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Tuition and Funding Opportunities

Estimated expenses for 2025-2026 academic year

The Baker Program in Real Estate is a four-semester program that begins in the fall. Note that you will pay tuition for all four semesters, as listed below. Estimated program costs, including fees, are outlined in the chart.

Estimated program costs for the 2026-2027 academic year will be available in the spring semester.

The Baker Program requires a non-refundable deposit of $1,500 to secure admission, payable at the time of acceptance, which will be credited to your first-fall-semester bursar account.

Expense Estimated Cost for 2025-2026 academic year
Tuition $71,266
Mandatory fees* $690
Books & Course Materials $2,466
Food $5,654
Housing $16,796
Transportation $3,544
Personal Expenses $4,248
Estimated one-time program fee** $3,000
* Includes student activity fee ($110) and Cornell Health fee ($580).

**All Baker students are required to attend one international trek during their time in the program. Students should budget up to $3,000 for the cost of airfare, most other expenses will be covered by the program.

Please note health and accident insurance rates will be confirmed in late April or early May. Health insurance is mandatory for all students and accompanying family members.

Funding Opportunities

Most Baker Program students rely on a combination of federal and private loans to finance their educational and living expenses. The university’s Office of Financial Aid is an excellent resource for identifying loans and loan packages to help finance your education.

If you submit your application by one of the Baker Program’s first two deadlines—December 1 and January 15—you will automatically be considered for merit-based funding. During each admission period, an average of one-third of our incoming class receives funding as a part of the admission offer. The amount of the offers varies, with our goal of making your education more affordable.

MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS

The Baker Program provides some funding through merit-based scholarships. If you are admitted to the program, the scholarship interest form will become available to you to be considered for scholarship funding.

TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS

TAs, as they are known, provide support to a variety of real estate courses. Based upon your first-semester performance, you are eligible to discuss and accept one or more TA appointments. These are typically hourly paid appointments, with selection decisions made by the faculty member responsible for the course.

LOANS

Cornell University has been designated as a direct lender for the U.S. government, which facilitates loan application processing for students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Please see the Office of Financial Aid website for more information on federal and private loans.

LOAN OPTIONS FOR NON-U.S. CITIZENS

Non-U.S. citizen students who have a credit-worthy U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident co-signer may also be eligible for private education loans through lenders such as Sallie Mae, Discover, and Citizens Bank. Students should research private education loan lenders to determine which option is best for their individual situation. International students may also search for loans through the International Education Financial Aid organization.

Students may also be eligible for loans through other resources. Some of these will have specific requirements for the borrower, so please make sure to contact the lending agency directly. Below is a list of possible programs students have utilized in the past:

EXTERNAL SCHOLARSHIPS

In addition to the options available through the Graduate School, Baker Program students may be eligible for these outside funding sources:

  • Appraisal Institute Education and Relief Foundation: The Appraisal Institute Education and Relief Foundation awards several scholarships for both graduate students and undergraduates majoring in real estate appraisal, land economics, real estate, or related fields.
  • Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network Scholarships: The CREW Network offers a scholarship for female students who are enrolled full-time in an accredited real estate program or other fields of study with the intent to pursue a career in commercial real estate.
  • Epsilon Sigma Alpha (ESA) Foundation: The ESA Foundation awards numerous scholarships annually; amounts vary depending on the applicant’s home state or country.
  • George M. Brooker Collegiate Scholarship for Minorities: The Brooker Scholarship is designed to assist minority students, on the basis of academic excellence, who are committed to a career in real estate—specifically real estate management—upon graduation. (Sponsored by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) Foundation)
  • Goldie Initiative: Is a robust scholarship, mentorship, networking and leadership program for female graduate students passionate about commercial real estate.
  • International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC): Graduate students who are also members are invited to apply for a several scholarships as an individual or a team.
  • Pension Real Estate Association (PREA): PREA awards scholarships to promising students studying real estate at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • WX New York Women Executives in Real Estate: The WX Scholarship program is designed to encourage and support young women in their pursuit of careers in real estate and real estate-related professions.
  • FIABCI Scholarship Foundation: The foundation is a non-profit corporation that provides grants to students who demonstrate an interest in international real estate and who are enrolled in an FIABCI-member university.
  • California Home Building Foundation (CHF): CHF has distributed over $3 million in scholarships to students enrolled in industry-related programs, such as construction management and architecture.
  • Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans: The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States.
  • Yellow Ribbon Program for Veterans: The Yellow Ribbon Program of the Post-9/11 GI Bill® will help make graduate schools and private universities more affordable for veterans.
  • Illinois Real Estate Educational Foundation: The Illinois Real Estate Educational Foundation (REEF) awards scholarships to students of real estate and related fields of study at colleges and universities both within and outside Illinois.
  • NIC Senior Housing and Care Scholarship: Through the Future Leader Council’s University Outreach program, NIC offers partial and full scholarships to our Spring Investment Forum and Fall Conference to participants in the NIC internship program and representatives from the universities that participate in those programs. The scholarships are provided in an effort to deepen students’ understanding of the sector.
  • American Immobiliare Commercial Real Estate Scholarship: The American Immobiliare College Scholarship Program was founded in 2016. Our goal is to support the next generation of Italian-American influencers and innovators in commercial real estate fields. The scholarship is open to graduate and undergraduate students nationally. Recipients receive a scholarship that helps underwrite part of the cost of their college tuition. Our scholarships provide assistance towards tuition but will not cover payment for all school costs.
  • Organization of American States (OAS) Interest-Free Student Loans: The Rowe Fund is an educational loan program of the Organization of American States (OAS) that helps citizens from Latin America and Caribbean OAS member states finance their studies or research in accredited universities across the United States.
  • RTOL Scholarship: Rent to Own Labs offers a $2,500 scholarship to help cover tuition, textbooks, or development courses for a student pursuing a career in real estate.