Tuition and Financial Aid at The Lauder Institute

Our Commitment to Student Access

The Lauder Institute is committed to providing financial support to candidates who are admitted to the joint-degree program. In fact, all of our students receive some kind of financial aid from the Lauder Institute for the graduate degree in International Studies in the form of graduate school fellowships and awards.

Tuition and Fee Summary

Lauder Institute MBA/MA and JD/MA (2023-24)

In addition to Wharton MBA tuition or Penn Law tuition, the cost of the Lauder joint-degree program (2023-24 academic year) is as follows:

1st-Year Tuition and Fees
Summer $13,000
Fall Semester $8,100
Spring Semester $8,100
Minimum Guaranteed 1st-Year Fellowship ($5,000)
1st-Year Net Cost $24,200
2nd-Year Tuition and Fees
Fall Semester $8,100
Spring Semester $8,100
Minimum Guaranteed 2nd-Year Fellowship ($5,000)
2nd-Year Net Cost $11,200
Two-Year Total Net Cost $35,400

Financial Aid & Fellowships

In addition to the financing options provided through Wharton and Penn Law, Lauder fellowships are also available for accepted students.

The Leonard Lauder Fellowship

Thanks to the generosity of Leonard Lauder, we are pleased to award the prestigious Leonard Lauder Fellowship to a select number of Lauder MBA/MA applicants. Awarded at the time of admission, this award covers Lauder fees for the two years of the program. Recipients are chosen from the top students in each class, and the selection is based solely on merit. A separate application is not required for the Leonard Lauder fellowship.

General Lauder Institute Fellowships

Thanks to the generosity of the Lauder community, Lauder is able to award a number of other fellowships to admitted students, including fellowships towards the Wharton and Penn Law tuition. These funds include:

Bruno Ducharme and Jeff Montgomery Fellowship Fund
Elan and Christina Cohen Family Lauder Fellowship Fund
Goei Family Fellowship Fund
Kern Family Fellowship
Ronald S. Lauder Fellowship Fund
Mary and Vikram Malhotra MBA Fellowship
N.R. Mirani Lauder Fellowship Fund
Rosanna Ramos-Velita and Hans Levin Fellowship
Gus Roessler Fellowship Fund
Aydin Senkut Scholarship
Ellen Sun Endowed Fellowship
James Toh Lauder Fellowship Fund
Trachtenberg-Wilson Fellowship
John Tsai Lauder Fellowship

Summer Funding Opportunities

Lauder offers two types of financial awards for summer opportunities. One award is for students who take a 10-week summer internship where they are in an immersive environment but are being compensated significantly below market rate. This summer internship award has helped students do everything from working in international development in Africa to establishing a coffee startup in Colombia. The second type of award supports entrepreneurial ventures.  The Jacobson Global Venture Awards provides financial support that enables Lauder students to work full-time on their venture in lieu of completing a traditional summer internship.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

Lauder applicants, admitted students, and current students in certain languages may apply for the University of Pennsylvania’s Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships program. Typically, Round 1 applicants apply for the FLAS after being admitted into the program, and Wharton Round 2 applicants must apply for the FLAS in tandem with the admissions process. For more information about the FLAS program and eligibility please visit the FLAS website. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

Other Resources for Financial Aid

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Founded in 1975, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) empowers Latino families with the knowledge and resources needed to successfully complete a higher education, and provides scholarships and support services to as many exceptional Hispanic American students as possible. HSF strives to make college education a top priority for every Latino family across the nation, mobilizing our community to proactively advance that goal—each individual, over a lifetime, in every way they can. HSF also seeks to give its Scholars all the tools they need to do well in their course work, graduate, enter, and excel in a profession, help lead our nation going forward, and mentor the generations to come. As the nation’s largest non-profit organization supporting Hispanic American higher education, HSF has awarded over $588 million in scholarships and provides programs and support services for students and parents, HSF Scholars, and Alumni. For more information about the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, please visit HSF.net.

Soros Fellowship for New Americans

The purpose of the Fellowship is to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields and to partake of the American dream. The program was established in recognition of the contributions New Americans have made to American life and in gratitude for the opportunities the United States afforded the founders of the Fellowship, Paul & Daisy Soros. For more information, click here.

John Boyer First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry Memorial Fund

John Boyer was a member of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, who had seen active military service overseas.  This, combined with his love of travel, led to his interest in bringing about a greater understanding between the peoples of the United States and foreign lands. In 1954, Francis Boyer established a trust fund in memory of his son, John Francis Boyer, who died in an automobile accident at the age of twenty-three.  Each year, a grant is awarded to a non-US citizen to help provide for one year of study within the United States.  For more information, contact jtt@agogegroup.com.

Loans & Loan Forgiveness

Lauder MBA/MA students, both U.S. citizens and international students, are also eligible to apply for loans through Wharton MBA Financial Aid to meet educational and living expenses not covered by fellowships. For questions about the loan process and/or Wharton tuition please contact the Wharton MBA Financial Aid team at financialaid@wharton.upenn.edu or +1 215-898-8728.

Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund for Public Service

Lauder MBA/MA students may apply for the John M. Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund for Public Service, co-created by Lauder Governor Tom Bendheim, G90, WG90, to encourage MBA graduates to pursue careers in the public and nonprofit sectors. Up to $20,000 per year is available for five years following graduation. For further information on this competitively awarded financial support, please click through to the Wharton page on MBA loan forgiveness.

For further information contact us at lauderinfo@wharton.upenn.edu.