Print Options

Finances

Finances

 

Tuition and Fees

Tuition, fees, and other charges for the 2019-20 academic year are available at the Office of Bursar website: https://bursar.uchicago.edu/divinity-school-2/.

 

Application Fee: $75

This fee must accompany the original application for admission. No part of the fee is either refundable or applicable as advance payment on other fees.

 

Matriculation Deposit: $200

 

Notes

  • All students in a degree program, including those preparing for the qualifying examination or writing a dissertation, must be registered in at least three of the four quarters of the academic year.
  • No tuition is assessed when a student has been granted an official Leave of Absence.

Other Fees

Students should consult the Office of the University Registrarand the Office of the Bursarfor information on additional fees.

Health Insurance 

University Student Health and Counseling Services coordinates plan information for the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP). The plan year runs from September 1 to August 31, though the full year of coverage is, under normal circumstances, billed in three quarterly installments in Autumn, Winter, and Spring. For more information, including rates for individual and family coverage, please visit Wellness at UChicago (https://wellness.uchicago.edu/health-insurance/u-ship/). Students who are contemplating a leave of absence should consult with the U-SHIP office and the Dean of Students Office on implications of their planned Leave for health insurance eligibility.

Tuition Refund Schedule

A student who is given approval to withdraw part or all of her or his registration shall be granted a reduction of a portion of the original charge in accordance with the schedule published by the Bursar’s office (see http://bursar.uchicago.edu/tuition-refund-schedule). Approval of withdrawal, with the date it becomes effective, must be certified by the Dean of Students.. 

Estimate of Expenses

Living expenses will vary for each student in the Divinity School according to both individual programs and circumstances and the current cost of living. For an official estimate of living expenses, please visit the Graduate Financial Aid office’s website.

Financing Your Divinity School Education

The Divinity School shares the broader University’s commitment to making graduate education accessible and supportable for students from all economic backgrounds, and we make every effort to aid admitted students who seek financial assistance in support of their studies. Most Divinity School students finance their degree programs through some combination of personal savings, family contributions, student loans, scholarships and fellowships, and part-time employment. Graduate education represents a significant mutual investment—of the student in the work and life of the School, and of the School in the work and life of the student—and we encourage prospective students to explore multiple avenues of financial support as they approach the application process

Divinity School Scholarship Aid

Divinity School scholarship aid awards are made based on academic merit and range from partial tuition scholarships to stipendiary fellowships. Divinity School scholarships do not require an application separate from the application for admission, and all applicants, irrespective of citizenship, are eligible for award consideration. The Committee on Admissions and Aid seeks to provide continuing support at a level consistent with the student’s academic performance and scholarship aid eligibility. The Committee makes awards on the basis of full-time academic residence unless otherwise specified in the admissions application. If a student registers for part-time residence, the amount of the award will be reassessed at the time of registration. Only degree-seeking students (in the A.M.R.S., M.A., M.Div., and Ph.D. programs) are eligible for Divinity School scholarship aid. All students are encouraged to consult with the Fellowships Office at UChicagoGRAD to identify additional sources of funding. 

Students on Leave of Absence in any given quarter do not receive their stipend during that quarter.

Ph.D. Students

PhD students admitted to the Divinity School receive six years of fellowship, comprising full tuition support, a $27,000/year living stipend (disbursed as a combination of direct stipend pay and teaching remuneration), up to four summer research stipends of $4,000 each, and a stipend for the individual insurance premium through the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP). Renewal of funding from year to year is conditional on satisfactory academic progress as outlined in the Doctoral Student Handbook. Students on Leave of Absence in any given quarter do not receive their stipend during that quarter. Students who take Parental Leave are eligible for continued funding during their leave. Further information is available at https://studentmanual.uchicago.edu/parents.

Admission to the Divinity School’s PhD program reflects the faculty’s judgment that a student shows exceptional promise for scholarship and teaching in her or his field of study; this fellowship package from the University is intended to allow each doctoral student to place full attention on her or his course of study, research, and professionalization, and to make timely progress through the program.

Beyond the sixth year of study, there are also a wealth of fellowship opportunities for students who have been admitted to candidacy and seek financial support for dissertation research and writing. These include the Provost’s, Harper, and Mellon dissertation completion fellowships; Divinity School dissertation completion fellowships; and many external fellowships. Information on these fellowships is available at the Divinity School website. Students are also strongly encouraged to consult with the Fellowships Office at UChicagoGRAD early in their time at the University to plan a fellowship application strategy.

M.Div. students

MDiv applicants will be considered for various forms of Divinity School scholarship aid. The Committee on Admissions and Aid makes offers of scholarship aid at the time of the admissions decision and on the basis of academic merit and promise in public religious leadership. Support ranges from partial tuition aid to full tuition scholarships and stipendiary aid.

The Divinity School offers supplemental scholarship aid for second- and third-year MDiv field education assignments.

  • Field education stipends of $2,000 per quarter are provided to all second-year MDiv students participating in the Arts of Ministry sequence and serving a congregation or religious community.
  • Fieldwork stipends of $1,500 support the completion of the final fieldwork placement (usually in the program’s third year). When such placement requires a registration fee (e.g., for Clinical Pastoral Education), the Divinity School subsidizes such a charge up to $500. This assistance is provided to all MDiv students in the third or final year of their program.

The International Ministry Study Grant program provides funding for first- or second-year University of Chicago MDiv students to study an issue or aspect of ministerial practice in an international cultural context. Applications are due December 1 for travel to be completed during the following summer. For more information about this program, including application procedures, contact Cynthia Lindner, Director of Ministry Studies, at clindner@uchicago.edu.

Disciples Divinity House

Disciples Divinity House Scholarships offer tuition, housing, and/or stipendiary support for qualified members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who are pursuing degreed study in the University of Chicago Divinity School. These scholarships are renewable annually through the time normally required for degree completion. Visit http://ddh.uchicago.edu/ for more information.

Student Loans

Many students find that the combination of Divinity School scholarship aid, external scholarship and fellowship aid, and their own financial resources (e.g., familial contributions, personal savings, employment earnings) is insufficient to meet the total cost of attendance of graduate study at the University. In such situations, students who are US citizens or permanent residents may make use of low-interest, long-term federal student loan programs in which the University participates. Borrowing from these programs, even at favorable terms, should be planned carefully in order to avoid the accumulation of unmanageable debt.

Students who are considering loans as part of their financial strategy should be aware that the procedures and policies of the student loan programs are subject to review by the federal government. Students who accept federal student loans are also required to make satisfactory academic progress, in compliance with federal regulations, as a condition of continued borrowing. The most up to date information on student loan programs, as well as counseling about student debt and its implications, and information on work-study programs, may be obtained from the Graduate Financial Aid office.

Employment Opportunities

Most Divinity School students work part-time for some portion or all of their tenure as students at the University of Chicago. Both on- and off-campus part-time employment opportunities for Divinity School students are available. The student employment database (http://studentemployment.uchicago.edu), which requires University network credential for access, lists available job opportunities.

Local to the Divinity School, many students work as teaching or research assistants for members of the School’s faculty, as editorial assistants for one of the academic journals published in Swift Hall, on the Wednesday Lunch crew, and in the Divinity School’s student-run coffee shop Grounds of Being. Outside of Swift Hall, students work in a range of University offices, in the library, and in businesses, colleges and universities, and religious organizations throughout the Chicago area.

Divinity School students also benefit from the programs and services offered by UChicagoGrad’s office of Career Development. Partners/spouses of students are eligible for many on-campus employment opportunities as well; partners/spouses of international students, however, may not work unless they hold J-2 visas and have received permission to work from US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Visit the University Department of Human Resources’ website for more information: http://hr.uchicago.edu.

Conference, Travel, and Professional Development Grants

The Divinity Students Association provides grants to Divinity students to support professional development (including professional association membership fees), travel to conferences, and student-run conferences on campus. The UChicago Grad Council also provides funding to support student travel and events, including social events. 

Child Care Stipend

The University offers need-based, annual child care stipends in the amount of $2,000 per year to eligible PhD student applicants. While not covering the bulk of child care expenses, these stipends are intended to help alleviate some of the financial hardship student parents face while allowing them flexibility to tailor child care to their needs. Priority will be given to eligible applicants with the greatest need. For more information, visit UChicagoGRAD’s Family Resource Center website.

Emergency Funds

The Divinity Students Association supports the Swift Cares Fund, which is available to help students in emergency situations. Students who are facing financial emergencies are encouraged to contact the Dean of Students Office about Swift Cares and other resources for emergency funding.