Students must always pay tuition in full by the bill payment deadline, even if they expect to receive scholarships and/or student loans, because scholarships and student loans are usually disbursed after the bill payment deadline.
Each semester, the Finanicial Aid Office calculates an estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) for every student. The COA is based on a number of factors, including the student's courseload, living situation, and more.
Students who plan to receive loans, scholarships, or other awards must check their COA estimate on CUNYFirst and make sure the total sum of funds they receive does not exceed their COA limit.
To check their COA limit, students must log into CUNYFirst, navigate to Student Center, and click Financial Aid Summary.
Find out more about Cost of Attendance on the CCNY Financial Aid Office website.
The Colin Powell School has a financial aid advisor dedicated only to Colin Powell School students.
Jennifer Lavayen, Financial Aid Advisor
Colin Powell School
212-650-8551
jlavayen@ccny.cuny.edu
For additional support on financial matters, contact the CCNY Financial Aid Office.
Nervous about managing student loans? For general information about federal and private student loans and guidance on loan repayment options and strategies, see Demystifying Student Loans, a slide deck presented by Jennifer Lavayen, the Colin Powell School's financial aid advisor. The slide deck includes information about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, in which students who receive federal student loans may be eligible for loan forgiveness if they serve in eligible government and nonprofit organizations after graduating.
MPA scholarships, including fellowships, are disbursed mid-semester, after the tuition bill payment deadline. The MPA Program will notify students when the time comes to disburse scholarships.
The MPA Program will ask all scholarship recipients for two required documents (please don't submit these until you are asked for them):
Thank You Letter to the Donor - please personalize this letter, sign and date it, and email it to Caroline (cenjalbert@ccny.cuny.edu)
FERPA Release Form - this is pre-filled, so you only need to add your name and EMPL ID# and sign it. The form gives the scholarships office permission to access the student's academic records, which are protected under the FERPA privacy act.
The scholarship funds will go first toward any balance due on the student's CUNYFirst account. Then, if the account balance is zero, a check for the remaining funds is mailed to the address on the student's profile in CUNYFirst.
All MPA scholarships (including fellowships) are contingent on 3 conditions:
the student maintains a 3.0 GPA
the student has room within their Cost of Attendance (COA) limit (see below)
the funds are available to be disbursed
If you are having trouble paying for essential expenses such as food, housing, or utility bills, you may be eligible for an emergency grant from either of the following programs:
Colin Powell School Student Emergency Fund