Build your MBA budget before your shortlist.

Price the full commitment

Tuition is only one line. Add mandatory fees, materials, required travel, extra living costs and income you would forgo. Subtract only confirmed grants, scholarships and employer or athlete benefits. Keep possible funding in a separate column. The calculator below is a planning estimate, not a loan quote or a prediction of future earnings.

Athlete funding leads

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship program is one funding route to investigate. Awards are competitive and its nomination rules and dates must be checked directly. Ask your school’s faculty athletics representative about the process. Also investigate institutional merit aid, graduate assistantships and any education benefit provided by your team, league, union or employer. None should be assumed available to every athlete.

College athletes: verify the whole degree

If athletics funding is part of your plan, get written confirmation of its duration and what happens after your final season. Ask whether summer courses, fees and any remaining semesters are covered. Graduate admission, financial aid and athletic eligibility are separate decisions.

Compare two realistic scenarios

Create a study-while-working scenario and a full-time-study scenario. Include a funding shortfall and a slower job search in each. Ask the financial aid office for current financing terms and eligibility rather than relying on an old article. Avoid making an education decision solely from an advertised average salary.

Check the original sources

• NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

Confirm current policies directly before applying. Examples are not rankings or endorsements.