The amount of money spent on a good full time program can be close to quarter of a million dollars! You should calculate opportunity cost (amount lost on your employment for two years), tuition, living (self and dependents) and other hidden costs like health insurance, unexpected trips to various fairs . . .

There are public schools which have nearly USD 30,000 and private schools which can have whooping USD 80,000 towards complete tuition. The money you require also depends on the location of your school for example large cities like New York will have a much greater living cost than a small place like North Carolina.

There are many options which you can explore and finance a good part of your studies. Some of the options are:

STUDY LOANS
Look at all other options to minimize the personal loans and then go for loans. Federal Stafford loans are very common source of loans. It is possible to get some part of the loan on subsidized rate where the government will pay for the interest till the time you graduate. You may borrow up to $18,500 annually (of which a maximum of $8,500 can be subsidized) under the Stafford Loan program. The terms of repayment depend on a person, for example under income-based repayment plan; your payment is calculated as a percentage of your monthly gross income. Also, you can extend repayment plan to over a period of up to 25 years.You can also look at MBA LOANS sponsored by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) which has financed more than $875 million worth of loans to graduate business school students.

MBA GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
? MBA scholarships and grants can come privately from the schools, alumni bodies, federal government and groups of special interests. The federal government does not give grants for MBA studies and yet you have huge amount of grants available. This is the free money which would not come knocking at your door, you will have to knock. Your business schools reserve this money for you. Many schools give the money without being asked for, UCLA-Anderson or UC at Berkeley. The amount is huge; you just need to find out a way to approach it in a right way. You should contact your school as soon as you get admission and ask for the grants and fellowships available. They might not have advertised it on the website or school brochure but they may have it for you. This money is distributed keeping in mind the intellect or need of the student. It is usually given on first come first served basis and exhaust fast. These have specific deadlines so you should know about them in advance and apply early. ? ? ? ?

WORK STUDY PROGRM
Many schools will allow you to opt for a part-time employment under this program. The work can include research, teaching and resident assistantships. The key here would be to manage your academics and your work simultaneously. The amount you earn from this would help you towards meeting some of the living expenses. You should contact the student advisor of the school you want to apply to, for more details

EDUCATIONAL SPONSORSHIP BENEFITS
You study and your company bears the cost of your MBA! Yes it is possible. Many companies do pay for your MBA program. You should ask your human resources department the details. Companies prefer to pay for executive or part- time program rather than full time program. The basis can be many: Employers may choose to pay for your total expense, they may only pay your tuition fees, company may agree to pay only for the courses you complete with certain credits or they may pay for the loan you take. Your employer may have certain expectations from you if they are paying for your education, ask them. They may want you to pay it in some defined period or would want you to sign a bond to work only for their company for certain period after your graduation. Even some business schools would not allow you to participate in their recruitment process if you are a company sponsored candidate. You should evaluate your career goals before taking any decision, taking the personal study loans can be better if you want to change a career, explore the recruitment options at your school or do something on your own.

• Options for You Know how can you plan your finances and look at possible options of aid
• Scholarships and Aid About the requisites, budget planning, needed documentation and employment prospects
• Int'l graduate student loan If you have a co-signer, this program can definitely be helpful