How much does tuition cost?
Tuition for the 2023–2024 school year is $850 per credit. The term tuition and annual tuition are determined by the number of enrolled credits. Students are eligible to apply for additional awards (such as an anticipated AmeriCorps award), partner school contributions, and institutional need-based aid.
I'm trying to budget my future expenses. What would a monthly breakdown be?
Let's say that your school does not partner with Relay, and you are not in the AmeriCorps program. Based on the average credit enrollment of 17 credits, you can expect to pay $14,450 in tuition. A further breakdown is listed as your estimated cost of attendance and can help you budget for the year.
You can sign up for a payment plan each semester and should consider your budget and monthly installment amount. The terms are listed below with the total number of installments, average credits taken, tuition cost each term, and the installment amount.
| Term | Avg. Num. of Credits | Avg. Tuition Cost | Num. of Payment Plan Installments | Monthly Installment |
| Summer | 4 | $3,400.00 | 3 | $1,133.33 |
| Fall | 6 | $5,100.00 | 4 | $1,275.00 |
| Spring | 7 | $5,950.00 | 4 | $1,487.50 |
If you are in a federal aid eligible program, you also have the option of requesting aid to cover some or all of these semester costs. For more information, please see the Direct Loan article and the TEACH Grant article.
What scholarships does Relay offer? How can I apply?
Students are eligible to apply for need-based financial aid. Awards will be based on a student’s estimated family contribution calculated by the US Department of Education. Students must complete the FAFSA application (school code 042086) for consideration. Students who are ineligible for the FAFSA can complete the FAFSA alternative application. Awards are prioritized for students with the most financial need, and do not have access to external awards. Outside scholarships from social clubs, churches, and communities are both welcomed and encouraged!
When can I apply for FAFSA? How can I apply for financial aid?
If you are expecting to attend Relay during the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year, you can begin the process of applying for both need-based aid and federal aid in the form of a direct unsubsidized loan or a TEACH Grant by submitting the 2023-2024 FAFSA at https://fafsa.gov/ using Relay's school code 042086.
The TEACH and Direct Unsubsidized Loan applications for the 2023-2024 school year will be available on May 20, 2022. More information will be included in the financial aid offer that you will receive in June. If you accept your acceptance offer at a later date, you will receive your award offer two weeks afterward.
When will I receive my financial aid offer?
You will receive an award offer at the beginning of each academic year that lists the average tuition per term, your institutional need-baed aid, and your average out-of-pocket costs per term. In addition, SFS will provide multiple options on how to pay your balance (e.g. credit card payments, federal financial aid, payment plans).
If you’re a continuing student you will receive your financial aid offer before the start of the next academic year (end of May, early June).
If you’re an incoming student you will receive your financial aid offer within two weeks after you have signed your enrollment agreement starting June 2022 term. Please click here to find out how to read your award letter.
What are my next steps if my employer is covering my tuition costs in full or partially?
Partner schools committed to fully or partially covering student out-of-pocket costs will not be reflected in your financial aid award offer. The coverage amount will show on your Nelnet student account. Students will receive an email to check your Nelnet account for recent transactions. You’ll be able to log into their Nelnet account at that time.
Do you offer payment plans? When can I make my first payment?
For incoming students, payment plans are available through our partner Nelnet.
Your summer and fall costs are combined during your first year and due during the fall term. If you would like to sign up for a payment plan that covers the full balance, you will have to sign up for two plans separately, one for your summer balance and one for your fall balance. Both plans will run at the same time starting in September and the first payment installments will be due in September. Spring term payment plans will be available at the beginning of the spring term.
You can find a specific breakdown of the payment plans by reading (2). The first installment will be due on September 15th, 2023. Your financial aid offer will have instructions on how to sign up for a payment plan each term.
When will my first bill arrive and when will it be due?
We will send you a notification of new transactions for the summer and fall terms on August 15th, 2023. It will be for your summer and your fall balances since first-year students have their summer and fall bills combined. Relay recognizes that not all of our incoming students have started teaching at their schools yet. The summer and fall term bill is due on September 15th, 2023.