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Financial Aid, Scholarships, and other Resources

Financial Aid

Extension School degree, certificate, or health careers candidates should visit the financial aid section of the appropriate liberal arts or professional studies program website for information about funding for which they may be eligible.

Community Scholarships

A limited number of scholarships are available for Cambridge Rindge and Latin students, Cambridge and Boston city employees, and Allston-Brighton residents.

Cambridge Rindge and Latin students. A limited number of tuition scholarships is awarded to eligible students who are in the Community-Based Learning Program at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Interested students should call (617) 998-8516.

Cambridge city employees. The Leonard J. Russell Scholarships cover tuition for one Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management (CSS) course for three City of Cambridge employees each term. Interested Cambridge employees should call (617) 495-4005.

Allston-Brighton residents. The Allston-Brighton Community Scholarships cover tuition for any course taken for noncredit, undergraduate, or graduate credit by residents of Allston and Brighton. Five scholars are chosen each term by the Allston Civic Association. Interested residents should contact Sarah Markell at the Brian J. Honan Library, (617) 787-6313.

The Allston-Brighton English Language Scholarships cover full tuition for one course in the Institute for English Language Programs (IEL). Fifteen residents of Allston-Brighton are selected each term. Applications may be obtained from Sarah Markell at the Brian J. Honan Library, (617) 787-6313.

Lowell Scholarships

Lowell Scholarships enable middle and high school teachers and students in US schools to take one Extension School course per term for undergraduate or graduate credit at reduced tuition rates. Teachers should submit a Lowell teachers scholarship form, with their registration form, 50 percent of the published tuition, and the $50 nonrefundable registration fee. Forms are available for download. (To download PDFs students must have Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on their computers.) The form is also available at 51 Brattle Street. The Lowell teachers scholarship form must be signed by their school's principal and include a contact number. Lowell Scholarships cannot be used for internships, practicums, independent studies, master's theses or projects. Interested teachers should call (617) 495-4024.

Students who would like to should submit a Lowell students scholarship form. Forms may be downloaded. (To download PDFs students must have Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on their computers.) The form is also available at 51 Brattle Street. For more information, interested students should talk with their school coordiantor. If a school has no coordinator, they should call Rita Pandey, (617) 998-8516.

The number of scholarships is limited, so teachers and students should apply early in the registration period. Applicants cannot register online.

Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship

The Extension School awards a limited number of Phi Theta Kappa Scholarships (PTK) to community college graduates who wish to join the ALB Program. PTK is the international honor society of the two-year college. The scholarship is available to PTK members who have earned their associate's degrees with 3.25 or higher cumulative grade point averages. Awards are based on scholarship application essays, past academic performance, financial need, and financial aid eligibility. Preference is given to liberal arts graduates. The scholarship covers the tuition for three courses required for admission to the ALB Program, up to a total of $1,800. To be considered for this scholarship, students must complete and submit all required financial aid application materials, along with the PTK application, by July 1 for the fall term and November 1 for the spring term. Students must submit annual financial aid applications by the deadline in order to receive the PTK scholarship in subsequent years. PTK applications may be downloaded from this website. (To download PDFs students must have Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on their computers.) Scholarship applications are also available in the Undergraduate Office. Students should submit the PTK Supplemental Form in addition to a completed financial aid application.

Veterans Benefits

Eligible veterans may be entitled to educational benefits at the Extension School. They may be certified for benefits for two terms; to continue to be certified after two terms, they must be admitted to an Extension School degree, certificate, or health careers program. For more information, veterans can call Student Financial Services, (617) 495-5850.

Harvard Employees Tuition Assistance Plan

Many salaried staff members at Harvard University are eligible for tuition assistance under the University's Tuition Assistance Plan (TAP). All questions about eligibility and requests for TAP forms should be directed to Harvard University's Benefits Services Group, (617) 496-4001.

Private Funding

Students may wish to apply directly to private lenders for funding. Most students who borrow privately use the CitiAssist Loan through Citibank or the Signature Student Loan through SallieMae. Eligibility is based on credit history and, in some cases, ability to repay. The Education Resources Institute (TERI), a national nonprofit organization, also offers education loans for undergraduate, graduate, and professional study. Students can consider funding that might be available from groups with which they are associated as well, such as professional organizations, fraternal groups, unions, corporations, and churches.

When a private loan is approved, the Financial Aid Office is required to certify costs and attendance at the Extension School. To speed certification, students should submit the supplemental form for students applying to private education lenders, which may be downloaded from this website. (To download PDFs students must have Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on their computers.)

Helpful Resources

There are resources available locally and on the Web to help search for sources of funding. The Higher Education Information Center, located in the Boston Public Library offers a variety of services to help research funding, including walk-in and phone counseling, and a website with links to a lot of financial aid information. The FinAid website provides comprehensive information about how to research funding as well the types of financial aid that are available.





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