Financial aid will be disbursed based upon the cost of attendance for each semester in the academic year. The cost of attendance budget can be found on the School of Medicine website. A student’s financial aid eligibility is determined for the academic year from Summer Semester through Spring Semester. The School of Medicine Office of Financial Aid will send information about disbursement amounts once awards have been determined, and students will receive access to a personalized financial aid portal where they can review and accept their assistance.
Financial aid is disbursed by semester. The summer disbursement is in early July, the fall in late August, and the spring in January. Funds are disbursed beginning the first day of the regular university semester for those who have completed all required steps in the loan application process.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
We recommend that all students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, application as soon as they are accepted into the MSA Program. To be eligible to receive federal student aid, an accepted student must be a citizen or eligible noncitizen of the United States, must have a valid Social Security Number, and must meet other basic criteria. Students can review the U.S. Department of Education’s eligibility criteria.
The application requires a student’s tax return information and Federal Student Aid ID as well as key details from the MSA Program, which are distributed to all accepted students. The CWRU MSA Program Code for FAFSA is 003137. MSA students typically receive a maximum award through FAFSA that provides enough funding to cover tuition and living expenses.
Types of Student Loans
There are three types of loans available to students at the graduate level. These include:
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans,
- Federal PLUS Loans for graduate students,
- and private loans.
Students will be considered for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and credit-based loans (Federal PLUS or private loans) when they complete FAFSA. Once an accepted student’s application is reviewed and an award is determined, the Office of University Financial Aid provides loan amounts and types of loans to each student on their aid offer. Students must review the offer, and accept the loans.
Refund Advance
The School of Medicine's Office of Financial Aid may advance students up to $2,000 on their pending loan disbursements prior to the start of the semester. The student must have accepted the offered aid in an amount that exceeds the direct charges for the semester, have completed all required loan documents, and received approval for credit-based loans. The School of Medicine's refund/cash advance policies can be found here. For the Summer semester, the Office of Financial Aid can process refund advances beginning in June. Students will be notified via email when refund advances are available for request by the School of Medicine's Office of Financial Aid.
Scholarship Opportunities
The Master of Science in Anesthesia program is pleased to award each Spring at commencement the Helmut Cascorbi Valedictorian Award to the student with the highest grade point average (G.P.A.) from each program location. There is no application process; all students in good academic standing are considered. Winners are announced just prior to commencement and receive a $1,000 award for their impressive efforts throughout their two-year tenure with the MSA program.
Initially established as the Helmut Cascorbi M.D., Ph.D. Scholarship in 2011, the Valedictorian Award is in honor of Dr. Cascorbi's significant and fundamental contributions to the anesthesiologist assistant program at Case Western Reserve University and his long commitment to the growth of the CAA profession. Learn more about Dr. Cascorbi and his lasting legacy here.
Additionally, the Office of Financial Aid maintains lists of outside funding and scholarship opportunities.
Please review the lists carefully as they are generalized lists, and not all opportunities are available to or suitable for MSA students. Click here for the list of scholarships.
Additional Information
Additional information regarding the financial aid process can be requested from the School of Medicine Office of Financial Aid by emailing medfinancialaid@case.edu or calling 216.368.3666. This office is your best resource for your financial aid questions.