FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We seek candidates from a wide range of personal, professional, and academic backgrounds, regardless of age, so our students can benefit from sharing their diverse perspectives and real-world knowledge.

No. A business degree is not an application requirement for the GBA program.

At The Fletcher School, we seek ambitious, forward-thinking professionals who strive to tackle complex problems, advance their careers, and effect change in the world.

The Global Business Administration (GBA) program pairs the management skills of an MBA education with in-depth layers of international context, equipping you with the business and leadership capabilities to excel in global industries.

Yes. The GBA program includes two required in-person immersions: one on Tufts University’s campus in Medford, MA (near Boston) and the other in an international location selected for each cohort.

The on-campus and international immersions take place in the third and fourth terms respectively. For final course schedules, please consult with an enrollment advisor.

The capstone is kicked off at the beginning of the term with the on-campus immersion. You will work in groups directly with a capstone adviser and delve into real-world challenges with functioning organizations. You’ll have the opportunity to apply the classroom skills you learned in the lab with your client.

The GBA curriculum is designed around four primary disciplines: business foundations, global context, international law, and analytical tools. You will take electives in each discipline, ensuring that your GBA curriculum provides you with both foundational and specialized knowledge. You will also select three additional electives within any of these disciplines.

No. Students enrolled in the online GBA must complete all their courses online.

Yes. Online students are welcome to join any on-campus event.

Fletcher offers career support through our private and proprietary site, Fletcher Career Central (FCC), to help you manage job searches, build your network, and hone your job search skills. You’ll also connect with our accomplished alumni community and gain access to networking events, panel speakers, career guidance, and site visits.

Our Global Business Administration program prepares you with the international business expertise necessary to take you to the next level of your career. You’ll become equipped to become a strategic leader in various industries, including multinational corporations, nonprofits, consulting, finance, public sector and military, and international relations careers across sectors.

The GBA program opens doors to a wide range of career paths and roles such as policy analyst, infrastructure engineer, communication and liaison officer, intelligence analyst, and portfolio manager. Explore more career paths available to GBA graduates.

For the 2023–2024 academic year, the cost per credit is $2,402. The total cost of the program is approximately $86,472 at the current tuition rate.

In addition to tuition costs, immersion fees are approximately $500 for the on-campus immersion and up to $1,500 for the international immersion, which includes programming and some meals. You are responsible for covering transportation to and from immersion locations, in addition to lodging, meals, and local transportation while in attendance. You are also responsible for the costs of your textbooks and other course materials.

A $500 deposit is required to confirm your enrollment at Tufts; this payment is non-refundable and will be applied to your first semester charges. Federal financial aid cannot be used to pay the deposit.

To apply for federal student aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and use the Tufts school code (002219) to ensure that we receive your application. You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen to receive federal financial aid.

There are no additional forms required. However, if you wish to accept the loan(s) that were offered to you, you will need to complete Entrance Counseling and the Loan Agreement Master Promissory Note (MPN) for both the Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan.

You should complete the FAFSA while applying for admission. The FAFSA is available every October for the upcoming academic year. You must complete the FAFSA each academic year to be eligible for federal student aid. Please do not submit federal or state income tax returns to Tufts; they are not required and will be shredded upon receipt.

To complete the FAFSA, you will need the following:

• Social Security Number or Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
• Federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned in the previous year
• Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
• Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
• A FSA ID to sign electronically

Note: since you are applying for graduate school, you are considered an independent student and do not need your parents’ information to complete the FAFSA.

To apply for federal student aid, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Have a valid SSN or Alien Registration Number
• Be registered with Selective Service, if you are male and between the ages of 18 and 25
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at least half-time (4.5 credits per term) in an eligible degree program
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress
• Not currently be in default on previous student loans borrowed through FSA
• Not have exceeded the maximum aggregate loan limit

Note: the Federal Unsubsidized Loan is not based on income or financial need.

Yes, to receive a financial aid award, you must be accepted into the program and have completed a Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) with the Tufts school code (002219). All financial aid award notices are sent electronically to your e-mail address on file at Tufts.

You should receive your financial aid award approximately two weeks after you are accepted into the program and have completed your FAFSA. Financial aid awards are e-mailed to your preferred e-mail address on file at Tufts.

Yes, if you are interested in receiving federal financial aid, you will need to complete the FAFSA for each academic year in which you plan to apply for federal student aid.

Graduate students are not eligible for the Federal Pell Grant or the Direct Subsidized Loan.

There are no additional forms required to be considered for scholarship assistance.

The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan is a federal loan offered to students to help with the cost of education. The Federal Unsubsidized Loan is not based on income or financial need. Most graduate-level students are eligible to borrow up to $20,500 per academic year in the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Learn more about Direct Unsubsidized Loans. 

No, you can choose to either decline or reduce your Stafford Loan. Please e-mail your request to studentservices@tufts.edu.

Visit the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and contact your lender for details on how to clear the default. Students in default are not eligible for additional federal loans until the default is cleared.

The aggregate loan limit is the total amount that you may borrow for undergraduate and graduate study. In addition to borrowing limitations based on the cost of attendance for the program, students are also limited in terms of lifetime borrowing. The aggregate loan limit for all federal loans, including undergraduate and graduate study, is $138,500. You may visit the National Student Loan Data System website to view your federal student loan borrowing history. Please note that private education loans are not listed on this site, nor are they included in the calculation.

Your loans will appear as a pending credit on your student account until the funds are disbursed to your account. We will begin disbursing your federal loans after the add/drop period (third week of the semester). To request loan funds, you must have completed your Entrance Counseling and the Loan Agreement Master Promissory Note (MPN).

The Direct Graduate PLUS loan is a federal loan that graduate students can use to help pay education expenses in addition to the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Once you have completed the FAFSA, you can apply for the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan by completing the credit application on the federal student aid website. We recommend you apply for the Graduate PLUS Loan when you receive your eBill, about a month before the bill’s due date. Learn more about eligibility, loan fees, interest rate, and the application process for Direct PLUS Loans.

No. Only Direct Subsidized/Direct Unsubsidized Loans (formerly referred to as Stafford loans) and Federal loans made through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program count towards your aggregate loan limit.

Private education loans, also known as alternative loans, are offered by private lenders to help students bridge the gap between the cost of education and the amount the government allows you to borrow in federal loans.

Yes, Tufts has a formal process to review the loan offerings of most of the major lenders. We look at interest rates, borrower benefits, and customer service when recommending private loan lenders to our students. To see the lenders on our preferred list, please visit ELMOne.

Lenders offer private loan programs with different rates, fees, repayment terms, and approval requirements. We suggest that you carefully review each program to compare the terms and conditions before deciding which loan may be appropriate for your needs. Additionally, you are under no obligation to borrow from one of these lenders. If you would like to borrow from a lender who is not on this list, you can simply select the lender of your choice and apply directly with that lender. The lender will be responsible for getting your loan information to us.

Tufts does not apply employer tuition benefits as a pending credit on your account because the receipt is not controlled by the University. Please provide Student Services with the following:

• An award letter
• Official notice as to how and when the funds will be received

If “third-party billing” is required by the sponsoring organization, please also provide instructions on how to bill.

If you require a bill to be sent to a third party or outside agency (such as government agencies) for payment to your student account, please submit written documentation from the funding source to thirdpartybilling@tufts.edu or the Dowling Hall address below:

Student Financial Services
Attention: Third-Party Billing
Dowling Hall
419 Boston Ave.
Medford, MA 02155

Unfortunately, employee benefits, which are paid directly to the student from employers or organizations outside of Tufts University, cannot be considered as grounds for deferred payment.

To begin the process of applying for eligible military education benefits, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website. For more information specific to Fletcher on military benefits, please refer to our Veterans Benefits information.

Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018: In compliance with S2248 PL 115-407 Section 103, veterans and eligible dependents who have notified Tufts that they are using VA educational benefits such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill will not be imposed a late fee, be denied access to facilities, or receive another penalty due to a late payment of tuition and/or fees from the VA directly to Tufts. This applies if payments have not been received within 90 days of the beginning of the term and applies only to the amount of the expected VA payment.

Visit the VA website to complete the Education Benefits Application, which generates a request for the Certificate of Eligibility (COE). Once approved for benefits, the VA will mail the COE to you within 6–8 weeks of applying.

A person who is active duty is in the military full time and is not currently eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP). Non-active duty is someone who is not currently serving or no longer serving in any capacity of military service of the United States and is eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program if their Certificate of Eligibility indicates they are eligible for 100 percent of the benefit.

You are potentially eligible for this VA-administered program if you have at least 90 days of aggregate active duty service after September 10, 2001, and are still on active duty, or if you are an honorably discharged Veteran or were discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. Learn more about the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The tuition and fee payment rate and the MHA are determined at the beginning of each military academic year on August 1. The current rate table is located on the Education and Training page of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs site.

The Yellow Ribbon program allows degree-granting private colleges and universities in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with the VA to fund tuition expenses that exceed the annual maximum cap for the resident tuition and fees at public institutions. Veterans who are utilizing Post-9/11 GI Benefits and who are entitled to 100 percent of their benefit may be eligible. To participate in the Yellow Ribbon program, you must be using Post-9/11 GI benefits at 100 percent eligibility, not on active duty, and not a military spouse. Learn more about the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Yes, Tufts will award up to $5,000 in Yellow Ribbon benefits per year, which will be matched by the VA.

After receiving the certifying information, the VA will transfer the educational benefit directly to your Tufts account. It will be listed as “VA BENEFIT” on your account. If you are eligible to receive the Yellow Ribbon award, it will be listed as a “Fletcher Scholarship.”

Please contact your enrollment advisor to be put in touch with Fletcher’s VA School Certifying Official.

You will receive an e-mail notice whenever a Tufts eBill is posted. The summer eBill statement is released in early April with an early May due date, the fall eBill statement is released in early July with an early May due date, and the spring eBill statement is released in early November with an early December due date.

To view your bill, please follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your SIS account.
2. Click on the “Bills & Balances” tab.
3. Select “My eBill” or “Make Payment.”

Note: your eBill is a snapshot at a point in time. You can see live account information through your SIS portal.

In addition to federal and private loans, you can pay your bill through the following methods:

• Electronic payment (from a savings or checking account) through your eBill (preferred method)
• A check mailed to Tufts University, Office of the Bursar, P.O. Box 3475, Boston, MA 02241-3475. Scholarship and third-party checks should be mailed to Tufts University, Dowling Hall, Student Financial Services, 419 Boston Ave, Medford, MA 02155.
• A monthly payment plan offered by Cashnet. There are four monthly payments per semester (fall: July 15–October 15, spring: November 15–February 15, summer: March 15–June 15)
• Wire transfers through Flywire
• Federal student loans (see section on Types of Financial Aid)
• Private education loans (see section on Private Education Loans)

Note: Tufts does not accept credit card payments.

As an alternative to or in addition to borrowing funds, you may choose to participate in the monthly payment plan administered by Cashnet. Under this plan, you may disperse all or a portion of your semester tuition over four monthly installments. Fall semester payments are made from July 15–October 15 (the deadline to enroll is 8/15). Spring semester payments are made from November 15–February 15 (the deadline to enroll is 12/15). Summer semester payments are made from March 15–June 15 (the deadline to enroll is 4/15). The monthly payment plan has a small enrollment fee, but no interest charges. To enroll, go to Cashnet.

To remain in good standing with Tufts, you must pay your balance by the bill due date. Payments not made by the due date will be subject to account holds (which may prevent you from adjusting your course registration and/or using the university’s services) and monthly late fees.

Yes, you can borrow additional funds in excess of your charges at Tufts to cover books and/or other living expenses. If you have financial aid in excess of your charges, you can request a refund through your SIS account. We encourage you to sign up for BankMobile (through SIS), a company Tufts has partnered with that will transfer your refund into your bank account of choice. If you do not enroll for BankMobile, a check will be mailed to you (may take up to 21 days to be processed).

Refunds will not be available until after the add/drop period, so you may need to plan in advance for any out-of-pocket expenses such as books, living expenses, and/or immersion fees.

You can request a refund by:

1. Logging into your SIS account.
2. Clicking on the “Bills & Balances” tab.
3. Choosing whether or not to give Title IV Authorization (recommended).
4. Selecting “Request a Refund.”

Federal regulations require that we refund you all federal aid in excess of allowable charges (tuition and mandatory fees). By completing the Title IV Authorization, we can apply your federal aid to all of your charges, such as medical insurance, parking fines, and other miscellaneous charges. It will help prevent outstanding balances from remaining on your account after a refund is processed. We recommend students complete the Title IV Authorization by the bill due date of their first semester of enrollment; the authorization does not need to be completed every semester.

You can defer payment on your federal student loans if you are enrolled at least half time. Your Unsubsidized Loan will go into repayment six months after you graduate or if you fall below half-time status, take a leave of absence, or withdraw from the program. Most private loans also have deferred payment options while you are in school; however, you will want to check with your loan servicer.

You should be aware that although you can defer payments while you are in school, interest will still accrue on your loan(s). Learn more about repayment timelines.

In certain circumstances, all or a portion of a borrower’s federal student loans may be forgiven under the federal government’s loan forgiveness programs. Please review the Department of Education website for more information on federal loan forgiveness programs.

Tufts University and The Fletcher School are pleased to offer the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) to Tufts alumni. Each year the LRAP Program offers financial awards to Tufts graduates who have educational loans through Tufts and are employed full time by a public sector or nonprofit organization. The purpose of the LRAP Program is to encourage and enable Tufts graduates to pursue careers in public service by reducing the extent to which their educational debt is a barrier to working in comparatively low-salaried jobs in the nonprofit and public sectors. LRAP should not be confused with loan forgiveness, as award amounts are made to assist in the repayment of a portion of the award recipient’s annual loan payments.

For details on tax benefits for education, see IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Higher Education, which provides detailed information. Tufts University is unable to provide tax advice. We urge you to contact your tax advisor or the IRS at 800-829-1040 or on the IRS website if you have any questions regarding the HOPE or Lifetime Learning Tax Credits.

It is an informational form filed with the Internal Revenue Service to report the amounts billed to you for qualified tuition, related expenses, and other related information. The primary purpose of the IRS Form 1098‐T is to inform you that we have provided this required information to the IRS.

Form 1098-T reports amounts paid for qualified tuition, scholarships, and grants processed in a given year to students enrolled in courses at Tufts for which they receive academic credit. The information reported on the 1098-T form helps students evaluate whether they are eligible for an educational tax credit.