Tuition & Financial Aid

CDM understands financing your education can be a major concern. The Office of Student Accounts and the Office of Financial Aid are available to meet with you and discuss ways to finance your education.

Tuition Costs

Up-to-date tuition costs for the academic year are available through the Office of Student Accounts. There is no difference in cost for taking classes on different campuses, online, or for out-of-state students. Learn more about tuition rates.

Undergraduate Tuition

Undergraduate tuition is determined in one of two ways:

  • Part-time undergraduate students are those students taking fewer than 12 credit hours in a quarter. Tuition is determined by the total credit hours enrolled.
  • Full-time undergraduate students are those students taking 12 to 18 credit hours. Full-time students are charged the package price for tuition for the three quarters of the regular academic year. If a student takes more than 18 credits in any given quarter, the student is charged the part-time rate for the additional credit hours.

Graduate Tuition

Graduate tuition is charged on a per-credit hour basis. Please visit the Office of Financial Aid for more information on tuition and financial aid.

If you are a graduate student who receives tuition reimbursement from your employer, you may apply for the Employer Tuition Deferal Plan. Through this deferred billing program, you may delay paying your tuition until after you have received your course grades, which many employers require for reimbursement. However, you may not participate in the program during terms in which you are receiving financial aid. There is an application fee for this program. For further information, please visit the payment plans webpage.

*Please note that in the case where a graduate student takes required or elective courses in another program at DePaul the tuition is charged at that college’s tuition rate.

Financial Aid Eligibility

Completing a current FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the first step to determining your overall eligibility for financial aid. Subsidized loans (based on financial need) and unsubsidized loans (non-need based) are available depending upon each student's unique financial status. To obtain a current FAFSA, visit https://fafsa.ed.gov. Remember to include DePaul's school code 001671 on the FAFSA.

Please visit DePaul's Office of Financial Aid for more information.

Scholarships for Incoming Students

MS-MA Graduate Scholarship

The CDM MS-MA Graduate Scholarship (excluding those seeking the MS in Computer Science, MS in Information Systems and the DCMA degree, see DCMA scholarship information below) is for new students who are seeking a MA or MS degree and are U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents.

This scholarship is awarded as $1,000 per term, for the first three (3) terms of enrollment, for a total award of $3,000. This award cannot be used in combination with any other DePaul scholarships, waivers or awards. Students are automatically reviewed at the time of admission for this scholarship.

For more information on this scholarship, please contact the CDM Graduate Admission Office at admission@cdm.depaul.edu or call (312) 362-8714.

DCMA Scholarship

The CDM DCMA Scholarship is for new students, seeking a MA degree in DCMA with a Media Arts concentration and are U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents.

This scholarship is awarded as $525 per course, up to two courses per term (or $1,050) for the duration of the program. This award cannot be used in combination with any other DePaul scholarships, waivers or awards. Students are automatically reviewed at the time of admission for this scholarship.

For more information on this scholarship, please contact the CDM Graduate Admission Office at admission@cdm.depaul.edu or call (312) 362-8714.

Double Demon Scholarship

Any newly admitted student who has graduated from DePaul (has a degree conferred—bachelor's, master's or doctorate) will be eligible to receive a Double Demon Scholarship, as a 25% automatic discount, for any GRADUATE coursework they take after the degree is conferred. This includes degree coursework, certificate coursework and non-degree coursework. It does not include coursework from the Center for Professional Education (CPE), Institute for Professional Development (IPD), coursework in a doctoral program or a master of fine arts (MFA), Music, Theatre, Law and a few other select programs. The Double Demon Scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other institutional aid or discount.

For more information about the scholarship, contact admission@cdm.depaul.edu.

MFA Scholarship

A limited number of $7500 scholarships are available for incoming MFA students. $2500 is awarded in each of the first three quarters of attendance.

Qualifying Criteria

  • Incoming MFA student in any CDM MFA program
  • Portfolio review

All admitted MFA students will be reviewed so no scholarship application is required. These merit based scholarships cannot be combined with any other institutional aid.

Scholarships and Assistantships for Continuing Students

Limited funding is available for current, continuing CDM students in the form of scholarships, graduate assistantships, and stipends. Learn more about these opportunities.

Scholarships and Assistantships

Military Students

DePaul University is a participant in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, which will cover almost all tuition expenses for veterans who qualify for the Post 9/11 GI Bill at 100 percent of the benefit. Learn more about Veterans Financial Aid at DePaul University or to speak to someone about military financial aid, please contact Megan Burda.

The Office of Financial Aid can assist you with a variety of forms that need to be submitted for the GI Bill. The forms you will need to submit are as follows:

All Financial documents except the FAFSA should be sent to:

Megan Burda
Office of Financial Aid
DePaul Center, Room 9100
1 E. Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604