One of the most common concerns about pursuing a graduate degree is affordability, but UNO addresses this by offering the most affordable graduate school tuition rates in the region, along with a multitude of funding resources to help support graduate students, including:
- Omaha Urban Rate (OUR) Tuition-Reduction Program
- Federal Financial Aid
- GradSense - graduate school financial planning
- Graduate Assistantships
- Workforce Partnerships
- Scholarships, Fellowships and Waivers
- Military & Veterans Benefits
- Maverick Payment Plan
- On-Campus Employment
- Open Educational Resources
Omaha Urban Rate (OUR) Tuition
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) offers residents of several neighboring states the opportunity to attend UNO at significantly reduced tuition rates through an initiative called Omaha Urban Rate (OUR) Tuition. The OUR Tuition now represents a rebranded and expanded tuition reduction option for students in the region.
Non-Resident Nebraska Income Tax Tuition Credit
Individuals who do not qualify for resident tuition status and/or reside outside of Nebraska but pay Nebraska income tax (and the spouses or dependents of such individuals) may be entitled to a tuition credit upon documented evidence of such payment to the State.
Federal Financial Aid
Graduate students can also qualify for federal financial aid, including low-interest loans. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is a vital resource for understanding what types of aid may be available to you.
GradSense
GradSense is a website to help you plan financially for graduate school – whether you’re already enrolled or just considering your options. Learn what funding options are available for which degrees, plan your future with our debt to earnings calculator, and create a budget that will see you through your program.
Graduate Assistantships (GA)
A graduate assistantship is intended to award students who have demonstrated high academic performance and potential either at the graduate or undergraduate level. As a graduate assistant you will be considered a UNO employee with a tuition waiver, monthly salary, and subsidized health insurance.
- Be admitted to a graduate program (non-degree and unclassified students are ineligible) in good academic standing
- Work 20 hours each week
- Tuition remission
- Monthly salary (paid electronically on last business day of month)
- Eligible for subsidized health insurance
- Minimum of six (6) graduate hours each semester.
GAs are selected by each department individually, so please contact your department's office to apply. The duties of a GA may include teaching, instructing, and supervising undergraduate-level labs, grading, or evaluating the performance of undergraduate students, collecting and processing research data for faculty, and/or preparing presentation materials. Assistantships may be awarded on an academic-year basis, a calendar-year basis, or semester-by-semester basis. Holding a GA role is considered carrying the equivalent of a full-time workload and holding additional jobs is discouraged.
UNO Workforce Partnerships
Many employers recognize the value of an advanced degree and offer tuition reimbursement programs. The UNO Career Services Employer Partnership Program is a collection of employers who are committed to hiring exceptional talent and investing in student development. Through their sponsorship, they can increase their on-campus employment brand visibility and support career development programming.
Scholarships, Fellowships and Waivers
UNO provides a limited number of scholarships and fellowships for graduate students. These merit-based and need-based awards can significantly offset tuition costs. Additionally, the Regents of the University of Nebraska make available funds, in the form of the Regents Tuition Waiver (RTW). Funds are limited and will be used to recruit highly qualified students who are Nebraska residents.
Military & Veterans Benefits
UNO offers benefits and federal assistance to service members, veterans, and their dependents and helps students maximize their tuition assistance and veterans benefits. Visit the UNO Office of Military and Veterans Services for more information.
Maverick Payment Plan
Make your education more affordable by paying for tuition and fees over time with a Maverick Payment Plan. Tuition payment plans break down your tuition balance into affordable monthly payments. There’s no interest, payment options are flexible, setup fees are affordable, and it’s easy to enroll.
On-Campus Employment
All on-campus student employment positions, including graduate assistantships, are on Handshake. Students are automatically assigned a Handshake account upon acceptance to UNO. Log in using your NetID and password to complete your profile and put your best self forward.
Open Educational Resources at UNO
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is committed to student affordability by supporting faculty in adopting free or reduced-cost digital course materials in their courses. The Open Educational Resources (OER) program, which limits or eliminates the need for UNO students to purchase textbooks and other course materials for their classes, has been slowly gaining steam – and showing impressive results. As part of the OER program, UNO now provides a course attribute for the searchable web-based course schedules. The course attribute to increase transparency so that students and their families can determine which UNO courses are using these free and reduced-cost digital course materials at the time of registration instead of learning this information as the course is beginning. Learn more about Open Nebraska.