Graduate Studies Financial Aid

It costs very little to get a great education at MTSU.

If you were to pay full Out-of-State Tuition, it should cost you . . .

  • Tuition plus program services fee: $11,088 per semester (based on a 9 credit-hour load) (rates as of Fall 2014)
  • Fees: see list
  • Plus living expenses.

In-State Tuition is even lower . . .

  • Tuition plus program services fee: $4,401 per semester (based on a 9 credit- hour load)
    (rates as of Fall 2014)

Compare this to other graduate programs.


  • Even with great prices, we still offer Financial Aid to help defray the expense of getting a graduate degree at MTSU.

Graduate Assistantships

The most common form of assistance is the Graduate Assistantship. These are awarded based on School of Music needs, student performance, and faculty recommendation.

Full-time Graduate Assistantships for out-of-state students are equal to an award of $21,066 per year (based on nine-hour loads). Graduate Assistantships for in-state students represent a $12,552 award per year (based on nine-hour loads). In both cases, the student is given a full tuition waiver (i.e., you pay nothing) and a stipend of $6,000 annually. In return, we ask you to provide us 20 hours of your time per week.

A half-time assistantship provides a half tuition waiver, but you pay the remaining half at In-State Rates. The stipend also is halved (to $3,000 per year), and we ask that you provide us ten hours of your time per week.

In both cases, you still have to pay all applicable student fees when you register.

If you wish to apply for a Graduate Assistantship, you may do so with the Graduate Assistantship Application form at the back of the Graduate Catalog, or you may download an application here with Acrobat Reader. Complete the form and send it to Dr. Paul Osterfield, Director of the Graduate Program, MTSU School of Music Box 47, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132.

Other Types of Financial Aid

Other types of Financial Aid are available through the College of Graduate Studies and Financial Aid and Scholarships.

For more information E-mail the Director of our Graduate Porgram.