Frequently Asked Questions

The term financial aid can encompass many different types of financial support, ranging from scholarships to educational loans. At NYU GPH, students are eligible to be considered for merit-based program scholarships which are awarded as part of the admissions process. In addition to scholarships, many students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents take advantage of federal forms of student aid, such as direct loans and federal work study. In addition to these forms of aid, many students are able to take advantage of on-campus employment opportunities at NYU to help defray the cost of their tuition.

There is no priority deadline to be considered for merit scholarships. All applications submitted by our published deadlines are considered for merit-based scholarships as part of the admission review process.

No separate application or paperwork is required to be considered for scholarships. All applications are considered for merit-based scholarships as part of the admission review process.

When you should apply for aid depends on which type of aid you are applying for.  

• For program scholarships awarded by NYU GPH, as long as you submit your application by the appropriate deadline, you are eligible to be considered.
   
• For federal aid available to U.S citizens and permanent residents, you should submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible as of October 1st in the year before you intend to begin graduate studies. 
   
• External forms of financial support, such as scholarships awarded by organizations or agencies, and employer tuition support, may have their own deadlines and processes. As you research which forms of external assistance you intend to apply for, it is important to take note of the deadlines for each program as they will differ.

The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) maintains a curated, up-to-date database of external scholarship opportunities called Financing Your Degree. It includes tips and tricks to obtaining such scholarships and a list of external funding sources for prospective students of public health.

Because this database is not exhaustive, and scholarships for graduate work are often more limited than those for undergraduate degrees, we encourage students seeking external funding to start early and plan to spend a significant amount of time.

Applicants who are awarded a scholarship will be notified of the scholarship award at the same time they are notified of their admission to their program.

Scholarships amounts range from $5,000 to $25,000 depending on faculty assessment of an application. None of our scholarships cover the full cost of tuition, so prospective students should plan ahead for how they intend to finance their graduate education.

The financial aid budget is limited. It is not possible for us to award a scholarship to every applicant.

NYU GPH program scholarships are merit-based, meaning they take into account the faculty assessment of your application, your past experiences and background, the likely contribution you will make to our student body and to the field of public health as a whole. Scholarship decisions are not made by the Office of Admissions, and it is not possible to obtain feedback on why a scholarship was not awarded in any particular instance.

If you are admitted to an NYU GPH degree program, have a FAFSA on file to which New York University has been added, and supplied your Social Security Number or Taxpayer ID in your SOPHAS application, then the NYU Office of Financial Aid will automatically issue you a financial aid package. The package will indicate the forms of aid available to help you finance your degree program.

Yes, NYU has an Office of Financial Aid that supports all NYU students in applying for federal and private loan aid. You can learn more about how they can support you here.

You can also contact them via email at financial.aid@nyu.edu, or via phone at 212-998-4444.

Please contact the NYU Office of Financial Aid to connect with a financial aid counselor. They will be able to assist you in understanding loan aid and how much you need for your situation.

NYU charges tuition on a per-credit basis. The per-term cost of a part-time student will likely be lower than that of a full-time student, although the overall costs for the entire degree may be the same. Each term’s tuition is billed at registration and due at the beginning of that term.

To calculate the estimated tuition cost for an entire degree, you will need to take into account the total number of credits required to graduate. Programs at GPH require 32 (MA), 46 (MPH and MS) or 42 (DrPH) credits to complete. If you add a certificate to your degree program, or are enrolled in a dual degree program, your credit requirements may differ.

Using the tuition calculator found on the website of the NYU Office of the Bursar, you can calculate the tuition and fee cost of a term at current rates. Please keep in mind that these rates are adjusted each academic year and may differ should you enroll at NYU GPH in a future term.

SOPHAS is the centralized application service for schools and programs of public health and simplifies the process of applying to public health programs. You start by selecting the programs you wish to apply to, then you submit one application that includes all necessary materials. Once received by SOPHAS, your application and materials go through a verification process before being transmitted to all of your selected programs.

SOPHAS fees are paid directly to SOPHAS. As NYU GPH does not collect the fee, we are unable to issue fee waivers. You may however, be able to apply for SOPHAS' fee waiver program.

SOPHAS will not allow you to submit multiple applications to different programs at NYU. In some cases, it is possible for the GPH admissions office to add another application for you - if, for example, you are not admitted to your first choice program it may be possible to route your application to a different program or concentration for consideration. To make a request like this, please contact the Office of Admissions at gph.admissions@nyu.edu.

All application materials such as transcripts and letters of recommendation are sent directly to SOPHAS and not NYU. Please see Sending Official Transcripts for more guidelines on how to convey transcripts to SOPHAS for inclusion in your application.

Check out the SOPHAS Quick Start Guide and FAQs to learn more about the SOPHAS application process, requirements, and deadlines. Here, you'll find answers to most commonly asked questions. You can also contact SOPHAS customer service by phone at 617-612-2090 or by email at sophasinfo@liaisoncas.com.

If you are currently in a degree program and will not have finished the degree by the application deadline, you should still order copies of your in-progress transcripts to be sent to SOPHAS. You should order the transcript even if your grades for the current term have not yet posted.

Yes. All NYU School of Global Public Health programs have been classified as STEM-eligible, allowing international students on an F-1 visa to apply for two years of additional employment in the United States after graduation if they meet the required criteria. You can find more information about STEM here.

No. If you attended a foreign school or earned your degree outside of the United States or Canada, you are required to submit your foreign coursework to the World Education Services (WES) evaluation service for a course-by-course US equivalency report. This report should then be sent directly to SOPHAS from WES. You can request electronic WES ICAP course-by-course evaluations directly through the application.

• First, ensure that you requested WES to send the evaluation directly to SOPHAS per the instructions provided by SOPHAS and WES.
   
• The SOPHAS application will continue to process documents and attach them to your application after submission. If the evaluation is transmitted to NYU during the review period, it will be attached to your application for the faculty to consider as part of their review.
   
• NYU GPH cannot accept unofficial copies of foreign transcripts in lieu of the WES evaluation. Please do not send such documents to the admissions office. We are also unable to accept mailed hard copies of WES evaluations; all evaluations should be sent directly from WES to SOPHAS.
   
• If you feel that SOPHAS is missing a WES evaluation submitted by WES on your behalf, please contact SOPHAS customer service by phone at 617-612-2090 or by email at sophasinfo@liaisoncas.com.

A WES Document-by-Document or Course-by-Course Evaluation typically takes about seven (7) business days after WES receives, reviews, and accepts all your required documents and fees. A credential evaluation may take longer if additional verification or information is required.

Most international students who study at NYU GPH do so under the auspices of an F-1 student visa. However, there are other visa types that allow study at NYU. If admitted, the NYU Office of Global Services will work with you to help you apply for and obtain the appropriate visa to begin your studies at NYU GPH.

If you completed your bachelor’s degree at an institution where the primary language of instruction was English (as determined by WES in their evaluation of your credentials), you are exempt from the English language proficiency requirement.

• All applicants whose (1) native language is not English and (2) who did not receive the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction are required to submit a valid English language proficiency exam result, such as TOEFL or IELTS. 
   
• Applicants holding or completing only a graduate or professional degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction are still required to submit an exam result unless the graduate program was four or more years in duration. 
   
• International students requiring a visa to attend NYU must complete the IELTS exam in person at an authorized test center. If you are required to take the exam but will not need it for visa purposes you may choose to take it online or at a test center.

Minimum scores for many of our applicants are 100+ on the TOEFL iBT and 7.5+ on the IELTS Academic.

When ordering test reports from ETS, you must include the proper institution code for the SOPHAS application service (#5688).

International students on most student visa types are eligible to work on-campus at NYU for up to 20 hours per week. There are many on-campus job opportunities available. You can learn more about working on-campus through the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development, which is the central hub for NYU students for finding both on and off-campus jobs.

Other than some differences in application requirements - the WES evaluation, for example, or the English proficiency requirement - the admissions process is the same for domestic and international students. Whether an applicant is international or not has no direct bearing on their likelihood of being admitted.

There are several ways to do this: during the test booking process, select SOPHAS; by asking your test center to select SOPHAS after you receive your results; or through the IELTS test taker portal.

You can send your test results to as many organizations as you wish with no additional fee. Results are provided in an electronic format.

When ordering test reports from ETS, our institution code for the SOPHAS application service is #5688.

The Doctor of Public Health degree is the highest professional degree awarded in the field of public health. It is an advanced practice degree for public health professionals who want to move up to major leadership positions in public health. A PhD is a research-oriented degree, and prepares students for careers in research.

The focus of the DrPH program in NYU’s School of Global Public Health (GPH) is public health leadership. The program uses an interdisciplinary and inter-departmental approach, with training in the areas of data and analysis; leadership, management, and governance; policy and programs; and education and workforce development. The GPH program has a specialized focus on communication, collaboration, leadership practice, implementation science, and ethics.

Applicants must have an MPH or a related graduate degree (e.g., in medicine, nursing, dentistry, epidemiology). Students without an MPH will need to complete up to 5 MPH-level core courses in public health before enrolling in DrPH courses.

The DrPH is an advanced practice degree in public health, and applicants are expected to have public health experience. Applicants must have a minimum of 3 years of full-time public health or related work experience, post MPH or other graduate degree. For applicants without an MPH, substantial work experience in the field of public health is highly desirable. Individuals with no public health experience are encouraged to seek an MPH degree.

The program is designed primarily for working professionals. Most classes are offered late afternoon and evenings, but some classes are held during the day. Students should be prepared to adjust their work schedules when necessary.

It is critical that students have the full support of their workplace for pursuing the degree. Completing a doctoral degree requires a much greater investment of time and energy than a master’s program. Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate that they have the support of their workplace.

While some courses are offered online, most courses are in-person only, and the expectation is that students will be present on-campus during the coursework phase, with periodic visits as needed during the Applied Practice Experience, qualifying exam, and dissertations stages.

Full-time students (those not working full time) are expected to complete the program in 5-6 years. Part-time students are expected to complete the program in 6-7 years. Completion includes a successful dissertation defense and depositing of the final dissertation. For recommended program schedules, please view the Program Sequence tab on our website.

Requirements include the following:

-42 credits of courses (27 credits of required courses and 15 credits of electives)
-Professional development workshops in communication and in instructional design
-An Applied Practice Experience with a leadership component
-An Applied Practice Portfolio, which also serves as the comprehensive exam
-Dissertation

Students may take electives in most other NYU schools. Prerequisites and other requirements may need to be met.

Faculty mentors provide guidance and advice to students to help them meet their academic and professional goals. We strongly recommend identifying potential faculty mentors in the application, and explaining your interest. Applicants can find School of Global Public Health faculty bios on our website.

Applicants are expected to have earned an MPH or another relevant graduate degree (e.g., in epidemiology, medicine, or nursing). As noted above, a minimum of 3 years of full time work public health or related work experience is required.

Applicants must submit a writing sample (e.g., report, published paper, manuscript, etc.) that demonstrates their critical and analytical skills and facility in writing. The applicant should be the primary author of the writing sample, or the primary author of important sections of the document. Applicants should be prepared to explain their role in producing the document in the application.

Applications are due by December 1st. Admissions decisions are made the following March. Decisions are made by a committee of GPH faculty members.

All applications are submitted through the SOPHAS system. We only accept application materials submitted through SOPHAS.

No institutional financial aid (program scholarship) is available for this degree program. Tuition and fees vary based on term of admittance and number of credit hours taken. Federal financial aid may be available for students who qualify. For further information, please contact the GPH Admissions Office.