipends paid directly to the student;
2. Resident tuition awards paid directly to The University of Texas at Austin on behalf of the student awarded
3. Non-resident tuition awards or waivers paid directly to The University of Texas at Austin on behalf of the student awarded that decrease the out-of-state portion of the tuition billed.​

Students should not rely upon stipend fellowships to pay their entire tuition since they pay out AFTER tuition is due. Stipends are paid after the 12^th class day of each semester after the eligibility check has been completed. The eligibility check consists of verifying the student's GPA minimum is 3.0 or above (after their first semester) and the student is properly enrolled in courses that credit toward their LBJ School degree. 

Tuition fellowships will be applied to each semester’s tuition bill before 1^st tuition payment deadline. If you need assistance to pay your tuition prior to receiving your award, please contact the Financial Aid Office. Among other types of financial aid, "the University offers two types of short-term loans — Emergency Cash loans and Tuition loans — to help students meet immediate needs." More information about these two short-term loans can be found at Financial Aid Cash & Tuition Loans. Graduate students who need help paying for school should consider taking out a federal “direct/unsubsidized loan”- learn more here.

Once a student has accepted a fellowship, it will be paid according to the fellowship agreement and general regulations. No additional action is required by the student to activate the fellowship payments.

Every LBJ School student receiving an admissions fellowship from the LBJ School or The University of Texas at Austin is required to report all offers of university employment while enrolled at the LBJ School, even if the employment is to be performed for another college unit or department outside of the LBJ School. Please notify [email protected] to be approved to work prior to accepting employment.

Additional information on fellowship funding is available through the UT Graduate School.

Cost of Attendance:

UT Financial Aid and other resources, such as LBJ fellowships, may provide financial aid up to your total “Cost of Attendance,” but in accordance with Federal rules, cannot provide financial aid exceeding that amount. Because of this, please be advised that a student’s total financial aid package exceeds their calculated total “Cost of Attendance”, the amount the student will receive WILL be adjusted (meaning if the total award package a student receives exceeds their calculated Cost of Attendance, your award package will be decreased, and you will not receive the total amount listed in your award package).  Questions about Cost of Attendance and all other Federal Financial Aid issues should be directed to the University of Texas Financial Aid Office. The LBJ School cannot help students with specific questions about their Financial Aid. Learn more about the cost of attendance.

Non-Texas Residents and Campus Employment (Required Steps) 
Any Non-Texas resident receiving a tuition fellowship that reduces the out-of-state portion of the tuition billed, who accepts employment as a Teaching Assistant or Graduate Research Assistant/Graduate Assistant, or any combination of these positions, for a total of 20 hours per work or more, must activate the online tuition waiver. If the tuition fellowship that reduces the out-of-state portion of the tuition billed for the admissions fellowship has already been applied to the student's tuition bill, it is incumbent upon the student to notify [email protected] to remove the tuition fellowship, in order for the employment tuition waiver to be activated by the student. 

Ph.D. Fellowships
The LBJ School typically guarantees five years of funding for doctoral students admitted to the program. This normally comes in the form of a combination of subsidized tuition, fellowship support, and employment as a Teaching Assistant or Graduate Research Assistant.

In addition to the school's own fellowship packages, students may be nominated to compete for prestigious University Awards (Harrington Fellowships, Named Continuing Fellowships, Preemptive Recruitment Fellowships and some others), as well as for external fellowship and research funding from the Social Science Research Council, the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation and other organizations.

Graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin may apply for federal, state and institutional financial aid programs administered by the Office of Financial Aid by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

For those considering part-time enrollment (as part of the MPAff or PhD program): Students may receive financial aid for less than full-time enrollment, but the amount of aid awarded may be adjusted based on the student's final enrollment status.

The LBJ School does not administer financial aid, does not have access to financial aid information, and cannot assist with financial aid questions. It is important to directly contact Financial Aid if you have any questions related to how your fellowship will impact your financial aid amounts and timing of financial aid payments. Please direct all questions regarding fellowships (admissions and current student fellowships) to [email protected]. 

International students can visit the Texas Global for additional information on financial aid resources.

In addition to admissions fellowships the LBJ School offers various current student fellowships for students enrolled in the program. Visit our Fellowships for Student Internships and Policy Apprenticeships page and Fellowships for Current Students page to see current opportunities. 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Learn how working in the public or nonprofit sectors could lead to loan forgiveness.

Veteran Education Benefits
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