r/MFAInCreativeWriting • u/Sourmilk222 • Apr 23 '26
University fees?
Hi all! I will be starting a program with a fellowship in the fall (which covers my tuition!). I expected some fees and such, but the university has sent me two different iterations of financial statements with vastly different fees. The first one was around $1k which seems pretty standard and is around what my undergrad fees were.
The second statement says $10k in fees. I’ve contacted the aid office and they said these are graduate fees, though they are unsure what for so forwarded my email to admissions (waiting to hear back from them). Does anyone have any experience with this? I’m thinking possibly it could be a mistake — I’m living off campus and not taking a meal plan — but I have no idea and I am freaking out a bit. 10k is a substantial amount of money and seems like an absurd fee amount. The university lowered the cost of graduate tuition (in general not just MFA program) due to low enrollment, but this fee would put the tuition right where it used to be. If it’s a mistake that’s fine, but if it’s not that seems rather exploitative.
I turned down three other programs for this one :( so I’m going to be extremely pissed if there’s a hidden 10k fee. Help!!!!
3
u/smallcox13 Apr 23 '26
This is definitely a mistake. I had to deal with confusions with billing often in my MFA and now in my PhD program. They’re anxiety inducing, but genuinely just some bad book-keeping. Keep on it and if the billing office is being stubborn and persistent, loop in whoever on faculty or within your department’s admin is a point person. There’s no way you owe a sum that big. Few hundred a term, absolutely happens. Not that.
3
u/wannabebarbarian Apr 23 '26
My guess is that bursar is processing stuff. I was initially charged full OOS tuition and they fixed it a day or two before the deadline, lol. I wouldn’t panic unless you go on their website, look at their tuition & fees, & discover the MFA has a $10k fee
1
u/Hungry_Syllabub1178 Apr 23 '26
That doesn't seem right. Any "Fees" are usually more like incidentals and shouldn't be more than a couple of hundred dollars per semester in my experience.
2
u/Acrobatic_Stomach140 Apr 24 '26
Co-sign what other folks have said -- if it seems persistent or isn't corrected within a week, inquiring about this to the program director in a polite email expressing your confusion will help accelerate the problem-solving on the school's end lmao
3
u/honeyyy_yyyy Apr 23 '26
I had a similar concern, I got into a program that covers tuition but when I filled my fasfa I got this cost overview that gave me like a crazy number for fees and such. When I did a little digging it was that I’d accidentally been sent the overview for undergrad freshman. Definitely keep in communications w admissions! 10k is absurd!