SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

Financial Aid

Applicants to the Executive MPA program who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who will be enrolled for a minimum of 6 points per term are typically eligible for federal Stafford student loans of up to $18,500 per year. All interested applicants must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The School's Title IV code is E00128.

Following admission, all students who submitted a FAFSA form will be advised by the school of their eligibility for federal aid via an award letter. Included with this letter are the forms and materials needed to apply for Stafford loans.

Additional educational financing support to meet the full cost of attendance is available through an assortment of private lenders. Following admission, all students will be mailed a packet of information entitled "The Columbia Comprehensive Educational Financing Plan." This guide outlines the financing options recommended by Columbia University.

Students in the Executive MPA program enrolled in at least two classes (6 credits) of coursework are eligible to have prior federal student loans deferred during their term of study. Please contact your lender for a Certification of Enrollment form and bring it to the Office of the Registrar, 209 Kent Hall, for certification.

For more information on financial aid, please see www.sipa.columbia.edu/finaid.

Work for the City of New York?

Consider a fellowship for Columbia’s Executive Master of Public Administration program at the School of International and Public Affairs.

Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) has announced a new program to provide employees of New York City with expanded opportunities for executive education.

SIPA will provide fellowship support to a small number of the most competitive and promising applicants from among the City’s vast pool of talent, beginning with the class that enters in the fall of 2009. Fellowships will range from partial to full support, depending on the number of applicants admitted to the fellowship program.

The City of New York employs more than 300,000 people across dozens of sectors – education, law enforcement, urban planning, transportation, environmental policy, public health, social services, and many more. In today’s rapidly changing world, professionals in these public-sector fields must be lifelong learners, acquiring skills and broadening their horizons throughout their careers.

The Executive Master of Public Policy and Administration program at SIPA’s Picker Center for Executive Education provides these skills. The program is tailored for the experienced professional who is looking for a top-quality, practical graduate program, but who does not have the time to pursue full-time study.

The EMPA trains professionals to be competent and sophisticated public managers by incorporating into the curriculum broad questions of public affairs along with specific analytic, managerial, and communication skills of management and policy analysis. Its rigorous curriculum and hands-on approach to policy and management problem solving will be of great use to New York City government employees, especially those who work closely with nonprofit groups or the private sector.

Participants in the program will be joining the world’s most global public policy community, affiliated with a school that is over 60 years old, enrolls 1,100 students from more than 95 countries each year, and supports an alumni network with more than 15,000 public policy professionals.

"There is no separate application for the fellowship program. Apply via the regular admissions process and clearly indicate that you are an employee of the City of New York."