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Financial Aid

Tuition Support

FALCON Semester Scholarship

This is a competitive award distributed by FALCON and applies toward the summer or  spring semesters covering a portion of the tuition. The FALCON Semester Scholarship was started by a generous grant from the Freeman Foundation, Undergraduate Asian Studies Funding Initiative, and continues using FALCON funds. A limited number of scholarships are available.

If your application does not already require you to submit two letters of recommendation and a copy of your academic transcript, you must submit these with the scholarship application no later than March 1st to apply for the Summer Semester Scholarship and April 1st for the Spring Semester Scholarship. 

                    FALCON Summer Semester Scholarship Application

                    FALCON Spring Semester Scholarship Application

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship

U.S. citizens and permanent residents who will have a bachelor's degree or equivalent (graduate students) by the beginning of the program are eligible to apply for the FLAS Fellowship. There are two awards: one for summer study and one for academic year (fall and spring) study. Each award carries a full tuition payment plus a living stipend. The FLAS is designed for beginning language learners at the graduate level. These fellowships are administered through Cornell's East Asia Program.

You may apply for Summer-Only (Chinese or Japanese 1160), Academic-Year (Chinese or Japanese 2260 and 3360), or Full-Year (Chinese or Japanese 1160, 2260 and 3360) fellowships. The FLAS application deadline for 2009 is Monday, February 2nd. 

                    2008-09 FLAS Application

FALCON applicants will be competing for FLAS funding along with applicants to other programs, and preference is given to Cornell-matriculated graduate students. But that should not discourage you from applying. Normally, Japanese and Chinese FALCON are each given one full-year FLAS. Your odds are better if you are entering a degree program, and your odds are even better if it's a degree program at Cornell. If you are a graduate-level student at another institution, and because the award is "portable," you may be able to apply for a FLAS from that institution in order to study with FALCON. The FLAS competition at Cornell is very keen, so competing at your home institution might also increase your chances of receiving the award.

Loans

One alternative offered by many private loan companies is a career loan. These loans are designed for students who are not in degree programs, so they often require simple proof of enrollment instead of formal school certification. Please work very carefully with your bank or other funding agency to learn about the requirements for loan certification and approval.

Special notice for non-Cornell undergraduates:  Cornell University's Office of  Financial Aid will only certify a private loan for an undergraduate student if they are enrolled in a Cornell degree program. This means that if you do not yet possess a Bachelor's Degree and you are not in a degree program at Cornell, you cannot be approved for private loans that require official certification from the university.

Lending Institutions

The following are examples of lending institutions that might assist you in your funding needs.
  • CitiAssist Student Loans from CitiBank are a private education loan
    offering students resources to bridge the gap between
    the money they have, and the money they need.
  • TERI, The Education Resources Institute, Inc., is the largest nonprofit sponsor of private loans for education and a leader in providing college access programs to help people identify and achieve their postsecondary goals.
  • Access Group is a nonprofit graduate loan institute striving to provide high-quality graduate student loan products, helpful financial aid information, and exceptional customer service.
  • Key Bank provides education loans for undergraduates, graduate students, parents and more.
  • Nellie Mae Excel is a Sallie Mae Student Loan Company for undergraduates, graduate students, parents and sponsors.