Financing Your Simon Degree

October 27, 2023 | Sharise Kent

The following post was written by Sharise Kent, assistant director of MBA recruitment. Sharise works with prospective students who are considering the Full-Time MBA program at Simon Business School. As a Rochester native, she loves welcoming prospective students to Simon and Rochester to experience everything the school and the city have to offer.

For most people, one of the major factors impacting the decision to attend business school is cost. At Simon, we are committed to bringing graduate studies within reach of every student. Through merit scholarships, fellowships, and opportunities such as the Simon Games scholarship competition, there are many avenues that make Simon financially accessible for all qualified applicants. 

Generous Merit Scholarships at Simon

At Simon, over 90% of our full-time MBA candidates receive merit-based tuition scholarship awards. For many of our students, these generous scholarships make attending Simon a reachable goal. For our MS programs, over 70% of our students receive scholarship support. When awarding merit-based scholarships, the Admissions Committee takes into consideration professional experience, academic performance, extracurricular involvement, community contributions, leadership capabilities, test scores (when submitted), and more. There is no separate application to be considered for merit awards. 

Simon Games: Compete to Win a Full-Tuition Scholarship

Prospective Simon students can participate in Simon Games—a simulation-based competition that awards $500,000 in scholarship support to competition finalists who are admitted and enroll at Simon! Top performers will be invited to campus for the final round of competition—Report to the Board—which is an opportunity to present on your performance to a board consisting of Simon staff, faculty and current students. While all finalists who report to the board will receive scholarship support, the grand prize winners will receive a full-tuition scholarship!

In addition to competing for a full-tuition scholarship, Simon Games provides participants with the opportunity to build their résumé, engage in experiential learning, and gain valuable experience. There's still time to register for the Fall Games kicking off on November 2! Use code PLAY15 to save 50% off of the registration fee (a $15 value). Don't wait—registration closes at 11:59 p.m. EDT on October 29!

Funding Through Fellowships

The Fielding Leadership Fellowship is a full-tuition award given to Simon MBA candidates with superior academic and professional credentials. This Fellowship includes a $10,000 stipend per year for partial living expenses, priority access to receptions, and premier networking opportunities. Similarly, full-time MS candidates are eligible for the Meliora Scholarship, which is also a full-tuition award. Students are selected based on displaying personal drive, campus or community leadership, and demonstrated professional and academic achievement.

In addition, through longtime partnerships with organizations including The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management and Forté, Simon provides fellowship opportunities ranging in support from $10,000 to full-tuition for qualified full-time MBA candidates. 

Return on Investment

With an impressive return on investment (No. 3 for ROI, The Economist 2022) our graduates see immediate benefits from their Simon education. Our MBA Class of 2023's full-time post-MBA average total compensation reached an all-time high at $177,741 (according to U.S. News & World Report calculations), with 91% accepting jobs within 3 months of graduation.*

In our MS Class of 2022, 90% of job-seeking graduates received offers within six months of graduation.** The expected salary growth combined with significant scholarship support create an attractive ROI for earning a Simon degree.

*This data is accurate as of October 6, 2023, and conforms to the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance standards for reporting Full-Time MBA employment statistics.
**This data is accurate as of December 31, 2022, and conforms to the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance standards for reporting Specialty Masters employment statistics.

Affordability of Rochester

When students discover that Rochester is one of the most affordable places to live in the US, it often helps solidify their choice to commit to Simon. Rochester is the No. 2 most affordable major housing market in the US and is also ranked as a Top 10 Best Place to Live in the US for Quality of Life. The ability to find safe and affordable housing options combined with reasonable transportation costs in a metro area home to over 1 million people is unique when considering locations for the best business schools. 

Benefits to University of Rochester Employees

Candidates interested in part-time study at Simon are able to use their tuition benefits toward their Simon degree. In addition, UR employees are also eligible for merit-based scholarship consideration, which can help offset the remaining tuition costs after tuition benefits are applied. Interested in learning more about what this could mean for your Simon studies? Contact the Admissions team to learn more!

Right now is a great time to attend business school to position yourself for future success. The Round 2 deadline for our full-time programs is January 5, while our final deadline for January entry to our Professional MBA is December 1—there is plenty of time to start your application! To learn more about Simon Business School and Rochester, consider attending a virtual event or even coming to campus for a visit to experience Simon.