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 Program in Genetic Counseling, 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:

  • Dean's Scholars: this award is available to applicants with demonstrated interest in promoting the characteristics of the genetic counselor workforce necessary to best serve a diverse patient/client population.
  • Work-study: several Federal work-study positions are available for both first and second year students within the Program in Genetic Counseling. 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.
  • 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.