The Student Budget

Overview

As you make plans for your enrollment at Stanford, you should be aware of the estimated expenses that you will incur.  The Financial Aid Office provides a standard budget that you may find helpful in your planning process.  We use the standard budget to determine your eligibility for student loans.

For a typical graduate student in the School of Humanities & Sciences, enrolled at the full-time (11-18 units) tuition level, living on-campus with no dependents, here is the standard budget:

After your financial aid application has been processed, you will be able to view your individual budget in the Student Center section of AXESS.

Your Tuition Charge

The actual amount of your quarterly tuition charge depends on your school (Engineering students pay higher rates) and your number of units.  There is one set of tuition charges for students enrolling for 11 to 18 units; another set for those enrolling for eight to ten units; and yet another set for those with more than 18 or fewer than eight units.  You can find your particular tuition charge amount on the Registrar’s Office — Tuition and Fees Web site.

Estimated vs. Actual Expenses

The budget amounts for tuition and medical insurance exactly reflect the amounts that you will be charged on your University bill.  All other budget items are allowances meant to estimate the typical costs incurred by graduate students.  If your actual expenses are significantly higher than the allowances, you can submit documentation of your costs to the Financial Aid Office; we may be able to adjust your budget and increase your loan eligibility.

Families

If you have children or other legal dependents, we may be able to add allowances for dependent care and other costs to your budget.  You should list all of your family members and any expected child-care expenses on your 2008-2009 Graduate Loan and Federal Work-Study (FWS) Application (PDF).

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