Program Fees and Financial Aid

Program Tuition

Total Program Tuition is $15,000. Students will be billed $3,750 per semester. Please note: We anticipate a rise in tuition to be approved this summer (2013). Tuition is expected to be $20,000 total (or $5,000 per semester) beginning in the fall of 2013. This cost applies to both TAM tracks and covers instruction at all sites involved. Students are guaranteed access to academic facilities at the participating universities. Please note that the UNC Cashier's Office may apply student fees to your account.

TAM program tuition does not cover certain minor charges at some universities. Access to recreational facilities at UNC, for example, requires payment of a nominal fee. Cost-of-living estimates will vary according to individual circumstances and according to the sites and residences chosen by different students. Further, changes in exchange rates may impact these estimates. Please contact the TAM Office for more detailed financial information.

Financial Aid

Loans - US track: Students enrolled in the UNC M.A. in Political Science who are citizens of the United States are eligible to apply for US federal loans through the UNC Financial Aid office. You can begin this process by applying online at www.fafsa.ed.gov BEFORE Feb. 15, 2013, to meet Carolina's priority deadline of March 1.

Loans - European track: Students pursuing one of the European degrees may be eligible to receive loans from private organizations. Students are free to choose a loan with a private lender of their choice.

Scholarships: The TAM program awards a limited number of merit-based partial scholarships to reduce the program fee. Please note that no other UNC-sponsored scholarships apply to the TAM program. If you wish to be considered for a merit-based TAM scholarship, please include a brief statement to that effect in your application. In addition, three to four full scholarships (1 full academic year's tuition plus a stipend of $15,000 paid in ten monthly installments) will be awarded to in-coming TAM students. The FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) funding is made available by the US Department of Education through the Center for European Studies (CES). By way of the FLAS award, this federal agency encourages US citizens, who intend to pursue careers in US government service, to attain a high level of foreign- language proficiency. Therefore, to be eligible for this award, you must possess:

  1. US citizenship or permanent residency;
  2. An interest in pursuing a career in US government service;
  3. The intention to pursue a UNC-CH degree;
  4. The intention and documented ability to complete at least one of your overseas modules at a site in which instruction is in a west-European language other than English (your target foreign-language) or the intention to enroll in 2 semesters of advanced foreign-language training at UNC-CH if you enroll in TAM’s track II;
  5. The willingness to pursue formal foreign-language training while at UNC-CH (for one semester if in track I and for 2 semesters if in track II).

If you meet the above criteria and wish to be considered in the open competition for the FLAS award, please indicate your interest within your TAM personal statement and refer to the following website for relevant details: Area Studies FLAS awards.

You will need to comply with all FLAS program competition rules. Please note that FLAS and TAM require separate applications.

You will need to make the TAM office aware of your interest in the FLAS award at the time you apply to the TAM program; however, you will probably hear about admission decisions BEFORE you hear about decisions regarding FLAS.

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