Master of Science [M.S] [Finance] From Claremont Graduate University

Claremont Graduate University (CGU) Master of Science (M.S.) in Finance is a one-year, full-time, in-person postgraduate programme requiring 32 units in Claremont, California. Applicants need a completed bachelor’s degree, financial accounting preparation and calculated Spring 2027 tuition of INR 63.43 Lakhs.

The programme trains students in corporate finance, fixed income, derivatives and asset management through the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Program Candidate Body of Knowledge and an applied practicum. CFA is a professional investment credential, while STEM means science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It suits recent graduates and early-career applicants who want technical finance training in a compact two-semester format, but the pace requires accounting readiness and an organised job search.

• The programme includes an Asset Management Practicum that converts classroom models into a hands-on project.
• Students complete an online ethics course aligned with the CFA ethical decision-making framework.
• Small classes are designed to provide more direct participation and instructor feedback.

Also Check: Claremont Graduate University M.S. Finance admission

CGU M.S. Finance Fees and Living Costs 2027

The Spring 2027 budget uses the 2026-27 international fee schedule and the programme’s 32 required units. F-1 means student visa status and J-1 means exchange visitor status. The table separates tuition from charges assessed per semester or academic year so Indian applicants can model the first payment accurately.

Target-cycle fee context: CGU lists tuition per unit and the M.S. Finance page lists 32 units, so the tuition total below is calculated rather than a separately published programme total.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of USD 1 = INR 95.763 as of 25 August 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

The calculated tuition of INR 63.43 Lakhs is the largest direct charge, while the deposit is credited against tuition rather than added to the final academic bill. Because the course can finish in two semesters, Indian applicants should reserve cash for both semester charges and the annual insurance amount.

• The application fee is paid before admission and is not recovered if an application is withdrawn.
• The Drucker deposit affects the first payment schedule but does not increase the calculated tuition total.
• International services and insurance are separate from the standard student service and technology charges.

Cost of Living in Claremont for M.S. Finance Students

CGU’s 2026-27 cost-of-attendance sheet gives standard-programme expenses per semester rather than a citywide monthly estimate. The monthly figures below are calculated 12-month averages from two semesters and retain the university’s separate expense categories.

Official living-cost basis: the table assumes two semesters with 16 to 20 units, matching the programme’s calculated 32-unit one-year plan.

The calculated one-year planning total is US$ 108,129 (INR 1.04 Crore). It includes US$ 66,240 tuition (INR 63.43 Lakhs) and US$ 40,006 non-tuition costs (INR 38.31 Lakhs).

The total also includes US$ 1,763 insurance (INR 1.69 Lakhs), US$ 40 international services (INR 3,830) and US$ 80 application fee (INR 7,661).

This total excludes flights, visa charges and personal borrowing costs, while the US$ 950 deposit (INR 90,975) is excluded because CGU credits it to tuition. Use the 16 to 20-unit cost sheet as a funding baseline and ask CGU whether your actual registration pattern changes the housing or fee budget.

Key insight: The calculated one-year budget reaches INR 1.04 Crore before travel and visa costs. Confirm funding for both semesters before paying the credited deposit.

CGU M.S. Finance Admission 2027

Admission to the M.S. Finance programme requires a completed bachelor’s degree, financial accounting preparation and a submitted Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score unless CGU approves a waiver. These are standardized tests used to assess graduate-level readiness.

The programme evaluates the academic record, quantitative readiness and written fit with Drucker’s management philosophy, so Indian applicants should show how their accounting and mathematics preparation supports finance study.

Core eligibility and application evidence: these requirements apply to the in-person M.S. Finance route for international applicants.

The financial accounting prerequisite is the clearest subject-specific screen because it precedes Corporate Finance, Fixed Income and Financial Derivatives. Applicants without a transcripted equivalent should complete an accredited course before applying or ask CGU whether their proposed substitute is approved.

CGU also lists Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Professional Engineer licences as waiver evidence.

• A finance, accounting, business analytics or STEM bachelor’s degree is one published basis for a GMAT or GRE waiver.
• Four units of statistics or calculus with a grade of B+ or better is another published academic waiver route.
• Five years of quantitative work or a CPA, CFA, CMA or Professional Engineer licence can also support a waiver request.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

International applicants whose first language is not English must submit an accepted test for direct entry unless they qualify for a documented waiver. TOEFL means Test of English as a Foreign Language, IELTS means International English Language Testing Service and PTE means Pearson Test of English. CGU requires scores to be sent directly by the testing agency, and self-reported results are not treated as official.

Direct-entry English scores: the TOEFL policy below preserves both scales exactly as published by CGU after the January 2026 scoring change.

CGU’s waiver rules include a degree from the United States or a country where English is the sole official language of instruction, a recent U.S. academic English bridge programme and documented primary English instruction for most courses.

• Indian applicants targeting IELTS should treat 7.0 overall and 6.5 in every sub-score as the preparation threshold.
• Applicants using TOEFL should preserve the reported new or old scale because CGU publishes both values without an institutional conversion.
• Applicants seeking an English-medium waiver should obtain an official medium-of-instruction letter before submitting the application.

Applicants below direct-entry scores may be considered for the International Scholars Program Pathways route after academic admission, with Tier 1 and Tier 2 English preparation assessed separately. Each tier costs US$ 2,000 (INR 1.92 Lakhs), so the two-tier route costs US$ 4,000 (INR 3.83 Lakhs) and is not covered by CGU fellowships.

Tip for Indian students: A waiver can remove the test requirement but not the need to prove quantitative readiness, so submit the accounting evidence and waiver documents together.

CGU M.S. Finance Application 2027

The Spring 2027 application is open and the international final deadline is 15 November 2026, while CGU also publishes future Summer and Fall 2027 dates.

Submit by the priority deadline when possible because CGU links priority review with maximum consideration for fellowships, then allow time for the required interview and international enrolment documents.

Forward-looking international deadlines: the dates below are taken from the current M.S. Finance page and use the university’s international-applicant deadline row.

CGU publishes these dates without a clock time or timezone, so an exact IST conversion is not available. Indian applicants should use the portal’s displayed cutoff and submit before the calendar date rather than relying on a late-day upload.

The programme at-a-glance lists Spring and Fall starts. The programme page also publishes a Summer 2027 deadline, so confirm Summer availability before choosing that term.

• Choose Spring 2027 when your English score, accounting prerequisite, test decision and financial evidence can be complete by 1 November 2026.
• Choose Fall 2027 when you need additional preparation time but can still submit by the 1 February 2027 priority date.
• Treat Summer 2027 as a published application window that needs programme-level confirmation before you plan travel or funding.

Application Steps for Indian Applicants

CGU uses one standard online application for master’s programmes, with an US$ 80 application fee (INR 7,661). Create an account, upload the required materials and monitor the application portal because supplemental documents can be added after submission.

Prepare official transcripts from every degree-granting institution, a current resume, direct score reports and five separate questionnaire responses of no more than 100 words each. Recommendations are optional, but the interview is required after review and no decision is issued until it is complete.

Fellowship consideration is automatic for applicants, and CGU states that decisions are normally issued within one month. That timing makes a complete priority-date submission materially more useful than an incomplete application sent only to meet the final deadline.

CGU issues Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status) or Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status) after financial verification.

• Use the questionnaire to connect your accounting preparation with the Corporate Finance, Fixed Income and Asset Management Practicum curriculum.
• Ask recommenders to verify quantitative work, analytical communication and professional conduct because the programme includes technical and ethics-focused study.
• Keep proof of funds ready because CGU requires financial documentation before issuing Form I-20 or Form DS-2019.

Read More: Claremont Graduate University application profile

Application tip: Submit by 1 November 2026 for Spring 2027 fellowship consideration, then complete the interview and financial documents before the international final deadline.

CGU M.S. Finance Scholarships 2027

CGU automatically considers applicants for merit-based fellowships, but it does not publish a named M.S. Finance award amount or a guaranteed tuition waiver for Spring 2027.

The university states that fellowships are recommended by academic departments, offered against 12 to 16 units each semester and maintained during required coursework when satisfactory academic progress is met. External Indian awards can reduce the INR 1.04 Crore calculated planning budget, but several relevant 2026 cycles are already closed.

Funding options for an Indian applicant: the awards below show eligibility limits and cycle status. Use them to separate confirmed routes from future calls.

CGU’s automatic fellowship review makes the Spring priority deadline the key university funding action. The unpublished award amount means you should keep the full budget until receiving a written offer.

• Submit the CGU application by 1 November 2026 for Spring 2027 because the university connects priority review with maximum fellowship consideration.
• Ask CGU whether a fellowship is applied across both 16-unit semesters because the published policy refers to 12 to 16 units each semester.
• Treat K C Mahindra and J N Tata as future-call funding plans because their published 2026-27 application windows have closed.
• Check National Overseas Scholarship category and income documents before relying on its support package for the master’s finance budget.

How to Build a Funding Plan

Start with the full calculated amount because fellowship funding is not a published M.S. Finance entitlement. Then subtract only a written CGU award or an external award for which you meet the nationality, category, cycle and repayment conditions.

Loan scholarships are not fee waivers, so include repayment in your India-return or U.S. employment scenario. The one-year format reduces living-cost exposure compared with a two-year degree, but it also compresses the period available to secure funding and prepare for employment.

Read More: M.S. scholarships in the USA

Scholarship reality: The priority application is the clearest university funding action. External awards can be selective or loan-based, so keep the full INR 1.04 Crore plan active until funding is documented.

CGU M.S. Finance Salary 2027

The latest official course-cohort evidence reports that 80% of Class of 2025 graduates seeking employment secured full-time roles within six months of graduation.

CGU does not publish a course-cohort salary, offer rate beyond this employment measure or India-return salary, so the figures below separate reported course outcomes from external U.S. occupational benchmarks.

Course-cohort outcomes: the Class of 2025 report identifies roles and employers, but employer presence does not prove recruitment volume or a typical result.

The course’s Asset Management Practicum and CFA-aligned technical content are relevant to analytical and investment roles, but the 80% figure applies only to graduates seeking employment. Applicants should ask for the cohort denominator, salary distribution and international-student breakdown before treating the result as a personal forecast.

External Salary Benchmarks

External benchmarks provide market context rather than graduate outcomes. They are national U.S. medians for occupations that overlap with reported roles, and they do not adjust for experience, location or immigration status.

May 2024 U.S. median annual wages: these figures are gross benchmarks and should not be used as a payback promise.

Source: CGU Class of 2025 outcome report supports the course figure; the market figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics financial analyst data and related occupational pages.

The gross benchmark range of INR 78.22 Lakhs to INR 97.06 Lakhs is not take-home pay. Taxes, benefits, location and filing status change loan-repayment capacity. Use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator for a current net-pay illustration.

ROI for a One-Year Finance Degree

The calculated one-year cost is INR 1.04 Crore before travel and visa charges. The course publishes an 80% employment outcome for Class of 2025 graduates seeking employment, but no course salary.

• The INR 1.04 Crore planning total means you should keep full funding available even when the 80% course outcome supports the programme’s career case.
• The one-year, 32-unit structure limits living-cost exposure but compresses coursework, interview preparation and job searching into two semesters, so build a career plan before arrival.
• The 36-month STEM work window can extend relevant United States employment time, so verify degree classification and employer eligibility before relying on it.
• The BLS medians are occupational benchmarks rather than CGU graduate salaries, so compare only after matching the role, location, experience and gross-pay basis.

Check Out: M.S. Finance programmes in the USA

ROI reality: The course offers a one-year STEM route and a published employment measure. Because course salary data is absent, confirm full-cost funding and role-level evidence.

United States Visa for CGU M.S. Finance Students 2027

International students normally use the F-1 student visa for this full-time programme, and CGU supports the Form I-20 process after admission and financial verification. F-1 is the nonimmigrant student classification. The visa application fee is US$ 185 (INR 17,716), while the I-901 SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) fee is US$ 350 (INR 33,517). CGU asks for a tuition deposit, Affidavit of Financial Support, financial proof and passport copy before issuing immigration documents. Review the current U.S. student visa requirements before paying either fee.

• CGU describes the degree as STEM designated, so eligible F-1 graduates may seek 12 months of post-completion OPT (Optional Practical Training) followed by a 24-month STEM extension.
• H-1B (specialty-occupation work visa) sponsorship has no universal salary cutoff because the employer must pay the higher of the actual wage or prevailing wage.
• The F-1 route is not a direct settlement route, so graduates need qualifying employer sponsorship and a later permanent-residence process.
• F-2 (dependent) status can cover a spouse and unmarried minor children, but F-2 dependants are not authorised to work.

CGU advises allowing one to two months for the visa process after receiving the I-20. Because H-1B policy, employer eligibility and permanent-residence queues can change before graduation, treat the 36-month work window as an opportunity rather than a settlement promise.

Read More: Post-study work in the USA

Visa reality: STEM status can extend eligible work authorisation to 36 months. Indian applicants still need proof of funds and an employer-sponsored plan for longer-term U.S. work.