Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition and Fees

The Columbia University Genetic Counseling Graduate Program is a 21-month 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: $45,000 per year

Fees: approximately $2,375 per year (this does not include student health insurance, which is required if a student is not otherwise covered)

Total Cost of Program: approximately $94,750

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.
• Steinhardt-Goldman Family Scholarship: 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 Program: this award is available to applicants who will specialize in and advocate for the awareness, knowledge, and skills associated with diversity and inclusion during their graduate education. A diversity scholar's goal is to create dialogue, provide advocacy, and implement change for a more diverse and inclusive experience for all students, faculty, staff, and administrators within the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program, and more broadly within the profession of genetic counseling.
• LEND Fellowship: several positions are 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. This 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.
• NYMAC Fellowship: several positions are available through our partnership with the New York Mid-Atlantic Caribbean (NYMAC) Regional Genetics Network. NYMAC fellows are committed to the goal of improving access to genetics services for people living in our region and work to support various ongoing projects that NYMAC is leading.

Additional fellowship opportunities, such as the Precision Medicine Project, may be available through various Columbia initiatives outside of the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program and are typically pursued once students are enrolled at Columbia. You are also strongly encouraged to explore scholarships and grants external to Columbia that can be used to defray educational expenses.

2023-2024 Academic Terms

2024-2025 Academic Terms