programs-fees-index

MLIS

There are two types of fee structures for MLIS students at the San José State University School of Information: Regular Session and Special Session.

For a comparison of the two fee structures, view this fee comparison chart.

Regular Session students live near the San José State University campus, and their tuition is established by the California State University system. Students who live in zip codes 939xx-958xx are Regular Session students. Regular Session students pay a flat rate based on the number of units they enroll in each semester, rather than paying by unit. The California State University system sets this fee structure. Further details about Regular Session tuition can be found here.

Special Session students live anywhere in the world, except the San José, California catchment area. California residents who don’t live in the San José catchment area (zip codes 939xx-958xx), students who live outside California, and international students are Special Session students. Special Session tuition for AY 2025 - 2026 through Summer 2026 are $568 per unit. Fees for AY 2026 – 2027 starting in Fall 2026 will be $596 per unit. Fees are subject to review and change. 

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

Important Note: In order for financial aid to be available in your first semester, you must complete your financial aid application 3 to 4 months before the semester begins. Applicants can try to get a financial aid application on file while applying for admission to the program.

The Financial Aid Office will not make any financial awards or disbursements until an applicant has been admitted to the iSchool and enrolled for classes. The amount awarded depends on the number of units a student takes each semester. Students need to enroll in at least 4 units (200 level courses) each semester in order to maintain eligibility for financial aid.

“I found the San José State program to be the most affordable of all the MLIS programs, which was very important to me coming almost directly out of undergraduate university.” — Beth Atlas

MARA

Special Session tuition for AY 2025 - 2026 through Summer 2026 are $568 per unit. Fees for AY 2026 – 2027 starting in Fall 2026 will be $596 per unit. Fees are subject to review and change.  Fees are subject to review and change.

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

Important Note: In order for financial aid to be available in your first semester, you must complete your financial aid application 3 to 4 months before the semester begins. Applicants can try to get a financial aid application on file while applying for admission to the program.

The Financial Aid Office will not make any financial awards or disbursements until an applicant has been admitted to the iSchool and enrolled for classes. The amount awarded depends on the number of units a student takes each semester. Students need to enroll in at least 4 units (200 level courses) each semester in order to maintain eligibility for financial aid.

MS in Informatics

For AY 2025 – 2026, Special Session MS in Informatics tuition is $622 per unit through Summer 2026. For AY 2026 – 2027 starting in Fall 2026, Special Session MS in Informatics tuition is $653 per unit. Fees are subject to review and change.

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

INFM students must make decisions about add / drops for both session I and session II within the Special Session fall, spring and summer semester MySJSU enrollment periods, and within Special Session semester deadlines for add/drops and refunds.

Before registering, review the information about the Special Session refund policy. Late registration ends 14 days after the first day of the Special Session semester (rather than the INFM session start date), and incurs fees. INFM students needing to withdraw from a class after the first two weeks in the semester should contact iSchool Student Services.

Important Note: In order for financial aid to be available in your first semester, you must complete your financial aid application 3 to 4 months before the semester begins. Applicants can try to get a financial aid application on file while applying for admission to the program.

The Financial Aid Office will not make any financial awards or disbursements until an applicant has been admitted to the iSchool and enrolled for classes. The amount awarded depends on the number of units a student takes each semester. Students need to enroll in at least 4 units (200 level courses) each semester in order to maintain eligibility for financial aid.

MSIDT

For AY 2025 – 2026, Special Session MSIDT tuition will be $622 per unit through Summer 2026. For AY 2026 – 2027, starting in Fall 2026, Special Session MSIDT tuition will be $653 per unit. Fees are subject to review and change.

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

Important Note: In order for financial aid to be available in your first semester, you must complete your financial aid application 3 to 4 months before the semester begins. Applicants can try to get a financial aid application on file while applying for admission to the program.

The Financial Aid Office will not make any financial awards or disbursements until an applicant has been admitted to the iSchool and enrolled for classes. The amount awarded depends on the number of units a student takes each semester. Students need to enroll in at least 4 units (200 level courses) each semester in order to maintain eligibility for financial aid.

BS-ISDA Freshman Student

Information on tuition and fees can be found on the Bursar’s Office website.

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

BS-ISDA Transfer Student

Fees for the bachelor’s degree in AY 2025 – 2026 are $500 a unit for the required 60 units with a total cost of $30,000 through Summer 2026. For AY 2026 – 2027 starting in Fall 2026, Special Session BS in Information Science and Data Analytics tuition will be $525 per unit. Fees are subject to review and change.

See: SJSU Online Costs and Aid

Your tuition fees also include:

Regular academic advising and student support from our Student Success Center.

Access to helpful campus resources such as the SJSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, Career Center, and Writing Center.

Opportunities to participate in open-access activities such as SJSU events and student organizations

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

Students in Special Session are eligible for federal financial aid (Pell Grant and Federal Direct Loans). Special Session students are not eligible for state financial aid (State University Grant, Cal Grant, EOP, Middle Class Scholarship).

Gateway PhD

Fees and tuition for the Gateway PhD program are set by and paid to Manchester Metropolitan University. Current annual tuition fees for international students are posted on the Manchester Met web page under the International Students drop down menu. Refer to Standard Band 1. Gateway PhD students pay part-time fees, which are 50% of the full-time fees listed.  Fees are subject to review and change. Tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year for Gateway students is £9,500. (In 2026/2027 the tuition will increase to £10,000/year.) Please check exchange rates for your local currency.

Students are advised to budget for travel and lodging expenses for the annual in-person residency held in San José, California.

San José State University does not offer scholarships or financial aid to Gateway PhD students, and this international program does not qualify for U.S. financial aid. However, students may be eligible to receive a small amount of research support funds from Manchester Met once the candidature stage is reached. 

Teacher Librarian

Teacher Librarian program students follow the same fee structures as our MLIS students, which is based on zip code. 

Fee Structures

Regular Session

Regular Session students (U.S. zip codes 939XX – 958XX) pay tuition established by the California State University system. See information about regular session fees which links to the Fee Comparison Chart.

Special Session

Special Session students (all other U.S. zip codes and international) pay $568 per unit in Academic Year 2025 - 2026, for a total cost of $17,608 to complete the Teacher Librarian program (31 units) through Summer 2026. For AY 2026- 2027 Special Session Teacher Librarian tuition will be $596 per unit starting in Fall 2026.

Fees are subject to review and change. 

Digital Assets Certificate

IMPORTANT: There are no additional fees for current students who are enrolled in the iSchool’s MLIS or MARA degree programs. 

For AY 2025 – 2026 Special Session Advanced Certificate tuition is $568 per unit through Summer 2026. Fees for AY 2026 – 2027 starting in Fall 2026 will be $596 per unit. Fees are subject to review and change. 

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

Starting Fall 2024, special session certificate fees will be due one week after the semester start date. If students enroll in a class one week or later after the start date of the semester, fees will be due in 3 days. These dates are based on semester start date, not class start date for shorter 1 and 2 unit courses. Students will pay fees after they are enrolled in each course. Methods of payment are available on the Bursar’s website.

The certificate program does not qualify for financial aid.

Post-Master’s Certificate

For AY 2025 – 2026 Special Session Post-Master’s Certificate tuition will be $568 per unit through Summer 2026. For AY 2026 - 2027 Special Session Post-Master’s Certificate tuition will be $596 per unit starting in Fall 2026. Fees are subject to review and change.

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

Starting Fall 2024, special session certificate fees will be due one week after the semester start date. If students enroll in a class one week or later after the start date of the semester, fees will be due in 3 days. These dates are based on semester start date, not class start date for shorter 1 and 2 unit courses. Students will pay fees after they are enrolled in each course. Methods of payment are available on the Bursar’s website.

Important Note: In order for financial aid to be available in your first semester, you must complete your financial aid application 3 to 4 months before the semester begins. Applicants can try to get a financial aid application on file while applying for admission to the program.

The Financial Aid Office will not make any financial awards or disbursements until an applicant has been admitted to the iSchool and enrolled for classes. The amount awarded depends on the number of units a student takes each semester. Students need to check with the Financial Aid office to verify the minimum number of units that Post-Master’s Certificate students need to be enrolled in each semester, to qualify for financial aid.

Open Classes

Fees for INFO and MARA courses in the Open Classes program are $568 per unit, and courses range from one to three units through Summer 2026. Fees are subject to review and change. Fees for Informatics and MSIDT courses taken in Open Classes are $622 per unit through Summer 2026.

Beginning in Fall 2026 for the AY 2026 – 2027, tuition for INFO and MARA classes in Open Classes will be $596 per unit. Fees for Informatics and MSIDT Open Classes will be $653 per unit.

Students are advised to budget for textbook expenses, as well as obtaining the necessary equipment to prepare their home computing environment, including monthly Internet service, so that they may begin their first semester with all materials in place.

Starting Fall 2024, special session certificate fees will be due one week after the semester start date. If students enroll in a class one week or later after the start date of the semester, fees will be due in 3 days. These dates are based on semester start date, not class start date for shorter 1 and 2 unit courses. Students will pay fees after they are enrolled in each course.

Students who pay income tax in the United States may be able to take advantage of the IRS Lifelong Learning Tax Credit, which can help reduce the amount of income taxes owed by receiving a credit for educational expenses. For more information about the IRS tax credit, please see: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p970

The Open Classes program does not qualify for financial aid.

Methods of Payment: Please see Methods of Payment. After course registration is confirmed, students can pay fees by logging on to one.SJSU and clicking on the Self Service / Campus Finances menu option. They will not receive a bill and are responsible for checking their own account for fee due dates.

Refund Information: Registered students should check the Professional Degree Program FAQs page or phone 408-924-2670 for refund policy information. To receive a full refund, students must drop the course several days before the first day of instruction.