Seeking Advice on Increasing Financial Aid and Finding Competency-Based Marketing or

[asdfasd78]

Hi everyone, I just graduated this summer from the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) and have been accepted into their master's program as well. While I’m excited to continue my education at UMPI, they’ve only offered me $15,200 per year, which unfortunately isn’t enough to cover my living expenses. My goal is to focus fully on my studies without working much, so I’m looking for ways to increase this financial aid amount.

Additionally, I’m exploring other master’s programs, especially those in marketing or business, that offer better financial aid packages or scholarships. Ideally, I’m looking for a competency-based program with a strong emphasis on practical learning rather than excessive writing. Does anyone know of such programs that are particularly generous with financial aid and scholarships?

Thank you in advance for any advice or recommendations!

[Heartstrings]

These are good questions. You're going to have to apply for scholarships if your goal is not to work while doing your studies or personal loans. I don't know if there are ways to increase your financial aid other than scholarships and personal loans. I think personal loans have to be paid back immediately and do not have the same safeguards as federal financial aid.

There are schools that do provide grants and scholarships and living stipends to graduate students but you usually see that in in-person doctoral programs.

[HogwartsSchool]

Hi everyone, I just graduated this summer from the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) and have been accepted into their master's program as well. While I’m excited to continue my education at UMPI, they’ve only offered me $15,200 per year, which unfortunately isn’t enough to cover my living expenses. My goal is to focus fully on my studies without working much, so I’m looking for ways to increase this financial aid amount.

Additionally, I’m exploring other master’s programs, especially those in marketing or business, that offer better financial aid packages or scholarships. Ideally, I’m looking for a competency-based program with a strong emphasis on practical learning rather than excessive writing. Does anyone know of such programs that are particularly generous with financial aid and scholarships?

Thank you in advance for any advice or recommendations!

You can check each school potential financial aid packages by searching for their COA (cost of attendance). This will indicate how much is available for living expenses.

[ss20ts]

Grad programs have a great deal of writing and research. There's no way around that. Do you believe it will take you a full year to complete the MAOL? I ask because most people I see on Discord are completing it in 2-3 terms. This means you won't get that full amount in financial aid. In grad school, financial aid is all loans. Scholarships aren't super common unless you're on campus conducting research, running the lab, being a TA, being an RA, etc.

[Duneranger]

You aren’t getting a scholarship to do a CBE online masters, period.

Taking out cost of living loans to complete MAOL full time is a terrible decision.

Grad school by nature has a ton of writing. 

I think you need to research what grad school is and isn’t to be honest. Sounds like you don’t really understand what it entails.

---

These are good questions. You're going to have to apply for scholarships if your goal is not to work while doing your studies or personal loans. I don't know if there are ways to increase your financial aid other than scholarships and personal loans. I think personal loans have to be paid back immediately and do not have the same safeguards as federal financial aid.

There are schools that do provide grants and scholarships and living stipends to graduate students but you usually see that in in-person doctoral programs.

This will not happen for what OP wants and even research stipends for PhDs are reallllllly low.

No one going to hand you free money to do an online masters lol…

[bjcheung77]

@hicham78h, great write up with a bit of information. Having said that, you've not provided the overall picture of your scenario. Basically, in your current scenario, you should update your thread with the missing variables - Which Masters at UMPI? If it's the CBE MAOL or not. What other Masters have you looked at? Are you looking at only butt-in-seat or entirely online? The more info, the better...

[wow]

You aren’t getting a scholarship to do a CBE online masters, period.

Taking out cost of living loans to complete MAOL full time is a terrible decision.

Grad school by nature has a ton of writing. 

I think you need to research what grad school is and isn’t to be honest. Sounds like you don’t really understand what it entails.

---

These are good questions. You're going to have to apply for scholarships if your goal is not to work while doing your studies or personal loans. I don't know if there are ways to increase your financial aid other than scholarships and personal loans. I think personal loans have to be paid back immediately and do not have the same safeguards as federal financial aid.

There are schools that do provide grants and scholarships and living stipends to graduate students but you usually see that in in-person doctoral programs.

This will not happen for what OP wants and even research stipends for PhDs are reallllllly low.

No one going to hand you free money to do an online masters lol…

At the point that Heartstrings responded, the OP had not specified that they were trying to do an online CBE program. Even with my familiarity with UMPI YourPace, their description led me to think that they were looking at an in person UMPI graduate program. So the feedback in that context made sense.

Now that the OP has clarified that they are wanting to do CBE--you're right. No one is going to hand them free money to do an online masters while not working. It is possible to get some small scholarships for graduate studies from niche civic organizations, usually by writing essays for a scholarship contest, but if the OP doesn't like writing, then even that is extremely unlikely. And it wouldn't be enough to cover tuition and living expenses.

[ss20ts]

@hicham78h, great write up with a bit of information. Having said that, you've not provided the overall picture of your scenario.  Basically, in your current scenario, you should update your thread with the missing variables - Which Masters at UMPI? If it's the CBE MAOL or not.  What other Masters have you looked at?  Are you looking at only butt-in-seat or entirely online?  The more info, the better...

UMPI only has one master's - the MAOL.

[asdfasd78]

Grad programs have a great deal of writing and research. There's no way around that. Do you believe it will take you a full year to complete the MAOL? I ask because most people I see on Discord are completing it in 2-3 terms. This means you won't get that full amount in financial aid. In grad school, financial aid is all loans. Scholarships aren't super common unless you're on campus conducting research, running the lab, being a TA, being an RA, etc.

Thank you for your responses. However, the information you shared is something I’ve known since I came to the USA in 2008. Additionally, there are schools that do offer scholarships specifically for competency-based degrees (CBD). We’re all here to help each other, so I hope we can stay focused on providing useful advice rather than making personal comments like, "It seems like you don’t really understand what it entails.

[Duneranger]

Grad programs have a great deal of writing and research. There's no way around that. Do you believe it will take you a full year to complete the MAOL? I ask because most people I see on Discord are completing it in 2-3 terms. This means you won't get that full amount in financial aid. In grad school, financial aid is all loans. Scholarships aren't super common unless you're on campus conducting research, running the lab, being a TA, being an RA, etc.

Thank you for your responses. However, the information you shared is something I’ve known since I came to the USA in 2008. Additionally, there are schools that do offer scholarships specifically for competency-based degrees (CBD). We’re all here to help each other, so I hope we can stay focused on providing useful advice rather than making personal comments like, "It seems like you don’t really understand what it entails.

List them. If you knew of a substantial amount you wouldn't be asking here. Id also LOVE to here about how many of these scholarships they hand out that would make things cheaper than UMPI.

What you are asking for is unreasonable and frankly not a good plan. The whole point of doing a CBE degree is to do it while working. Taking out loans (which you WILL have to do) for a degree with a meh/questionable ROI and not working is a bad plan. Taking out cost-of-living loans on top of that is an even worse plan. 

In addition, trying to find a masters that doesn't involve heavy writing tells me you don't know what you are talking about. "Practical learning" is a meaningless term. With a business masters, you will write and do projects, accept that or don't'.

Cost of living loans are based on school zip code, its set. You CAN delve into private loan territory if you want more, which is also a horrible idea.