Tuition and Finances

The amount of tuition and the general fee increases each year, and is set in late spring by the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania reserve the right to increase tuition and fees and otherwise to amend the regulations concerning tuition, fees, and method of payment at any time and to make such changes applicable to students in the University at that time as well as to new students.

All continuing and new students in the Weitzman School, whether or not they advance register, are billed with the same due date for full tuition and general fees according to a set schedule. Tuition and general fees must be paid before the appointed date of registration for each semester.

Weitzman is a full-tuition school; during the fall and spring terms (and summer term for AAD students, as noted below), all Weitzman students are charged the full-time tuition rate if they take 3, 4, or 5 CUs (see details below about exceptions due to official part-time status). Taking required CUs in the summer, or reducing CUs in one term in order to overload CUs in a future term does not alter the full-tuition bill for the fall and spring terms unless a student has been approved in advance for part-time status. Taking courses in the summer or taking more than 5 CUs in any term will result in additional tuition charges.

All Weitzman School students in professional degree programs are permitted to take up to five (5) course units (CUs) within the full-time tuition and general fee cost. Students may register for six (6) course units with the written permission of their department chair and the course instructor. If the student is auditing the 6^th CU, there will be no additional tuition or general fee charge. If the student is taking the 6^th CU for credit, the student will be charged tuition for the additional course unit, at the per-CU rate. There is no change in tuition and fees for full-time students who are registered for three (3) or four (4) CUs and audit a 5th course. Students who register for less than three (3) course units who wish to audit a course will be charged tuition and fees for the audited course.

Students who declare part-time status and are approved for part-time enrollment by their program chair or director are billed at the per-CU rate. These students are specially coded as part-time by the Registrar for the term in which they have been approved for part-time status. (Note: part-time status needs to be requested each term; approval of part-time status in one term does not confirm part-time status for another term.)  Students who know they will be changing to part-time status should review the Part-time status section and consult with the Weitzman Registrar. Upon completion of course requirements, a candidate for a Master of Science degree must be continuously enrolled until graduation and pay a master’s thesis fee each semester. Please review the “Enrollment Status” section for additional information.

Summer tuition is based on the tuition and fee rates approved by the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania for the upcoming academic year. This means that summer tuition and fees are billed at the same rate as the upcoming Fall and Spring terms, and not at the rate used in the preceding Fall and Spring terms.

For students in degree programs with required full-time summer coursework (such as the MSD-AAD), standard full-time tuition rates for the upcoming academic year apply. In all other situations, Weitzman students who choose to take courses over the summer are charged Weitzman's per-CU tuition rate. There is no discount in future terms if courses counting towards the degree are taken during the summer.

In addition to tuition, doctoral students pay a full or reduced general fee (outlined in the tuition and fees chart below). There are two types of tuition categories for doctoral students:

Full Tuition: tuition for full-time PhD students will be charged at a “Full-Tuition Flat Rate” for the first three years (six terms, excluding summers) of enrollment. Full tuition applies whether the student takes three, four, or five courses in a semester or is on dissertation status. (The fifth course can only be taken as an audit.)

Reduced Tuition: doctoral students are eligible for reduced tuition in year four if coursework has been completed. If it has, the student will be charged reduced tuition until the degree is awarded or for a maximum of five (5) additional years from the semester the student goes on reduced tuition status.

Tuition Waiver: doctoral students who defend early in the semester, by the "tuition waiver-defend by date" set by the Office of the Provost, qualify for a tuition waiver (in the form of a refund) for that final term. Because students are charged tuition at the start of the term regardless of the anticipated tuition defense date, it is the student's responsibility to reach out to the Weitzman Registrar to request a tuition refund in instances where the early defense deadline has been met.

The tuition and fees in this table apply to the Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 terms.

The tuition and fees in this table apply to the Summer 2023, Fall 2023, and Spring 2024 terms.

When an applicant accepts admission to the university, they are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of $500, which shall be credited toward the first semester’s tuition charges. The due date for the deposit will be provided on the candidate’s admission letter from the Weitzman School.

Scholarships divided over two semesters: Weitzman scholarship awards are applied toward tuition and will be credited to students’ bursar bills. Scholarships will be evenly divided over the fall and spring semesters. MSD-AAD students receiving a Weitzman scholarship will receive half of their scholarship in their summer semester.

Full-time enrollment requirement to receive total award amount: To receive the offered scholarship award, students must maintain full-time enrollment in coursework which counts toward their academic degree requirements.

Scholarships are limited to designated number of semesters in a degree program: Weitzman scholarships will only be offered for the total number of semesters required by your degree program.

Satisfactory academic progress required: Weitzman School scholarships are based on merit and students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to continue to receive their scholarship award.

Impact of leave of absence: If a student takes an approved leave of absence, any Weitzman School scholarship they were receiving will be reinstated when they return from leave, assuming that they left in good academic standing.

Impact of part-time enrollment: Weitzman School degree programs are primarily intended to be pursued full-time within the standard curriculum and program length. Part-time enrollment in Weitzman School degree programs must be approved by the program’s Chair/ Director and the Weitzman School Registrar. If a student is approved for part-time enrollment, their scholarship award will be reduced and disbursed at a prorated amount correlative to their tuition charges. Prior to requesting part-time enrollment, it is recommended that students consult their academic department to make a study plan which ensures that they will meet all degree requirements and, once a study plan has been made, consult the Weitzman Financial Aid Office to discuss the impact to their scholarship funding and overall cost of the program.

Scholarships are only applied to tuition: Weitzman scholarships can only be applied to tuition. If a student is awarded an outside scholarship or tuition benefit which can only be applied toward tuition, and the combination of their Weitzman scholarship and outside scholarship(s) or tuition benefit exceeds the cost of tuition in a given term or year, their Weitzman scholarship will be reduced.

Scholarships will not increase: Weitzman scholarship awards will not increase after enrollment, and continuing students are not reassessed for scholarship.

Weitzman dual degree enrollment: Students who have enrolled in to two programs which can be pursued as a dual degree program within the Weitzman School of Design, and received scholarship from at least one program, must maintain full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic progress to receive their offered scholarship. If at any point a dual degree student withdraws from one of the programs in the dual degree, their scholarship award may be reduced or removed. 

External dual degree enrollment: If a student is enrolled in an external dual degree program where one of the programs is administered by another Penn graduate or professional school, their Weitzman scholarship will only be disbursed for the academic terms in which they are primarily enrolled in Weitzman School coursework and charged Weitzman School tuition and fee rates. It is recommended that students consult the Weitzman Financial Aid Office prior to enrolling in a dual degree program to ensure that they understand their scholarship award funding.

JD/MUSA dual degree program enrollment: Students enrolled in the Juris Doctor (JD) program at Penn Carey Law School enrolling in the Master of Urban Spatial Analytics (MUSA) degree program are not eligible to receive Weitzman scholarship funding.

Full-time University employees: Full-time employees of the University of Pennsylvania or Penn Medicine receiving faculty/staff tuition benefits are not eligible to receive Weitzman scholarship funding.

Visit Weitzman Financial Aid and Financial Aid FAQs for more information.

Students receiving federal student aid should be aware that U.S. Department of Education regulations govern the refund and repayment of federal student aid when a student withdraws before completion of the semester for which federal student aid has been received. Learn more on the SRFS website.