Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition per Course Unit, Fees, and Living Expense Budgets

*Academic Year 2025-2026 rates are estimated. 

• One course unit (CU) is typically equivalent to 3 credits at another institution.
• All full-time and F-1 visa students must obtain comprehensive health insurance as a condition of student enrollment at the University of Pennsylvania. If you have your own insurance coverage, you may waive enrollment in the Penn Student Insurance Plan. The annual rate is posted by Student Health Service. 
• International students who accept the offer of admission from MPGP must submit financial documents to the University of Pennsylvania showing proof of financial assets (i.e., tuition, fees, and living expenses) for the first year of the program in order to meet the requirement for the visa application.   

**Fees Include:

• General fee: A General Fee is assessed to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, and directly funds Penn’s non-instructional student support services. The General Fee for full-time students provides them with full access to a wide variety of services and resources, including counseling and wellness, multicultural resource centers, student activities, recreation and fitness, career services, learning support, and much more.
• Clinical fee: The clinical fee is required for students enrolled in three or more course units (full-time enrollment) and allows them unlimited access to the Penn Student Health Service.
• Recreation fee: The recreation fee is incorporated into the General Fee for full-time students. It includes automatic membership in the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center, the University's fitness center.
• Technology fee:  The technology fee is based on the cost of technology-related needs to run the programs. 

Eligible Medical Physics Graduate Programs students may apply for financial aid, including a variety of student loans, some of which are subsidized by the federal government. All domestic applicants interested in their loan eligibility should complete the FAFSA form after applying to a Medical Physics Graduate Program. Penn’s Student Registration and Financial Services (SRFS) office is available to help prospective and current students navigate the process. For more information on financing your graduate studies, visit the Graduate Student Loans Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
 

MPGP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Scholarship

The University of Pennsylvania Medical Physics Graduate Programs has a $30,000 scholarship over two years (applied as a tuition bill credit) to support a student from an underrepresented background who enrolls full-time in our Master of Science in Medical Physics degree program. Admitted applicants from Underrepresented Populations in the U.S. Biomedical, Clinical, Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Enterprise as defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) who are pursuing the field of radiation oncology are invited to apply.

Recent Scholarship Award Recipients

Our 2023 Scholarship Award recipient, Alejandro Garcia, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2022. He plans to pursue a clinical career in radiation therapy.  

Our 2022 Scholarship Award recipient, Mario Gallardo, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from The College of New Jersey in 2022. He is pursuing a clinical career in radiation therapy.

Our 2021 Scholarship Award recipient, Elvia Odalis Reyes Guevara, earned her Bachelor of Science in Physics from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala in 2020. Odalis is looking forward to pursuing a career in radiation therapy.

Our 2020 Scholarship Award recipient, Destinee Holloman, completed her Bachelor of Science in Physics at Millersville University in 2020. Destinee is looking forward to pursuing a clinical career in radiation therapy.

MSMP Program Scholarship

The University of Pennsylvania Medical Physics Graduate Programs has two (2) $25,000 scholarships available per year (applied as a tuition bill credit) to support students who enroll full-time in our Master of Science in Medical Physics degree program. 

NEW! MPGP Textbook Funding
Textbooks for a select number of first year MPHY courses will be provided to incoming students. 

MPGP Professional Development Funding (PDF)
Each student will receive $1,100 as a reimbursement toward eligible expenses related to attending professional meetings, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) Part 1 Exam fee, and residency application fees. 

MPGP Conference Presentation Funding Awards
Awards of a maximum of $650 per student are available on a competitive basis for expenses related to presenting a talk or poster at professional meetings. 

MPGP Paid Membership Dues
MPGP will pay for student application fees and membership dues in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and for Delaware Valley Chapter AAPM events. 

MPGP Clinical Practicum Transportation Funding
MSMP students will be reimbursed for transportation to/from Clinical Practicum sites as needed.  

Penn GAPSA - Professional Student Travel Grant
The University of Pennsylvania’s GAPSA Professional Student Council awards individual travel grants to defray the cost of qualified travel expenses for graduate students attending and/or presenting at academic conferences and attending residency interviews. 

Penn GAPSA - President Gutmann Leadership Award 
The Office of the President has generously provided additional funding to GAPSA to augment GAPSA’s funding for graduate and professional student travel. The award will be given to students presenting at either an international conference, or a conference within the United States that would normally be out of their budget even with an individual travel grant through the Research or Professional Student Councils. 

AAPM Expanding Horizons Travel Grant
The Expanding Horizons Travel Grant program is designed to provide students and trainees with an opportunity to broaden the scope of scientific meetings attended in their career.  

AAPM Best Award
AAPM student members who are first author on an accepted abstract for the AAPM Annual Meeting are eligible to apply. Best Medical will provide a $500 award to be used for travel, food and lodging expenses to attend the AAPM Annual Meeting in person. AAPM will provide complimentary Annual Meeting registration for each recipient.  

Chair’s Radiation Oncology Summer Research Grants

The Department of Radiation Oncology offers $4,000 awards for students to complete defined research projects in the summer.  Abstract and manuscript submission is required at the conclusion of the project in September.   The application to apply will be distributed annually. 

MPGP Course Assistants (CAs)
There are partial stipends available to select second year master’s students to provide course support for certain first year master’s courses (approximately $2,240 stipend per course).

Clinic
Paid employment by the Department of Radiation Oncology for full-time enrolled master’s students beginning first year spring semester and full-time certificate students for routine clinical work. This may include patient-specific quality assurance (QA) measurements prior to treatment in the PCAM clinics.  Pay is approximately $20/hour, typically 6 hours maximum per week, for semester-long appointments. 

Resident Advisor (RA)
Resident Advisor positions for master’s students in Penn College Houses & Academic Services advise and support undergraduate students in exchange for dormitory housing and a dining allocation.

Teaching Assistant (TA)
There may be part-time employment opportunities (non-work study positions) available in academic departments as teaching assistants (TAs). TAs typically help the instructor with the operations and logistics of a course.

Physics Department
Lab TAs may be needed. There is some required TA training. Pay is approximately $2,000 per semester for a maximum of 8 hours work per week. Interested students may send an email request to Michelle Last. Briefly introduce yourself and mention any previous experience supporting a course as well as any relevant coursework you’ve taken.

Physics PhD students are given first priority for TA positions; extra positions are considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Math Department

TA positions may be available. Interested students should contact Nakia Rimmer. Briefly introduce yourself as a Master of Science in Medical Physics student and mention any previous experience supporting a course as well as any relevant coursework you’ve taken. An early TA screening process will take place in the spring semester. There is a requirement to participate in the Math department’s TA training. TA training will take place in mid- to late-August. 

Research Assistant (RA) positions
Information will be available if part-time research positions are available from faculty in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Students may also email other faculty at Penn to inquire about available positions.

On-campus, non-work study jobs for Penn students*
*International students on a visa should check with ISSS about work eligibility.

If you intend to complete the program as a working professional, you may be able to take advantage of tuition reimbursement benefits offered by your employer. If you are a full-time Penn employee, learn more about Penn’s tuition benefits package.

Tuition Benefit for Post-Doctoral Fellows

The Department of Radiation Oncology funds 80% of tuition and fees for the Certificate in Medical Physics for a limited number of post-doctoral fellows in the Department of Radiation Oncology. The post-doctoral fellow is responsible for paying the remaining 20% of tuition and fees. The post-doctoral fellow must apply, be admitted to, enroll part-time in the Certificate program (in order to balance coursework with post-doctoral responsibilities), and maintain good academic standing in order to be eligible for the tuition benefit. Search for open Department of Radiation Oncology post-doctoral positions. Contact mpp-info@uphs.upenn.edu with questions.

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Fellowships and Grants
The American Associate of University Women (AAUW) provides fellowships and grants to women pursuing graduate or certificate education in a variety of fields.

AAPM/RSNA Doctoral and Masters Graduate Fellowships
Sponsored by the AAPM Education and Research Fund, four Doctoral awards of $10,000 each and three MS awards of $10,000 each can be used for tuition, professional and research development. One of the MS and Doctoral awards will be reserved for under-represented applicants. 

BHW Group Scholarship Opportunity
This $3,000 scholarship opportunity is open to undergraduate or graduate women in STEM fields. Applicants must write an essay about their favorite app. Applications open in January and are due each April 15th.  

Health Physics Society

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme
Selected female students receive a scholarship for master’s degree programs in nuclear related studies at accredited universities and an opportunity to pursue an internship facilitated by the IAEA for up to 12 months. 

National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
This funding opportunity is for master’s students interested in STEM-based research projects and non-clinical careers. 

United States Air Force Health Professions Scholarship 
This opportunity covers 100% tuition, fees, textbooks, supplies, and stipend for two years; it requires an active duty service requirement.