Cost of Attendance

Federal regulations specify the components of your cost of attendance, and we use a standard budget to determine your financial aid eligibility. However, if you have special circumstances we may be able to add additional items to your cost of attendance. While budget adjustments can increase your loan eligibility, they do not typically increase your fellowship award.

Medical Expenses or Child Care Costs

If you can submit documentation of required medical expenses not covered by insurance and/or child care costs, we may be able to adjust your budget. The most common budget allowances are for unusual medical expenses and for child care costs when both the student and spouse are working or attending school full time.

Global Experience Requirement Expenses

Stanford MBA students complete their global experience requirement before winter quarter of their second academic year. Global Study Trips and the Stanford Tsinghua Exchange Program can be allowable budget adjustments. We add the required costs for these programs to your budget so you can receive fellowships (if eligible) and loans to help cover these expenses. Other programs that satisfy the GER requirements, such as the Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX) and self-directed global experiences, cannot be added to your budget.

Laptops

We assume that most students already have laptops and will not need to purchase new ones. However, if you do need to purchase a laptop, we will consider a reasonable purchase price for financial aid purposes. Once you have been admitted, you will be provided with more detailed information on how this expense can be incorporated into your cost of attendance.

Travel to and from Home

Your flight costs to and from home can be considered as part of your cost of attendance. Stanford GSB allows two round-trip tickets to be added to the cost of attendance each academic year.

We cannot factor in the following costs when determining your financial aid package.

Consumer Debt

Federal regulations specifically state that we cannot include consumer debt (examples include credit cards, consumer loans, and car loans) in your budget. We are unable to increase your cost of attendance — or decrease the value of your assets — to demonstrate additional financial aid eligibility to assist you in making payments for such debt. 

Non-deferrable Education Loans

Though most U.S. government educational loans have deferment options for students enrolled at Stanford GSB, some educational loans may not have this option. We do not consider these loans as debt against your assets. 

Global Experience Requirement Expenses

Some programs that satisfy the global experience requirement are allowable budget adjustments. However, options such as the Global Management Immersion Experience or self-directed global experiences are non-allowable budget adjustments. Also, expenses incurred on additional global study trips that do not fulfill the GER are non-allowable budget adjustments. Some GMIX participants may receive Stanford GSB subsidies.

Club Fees and Other Expenses

Some expenses, like Stanford club fees, are not part of the required curriculum and are not included in the cost of attendance or considered for budget adjustments.