Financial Aid
A Stanford MBA degree is a significant investment in you and your future. To help you fund the full cost of your attendance, Stanford offers generous fellowships to those with demonstrated need. Our community is committed to providing you the opportunity to attend Stanford GSB regardless of your financial resources.
Stanford GSB can help you fund your MBA through a combination of student loans and fellowship awards. We provide fellowships and loans to U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents, as well as international students who have demonstrated need.
Fellowships are gifts from our community, and they do not have to be repaid. The average Stanford GSB fellowship is approximately $35,000 per year or $70,000 in total awards.
Need-Based Aid
Every student admitted to the Stanford GSB has demonstrated significant leadership potential, intellectual vitality, and personal qualities that will contribute to the MBA class. These admission decisions do not consider how you will finance your MBA degree and are made prior to you submitting a financial aid application.
Once you have been admitted, the Stanford GSB calculates an expected student contribution based on your particular financial situation. The gap between the cost of attendance and the expected student contribution is then covered by a combination of fellowships and loans. Stanford GSB fellowships will be awarded based solely on your demonstrated financial need. You may also apply for one of Stanford GSB’s full-tuition fellowships for students from specific backgrounds.
Your Financial Contribution
All students are expected to contribute a portion of their income and assets to funding their Stanford MBA. Students are encouraged to repay consumer debt prior to applying for financial aid at Stanford GSB.
We’re Here to Help
The Financial Aid Office staff is available to answer questions about the application process and policies at any time. However, due to the large number of applications for admission to the Stanford MBA Program, the Financial Aid Office reviews and awards financial aid to admitted students only.
Stanford MBA Program Admission is Need-Blind
We do not consider your personal resources for financing your education in our admission decisions.
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Student Spotlight
FrederickEvans, The R. Michael Shanahan Fellowship recipient
MBA
2016
“Stanford is the institution I’ve dreamed of attending for years, and thanks to your support, I have even more opportunities than I could have hoped for.”
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Last Updated 12 Jun 2019
Application Process
Once you are admitted to Stanford GSB, we will provide you with all the information and guidance you need to apply for financial aid. You will apply for aid each year you are enrolled, and we will be here to support you.
Required Application Materials
| Student | Materials to Submit |
| U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident | · FAFSA
· Institutional Application · Federal tax returns from two prior years, including all forms, schedules, W-2’s, and confirmation of tax filing status · Most current pay stub |
| International | · Institutional Application
· Most recent tax statements for the last two years from any and all countries with which you worked, including wage statements. · Most current pay stub |
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
All U.S. Citizens or Permanent Resident aid applicants must complete the FASFA. There is no processing fee and the FAFSA is required for all federal student aid eligibility. The FAFSA will ask you to report prior, prior year’s tax information.
Institutional Application
All admitted students, who wish to be considered for a Stanford GSB fellowship and loans, must complete the Institutional Application. You are expected to provide information for yourself and, if applicable, your spouse. There is no processing fee.
Copies of Your Country’s Tax Return
If you are a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident, you will provide signed copies of your most recent completed U.S. federal tax returns for the prior two years to the Financial Aid Office, including copies of all schedules and copies of your W-2 forms. If applicable, you will submit copies of your spouse’s information as well.
If you are an international student, provide copies of your most recent tax statements for the last two years from any and all countries in which you worked, including wage statements, to the Financial Aid Office.
More details about submitting your tax forms will be available once you are admitted to Stanford GSB.
Financial Need
Once you’ve completed the required forms, we determine your financial need and the amount and aid we can offer. The Stanford GSB Financial Aid Office defines “need” as:
| Cost of attendance in the Stanford MBA Program | |
| – | Assets and income |
| – | Contributions from parents, friends, and/or employers |
| – | External fellowships and scholarships |
| = | Financial aid need |
Additional Financial Aid Documents
You may be notified by our office to submit additional forms in order to complete the financial aid application process.
Advice About Consumer Debt and Educational Loans
It is advisable to repay certain types of debt prior to enrolling at Stanford GSB.
Consumer Debt
We strongly suggest that you do your best to repay consumer debt before attending Stanford. Federal Law specifically states that we cannot include consumer debts (i.e., credit cards, consumer loans, car loans) in the student budget. Therefore, we are unable to increase your cost of attendance to demonstrate additional financial aid eligibility to assist you in making payments for such debt. Moreover, we will not be able to decrease the value of your assets by the amount of consumer debt.
Educational Loans
While most U.S. government educational loans have deferment options for students enrolled at least half-time in an educational program, some educational loans may not. We cannot take these loans into consideration while determining your fellowship eligibility. Therefore, before entering the program, we encourage you to try to repay prior educational loans that cannot be deferred.
Learn More Aboutthe Types of Aid Available to You
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Student Spotlight
JoaoToste, The Mayree C. Clark MBA Fellowship recipient
MBA
2016
“Stanford is teaching me the skills that I need to improve as a leader. My goal is to have a career of impact through service and education. Thank you for your very generous support.”
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Last Updated 6 Jun 2019
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/financial-aid/application-process
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