Tuition and Fees

Financial Information

Optional and Mandatory Fees

Certain mandatory and optional fees should be anticipated for enrollment at McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics. Mandatory fees are required of all UTHealth Houston students. Optional fees are not required, but the student may elect to subscribe to any of the services listed under optional fees. Tuition and fees are subject to change and become effective on the date enacted. The Texas Legislature does not set the specific amount for any particular student fee. Student fees are authorized by state statute; the specific fee amounts and the determination to increase fees are made by the university administration and The University of Texas System Board of Regents.

For the current listing of tuition and fee schedules please refer to UTHealth Houston Bursar's Office.

Mandatory Fees

Any prospective student submitting an application through GradCAS for McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics admissions consideration will be required to submit a non-refundable $38 application fee as part of the GradCAS application process.

Tuition

All tuition and fees charged are authorized by statute and by regent approval. Resident tuition rates are listed here. Non-resident tuition rates are listed here. 

A resident doctoral student who has a total of 100 or more semester credit hours of doctoral work at an institution of higher education is required to pay nonresident doctoral tuition rates. For more information contact the Office of the Registrar.

Graduation Fee

A graduation fee of $150, payable during the student’s final academic term, is required of all degree-seeking students. This fee covers expenses associated with graduation but does not cover fees associates with renting or purchasing the ceremony regalia. This fee is charged whether or not the student participates in the formal commencement/graduation ceremony. Certificate students do not pay the graduation fee.

Laboratory Fees

Laboratory fees are assessed in an amount to cover the costs of technology and resources used by the student. Laboratory fees are only assessed to a select number of McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics courses. To see which courses are subject to laboratory fees, please visit here. 

Course Fees

Course fees offset the cost of additional requirements needed for the efficient operation of certain courses. These fees cover the cost of items like test materials for professional exam preparation or licensing fees for other resources provided within the course curriculum. To see which courses are subject to course fees, please visit here. 

Professional Liability Insurance

Every student enrolled in McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics must have professional liability insurance coverage throughout each semester enrolled for the minimum policy amount of $100,000 per claim. The professional liability insurance must include coverage for breach of confidentiality of protected health information in electronic or other patient records. Advance written notice or posting may change the minimum amount required by the Office of the Dean. The premium for this insurance is due at the time of initial registration and each fall and spring semester. The annual premium is prorated based on the student’s date of entry. The annual premium is approximately $14.50 per year.

Student Services Fee

The Student Services Fee is a mandatory fee assessed per semester credit hour to all students. The fee provides funding support towards student governance, Student Health, Shuttle Service and the Recreation Center. For a full breakdown of these fees, visit here. 

Technology Fee

The Technology Fee is collected for the purpose of funding technology costs within McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics. The Technology Fee will be assessed to all students at $250 every semester to cover the expenses associated with the software, hardware, programming, maintenance fees and technical support used by students. The fee will support the school’s goal to be the best publicly supported biomedical informatics school in the US by conducting the highest quality programs in education, biomedical informatics applications and research. The fee will also enable McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics to use the most current technology to train students and help attract the best and brightest students to our quality graduate programs.

Student Records Fee

The Student Records Fee provides students with unlimited transcripts and enrollment verification documents. The charge is $15.00 per academic year ($5 per semester).

Optional Expenses

  • Transportation Expenses: Students are required to provide their own transportation to practicum sites.
  • Academic Regalia Rental/Purchase: The charge for rental or purchase of the cap and gown varies, depending on the degree earned and the vendor utilized for the services. Information on ordering academic regalia is sent to students several months before annual commencement exercises. Additional information for graduates can be found here.

Competitive Academic Scholarship Awards

Competitive Academic Scholarship awards are designed to facilitate the scholastic development of students who are in high academic standing. The benefits of this award are two‐fold: (1) a direct financial award, and (2) if the recipient is not a resident of Texas, the change in status to resident tuition for the semester the award was earned and the two subsequent semesters. The residency waiver is applied for the aforementioned semesters regardless of the student’s enrollment in those semesters. All McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics students are eligible to compete for these scholarships. The number of Competitive Academic Scholarships awarded each year is dependent on the availability of funds. Students are notified via email when scholarship applications are being accepted. Students must submit all applications and required application materials to be considered.

The criteria for selection are:

  • McWilliams SBMI coursework Grade Point Average (GPA)
  • Pattern of academic achievements, such as scientific papers, posters and/or presentations or any relevant honor, recognition or awards earned
  • Relevant Biomedical Informatics community or volunteer experience including any Student Governance Organization (SGO) or Student InterCouncil (SIC) involvement
  • Success in overcoming adversity
  • Personal Statements

The McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics Scholarship and Awards Committee considers all submissions. The Scholarship and Awards Committee is composed of McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics faculty and a representative from McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics Office of Academic Affairs. The recommendations of the Scholarship and Awards Committee are submitted through the Associate Dean for Student, Faculty, and Community Affairs for submission to the Dean. Notification of awards will be made by email.