Inside MFT Programs Online with Financial Aid Options

Program Profiles: Marriage and Family Therapy Programs that Offer Financial Aid

You built a foundational career after earning a bachelor’s degree and are now ready to dive into an MFT program. You know that getting a master’s degree is your next step to becoming certified as a licensed therapist. You also know that graduate school is expensive, no matter which school you attend or which degree you pursue.

A school accepts financial aid if it adheres to federal guidelines to receive educational funding. Schools typically accept federal student loans, private loans, scholarships, grants, military aid, and/or employer tuition benefits. Colleges and universities that offer aid typically feature institutional scholarships, grants, and aid to support students’ cost of attendance.

When you consider a program or school, look at how the aid that the school offers and accepts aligns with your financial picture. Then, decide on a program that works for you. We highlight several schools that offer MFT programs and give/accept financial aid below. We searched for programs with online components so you’ll have more flexibility in approaching your studies.

Financial Aid Eligibility and Application Checklist

You’ll need to take specific steps as you apply to obtain financial aid. Every opportunity is different and will have its own requirements. But, the steps listed below should give you a good starting point. They will help you feel more confident while navigating the nuances of the many financial aid opportunities and applications that you’ll encounter.

Complete the FAFSA Early

Graduate students are not eligible for Pell Grants. So, submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form early is essential. You’ll need to give yourself enough time to gather all of the information that you need.

Graduate students are considered independent from their parents, so you’ll need to provide your personal financial information instead of your parents’. By completing a FAFSA form early, you’ll have time to make any necessary changes before the deadline.

Review Eligibility Criteria and Requirements

You don’t want to waste time applying for financial aid for that you’re not qualified for. You can create a spreadsheet to keep track of your applications for various financial aid resources. It’s essential to know what eligibility requirements are necessary for every resource for which you’re applying.

Consider keeping a folder of important information that you’ll likely need repeatedly for various applications. Taking time to get organized from the beginning will save you time when searching for multiple pieces of information repeatedly.

Check Deadlines and Apply Early

Use a spreadsheet to keep your FAFSA form plus scholarship and grant deadlines up to date. Sometimes, applying early can give you an advantage in the financial aid selection process. Early applicants allow themselves enough time to implement changes to their application and finish up any forgotten requirements, if necessary.

Gather All Necessary Documents

Certain documents are required as part of a financial aid application. These documents could include transcripts, personal finance statements, essays, letters of recommendation, and volunteer service records. Whenever you have to find or create a new document, save it in an MFT financial aid folder to help you locate it or reuse it for other financial aid applications later.

Receive Feedback on Supplemental Materials

As you write personal essays or receive letters of recommendation, consider having someone else read them before you submit them. Having multiple eyes look over a written piece will make it easier to notice mistakes and ensure that your message comes through clearly. If you need help with essays or statements of purpose, consider asking someone close to you why they think you’d be a good fit for an MFT program.

Review Award Letters

As you receive award letters from the government, your school, or a private party, keep track of who offers what. If you opted to make a spreadsheet to keep track of your financial aid endeavors, take note of the entity that offered the financial aid, the type of financial aid offered (loans, grants, and/or scholarships), the amount offered, any requirements you must meet to obtain the aid, and the date you need to respond by to accept or decline the financial aid awarded (if applicable). Finally, if you receive scholarships, be sure to write a thank you letter to the organizations that awarded them to you.

Common Funding Options for Marriage and Family Therapy Students

You learned that MFT programs offer various financial aid options. Below, we’ll discuss the most common forms of financial aid that you might encounter plus how to understand and access all available resources.

Federal Student Aid

Graduate students can (and are encouraged to) fill out the FAFSA form annually. This gives them access to unsubsidized, low-interest federal student loans. (Graduate students start accruing interest on their loans as soon as the loan is dispersed.)

While still a loan, these federal loans are often a better option than taking out private loans, which tend to have higher interest rates and fewer repayment options. Graduate MFT students are also eligible for Grad PLUS loans, which tend to have higher borrowing limits than loans offered to undergraduate students.

Institutional Aid

As your prospective college or university reviews your application, they might offer you institutional aid. This is funding from the institution that supports students’ cost of attendance. This might take the form of a scholarship or needs-based financial support to make it feasible for you to attend a specific institution. Other opportunities like work-study programs can also be a form of institutional aid, although those are often subsidized by Federal Work-Study programs, which are a form of federal student aid.

Payment Plans

In graduate school, most courses are paid per credit hour; you might take classes on a part-time basis and pay as you go. In this situation, it might feel overwhelmingly costly to pay your remaining tuition balance (after grants, scholarships, and other forms of financial aid) up-front at the beginning of each semester. Many colleges and universities let students utilize payment plans to break up semester-long tuition payments into monthly installments; this can help you balance your budget.

Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships for Marriage and Family Therapy students can come from many different sources. These sources include your institution of choice (need-based or merit scholarships), the school within your college that manages your degree, and the specific department that offers your degree program.

Scholarships can also come from organizations that want to support students pursuing an education in counseling. Some companies offer generalized scholarships for students who meet certain eligibility requirements and are chosen from a pool of candidates. An online search can bring up dozens of opportunities to sift through. Listed below are two examples of scholarships that are tailored toward MFT graduate students.

Grants are similar to scholarships because they don’t have to be paid back. Grant money is often available for graduate students, especially those participating in research to further their studies within the Marriage and Family Therapy academic sector.

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) Educational Foundation Scholarships and Grants

• Amount: $2,500 to $4,000
• These scholarships and grants are designed to support MFT students in California with particular areas of interest or need. This includes students who work with children and/or LGBTQIA+ couples and families plus students who demonstrate a significant financial need or high academic achievement.

Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant

• Amount: $10,000
• This grant emphasizes the importance and particular nuances of providing care to LGBTQIA+ families by sponsoring research in this area, particularly through a student’s dissertation or final degree project.