Tuition and funding

A graduate education is a significant investment, but many scholarships and other resources are available to MHI students to help fund your education.

MHI tuition and fees

Full-term tuition at the School of Information is set by the U-M Office of the Registrar. Each year near the beginning of the fall term, updated tuition and fees are posted on the Registrar's website.

Those rates for the 2024-2025 school year are $17,739 per term for Michigan residents and $29,251 per term for out-of-state residents attending full time (9 credits or more), plus fees.

There are many factors to take into consideration when calculating the cost of living in Ann Arbor. The U-M Office of Financial Aid provides a standard student budget to help get you started, though you may find that the cost of books is lighter at UMSI, where many professors attempt to ensure that course materials are available online.

Scholarships and Fellowships

Program scholarships

Individuals who complete and submit an application for admission by the Priority Deadline of January 15 will be considered automatically for priority funding. Applicants are eligible for scholarship consideration on a rolling basis after January 15. There is no additional scholarship application.

UMSI Graduate Guarantee

The University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI) is now offering free tuition in two graduate school programs for full-time students who were awarded the U-M Go Blue Guarantee grant as undergraduates at the Ann Arbor, Dearborn or Flint campuses.

The UMSI Graduate Guarantee provides four semesters of tuition and fees in the School of Information’s Master of Science in Information (MSI) program or the Master of Health Informatics (MHI) program in Ann Arbor. This is a grant, not a loan, funded by the School of Information. It will begin with students enrolled for fall 2023. Learn more about the UMSI Graduate Guarantee.

UMSI Achievement Fellowship

UMSI Achievement Fellowships are structured to assist eligible students in the Master of Science and Information and Master of Health Informatics programs with four semesters of support consisting of tuition, fees, health insurance, and a stipend of approximately $11,598 (adjusted annually each September).

The Achievement Fellowship is awarded to newly admitted students who:

Have a record of superior academic achievement (e.g., grade point average, honors or other designation)
Are U.S. citizens or permanent residents

and meet one or more of the following criteria:

Come from an educational, cultural or geographic background that is underrepresented in graduate study in their discipline in the United States or at the University of Michigan. Underrepresented educational background includes attendance at:
- single-gender college
- community or two-year college
- Minority Serving Institution including
  - Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI)
  - Alaskan Native-Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNHSI)
  - Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI)
  - Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)
  - Native American Serving Non Tribal Institutions (NASNTI)
  - Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI)
  - Tribal College and Universities (TCU)
Have demonstrated sustained commitment to diversity in the academic, professional or civic realm through their work experience, volunteer engagement, or leadership of student or community organizations to reduce social, educational or economic disparities. By diversity we mean the broad definition of the underrepresented groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, LGBTQA status, non-traditional students, first generation college students, first generation U.S. citizens, veterans or persons with disabilities
Have experienced financial hardship as a result of family economic circumstances
Are first-generation U.S. citizens or are the first generation in their families to graduate from a four-year college

Decisions for this fellowship are based on application materials; no separate application is required.

Evan Hale Bliss Health Scholarship in Health Informatics

Created by three U-M School of Information graduates, Nancy A. Bliss, Kenlee Ray and Maureen M. Moore, this scholarship was the first to be created by individuals for the Health Informatics program. It is named in memory of Evan Bliss, who worked for the Henry Jackson Foundation in health data collection and analysis on HIV/AIDS treatments in various projects in Africa and Eastern Europe.

Matching funds

MHI students who receive an external scholarship prior to their first term of enrollment or through their first year (12 months) of enrollment are eligible for up to $10,000 in matching funds, depending on the award amount, the level of funding already awarded by the program, the remaining unmet need for cost of attendance and the availability of funds remaining in the annual matching funds budget.

Current students who receive an external award within 12 months of initial enrollment should submit the award statement to the Health Informatics admissions team at [email protected].

All program matching funds will be applied toward student tuition expenses within the two-year (four-semester) MHI program or as a stipend up to the unmet need for cost of attendance (as defined by the U-M Office of Financial Aid).

Note that program matching funds apply to scholarship awards only, not to tuition support provided via employee benefit programs or government sponsored tuition payment programs.

External scholarships

Students are encouraged to seek additional funding from external scholarships. For more sources, consult the U-M Office of Financial Aid index of scholarship search tools. These two organizations offer scholarships specifically for MHI students:

AHIMA Foundation

Awards are available for students pursuing master's degrees in health informatics and who are current American Health Information Management Association members.

HIMSS Foundation

Scholarships are awarded each year for student members of the Health Information Management Systems Society who are pursuing graduate work in a field related to health information management.

Financial aid

The U-M Office of Financial Aid has information on how to apply for various resources as a graduate student. Additionally, there are many opportunities to secure employment as a graduate student in the MHI program. Although the MHI program requires a significant amount of time and effort, most students find they are able to work 10-20 hours per week. Keep in mind that GSI and GSRA positions can require a significant time commitment.

Funding for international students

Finding graduate school funding can be challenging for international students, as opportunities for available scholarships are more limited. However, there are some national and regional scholarships that international students may qualify for, so it's worth spending some time conducting research on the possibilities. Some scholarships are only available for U.S. citizens, so be sure to look closely at the eligibility requirements.

Some other great resources for possible sources of funding include:

MLibrary Funding For Students guide for international students
U-M Office of Financial Aid Resources for Graduate Students
Institute of International Education
University of Michigan International Center

Alternative MHI degree funding

GSI, GSRA, and GSSA opportunities

Graduate assistantships are opportunities for students to be involved in teaching, research or strategic initiatives on campus. Typically, assistantships are very competitive opportunities that carry a strong financial aid package that may include tuition, stipend and health benefits. At UMSI, virtually all the assistantships are teaching assistantships.

Get tips from UMSI alumni and learn more about each type of assistantship below.

Teaching assistantships (GSIs)

Some UMSI students with relevant backgrounds have obtained Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) positions teaching undergraduates in other departments (such as psychology, communications, English, chemistry, etc.). In general, GSI positions are highly competitive and tend to value teaching experience. There are also opportunities for grader positions that support instructors in some departments. See posted positions.

GSI advice from student GSI alumni

"Start as early as you can, even before you're accepted to UMSI. Visit Academic Human Resources to read about GSI stuff in general. Visit departments' homepages to see recent or future GSI postings. Contact the GSI selection administrator and drop off or email a resume to them. This gets you on their radar; you exist.

Apply for anything that seems like you could teach it. Some GSIs run a class alone, others are teaching as part of a team. GSI jobs are not all created equal.

Email the professors with a cover letter (in the body of email) and an attached resume. Each letter should be focused on the specific class and why you are the right person to teach it. Most professors do not respond, but making this contact can be crucial to landing a GSI spot. Paying a visit during the prof's office hours can also help by putting a face and personality to a name on a resume."

— Mark Thompson-Kolar

"Look at U-M's Academic Human Resources site for the various departments and their posting patterns. Most departments will list openings and applications on this site as well as due dates and if the application needs to be submitted in-person or submitted through email.

You can ignore that part where it states how often they make appointments outside of the department. Apply to any and every department that you think you have even the tiniest bit of qualifications for, even if it's just a class or two in undergrad. If you have teaching experience in any capacity (workshops, private tutoring, anything) make sure to emphasize that.

Appointments are made even into the first few weeks of classes, so don’t give up too early. Keep applying to the positions that haven't been filled. Departments that have a track record of hiring lots of GSIs from outside of their department are communications and psychology. Start with those two first and work your way into the other schools in LS&A.

It takes a lot of luck and a lot of applications in order to get just one GSI job, but after you get it the first time, it's much easier to keep the appointment or get hired in another department in subsequent terms."

— Steven Grady

"I started looking for a GSI even before my first semester began at UMSI and I tried a few places — museum studies, Chinese, undergrad SI courses ... anything I could relate to my background.

Sometimes I never heard back, and sometimes the professor told me that they really liked me but had to move on with someone else who had more teaching experience. In my third semester at UMSI, I got an offer from the Department of Asian Language and Culture and have continued to be their GSI in my fourth (last) semester. I really enjoy it but it’s a great amount of work — I would suggest only taking two or three courses while doing a GSI.

Keep trying and never give up. This is not just an opportunity to get funding but also to practice how to quickly understand what your potential employer needs and market yourself. It is very competitive no matter where you apply, but if you really want to get it, spend some time thinking about why you are a good fit and how you can convince the professor (your future employer).

Teaching experience is important, but for language courses they also hire people without much teaching experience. The Department of Asian Language and Culture (ALC) offers a course called ALC445-Chinese Language Pedagogy. Whoever takes this course might have a better chance of getting a GSI with ALC."

— Shi Chen

Research assistantships (GSRAs)

UMSI master’s students students are rarely hired for a Graduate Student Research Assistantship (GSRA), which is a competitive position awarded by individual faculty who have funded research projects. Strategies for increasing your competitiveness for GSRA positions include taking courses taught by faculty whose research interests you, discussing mutual interests during office hours or offering to work as an hourly research assistant. GSRA positions cover tuition and offer students a substantial stipend and health insurance. Learn more about UMSI's extensive research endeavors.

GSRA advice from student GSRA alumni

"I would suggest to students that they highlight any past experience working on a research team (even from undergraduate education) that they may have. Having a few references from inside an academic environment is very advantageous as well when seeking a GSRA. Be sure to illustrate that you are both comfortable working as part of a team but are proactive and can be counted on to perform independent research/analyses."

— Andrea Parker

"When it came time to find a GSRA position, I realized that UMSI seemed to have only a few openings at a time or that they were not publicized very much. Being proactive is the best advice I can give. Demonstrate both your interest and skill and develop relationships with your professors so that you can be considered a candidate as early as possible."

— Ryan Burton

Student staff assistantships (GSSAs)

Graduate Student Staff Assistant (GSSA) positions are typically housed in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at the University of Michigan. They require high interpersonal communication and research skills as well as experience designing and planning workshops and interactive programs for students, staff and faculty. Successful applicants will have a vested and demonstrated interest in DEI and would have taken advantage of facilitation and student life training opportunities on campus. These positions are limited, so it's important to submit your application early. Additionally, the specific responsibilities of GSSAs vary across schools, so it's important to pay attention to the specific tasks listed in the job description.

Loan forgiveness programs

A number of loan forgiveness programs are available to master's-level graduates, particularly for those who pursue work in public service. A few of these programs are listed below. It is important to remember that these programs are administered based on certain types of loans, and consolidation may affect your eligibility. Be sure to seek assistance when considering consolidation to make sure you are not disqualifying yourself from thousands of dollars in potential loan forgiveness.

Veteran and service member programs

The U-M Veteran and Military Services Office provides information regarding support available for student veterans and active service members, including the Post 9/11 GI Bill and other programs.