Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition and Fees

The MS in Genetic Counseling is a 21-month degree program that requires enrollment for two years. Approximate costs for the program are below, final tuition and fees are set by the Columbia University Trustees annually in the spring:

Tuition: $46,380 per year

Fees: approximately $2,450 per year (this does not include student health insurance, which is required if a student is not otherwise covered)

Total Cost of Program: approximately $97,660

Financial Aid

Applying for financial aid is an important part of pursuing your degree. Financial aid is any grant, scholarship, loan, or work-study award offered to help you meet education-related expenses. Such aid is usually provided by or through the school, federal and/or state agencies, foundations, corporations, and other entities. More information is available through the Office of Student Financial Aid and Planning.

A variety of scholarships, fellowships, and work-study opportunities are available through the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program, which can assist in reducing the total cost of the program. The amount of each award can vary from year to year, more information is provided through the interview process:

  • Work-study: several Federal work-study positions are available for both first and second year students within the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program. Students may support recruitment and admission efforts, provide academic support to peers, coordinate awareness initiatives, and assist with administrative tasks.
  • LEND Fellowship: this award is available for second year students through our partnership with the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) program at the Westchester Institute for Human Development. The LEND program is a two-semester interdisciplinary leadership training program through which trainees develop knowledge and skills to become leaders working with and on behalf of children with disabilities/other special health care needs and their families in order to improve health outcomes and decrease disparities.
  • Steinhardt-Goldman Family Scholars: this award is available to applicants from the Washington Heights community of New York City and/or applicants who have experienced economic/financial hardship prior to applying to graduate school.
  • Diversity Scholars: this award is available to applicants with demonstrated interest in increasing diversity within the profession of genetic counseling to better serve our clients and improve access to care.
  • Precision Medicine and Society Fellowship: this award is available for students interested in the application of precision medicine to genetic counseling. As an interprofessional program, Fellows represent a broad cross-section of departmnets at both the Morningside Campus and the Medical Center.  

You are also strongly encouraged to explore scholarships and grants external to Columbia that can be used to defray application and educational expenses.