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Home > Education Programs > Masters > MBA/MS Program > Financial Aid

<%msFinancial = "inline"%> Erb Institute Funding Opportunities

The Erb Institute provides several forms of financial support to MBA/MS program students, with the intent of reducing net cost of the program, recognizing student contributions to the Erb Institute community and supporting the intellectual, personal and professional development of students. These grants have been made possible by generosity of individual donors, and the amount of money available for granting varies subject to receipt of gifts and returns on invested funds. Because Erb Institute scholarship funds are limited, students are kindly requested to seek other, additional sources of aid and awards.

Recruitment Scholarships

The Institute awards merit-based scholarships to entering students with the objective of recruiting a student population with diverse backgrounds and interests and a record of professional, academic and community accomplishments.  New students are eligible to apply if they have been admitted to both Ross and SNRE in the same admissions cycle and have not yet started classes.  Awards are made on a rolling basis until available funds are exhausted (approximately $300,000 is awarded annually), therefore students are advised to apply as soon as they are eligible.  Award amounts vary and not every student will receive an award.  Awards are disbursed as tuition credits during a student's sixth and final semester of enrollment in the MBA/MS program. 
Recruitment Award Application. (doc)
Other eligibility and disbursements conditions (doc).

MBA/MS class of 2012 third-year tuition scholarships
MBA/MS class of 2011 third-year tuition scholarships

Renewable Energy Scholars Award

Supported by the Koch Family (Jonathan Koch, Erb MBA/MS ’96) and US Renewables Group.
Purpose: The Renewable Energy Scholars award is a merit-based grant for Erb Institute MBA/MS students who are interested in (a) pursuing a business idea in the field of renewable energy, energy efficiency, or carbon mitigation; or, (b) writing an essay suitable for broad publication that addresses any aspect of renewable energy, energy efficiency and carbon mitigation including but not limited to energy policy, energy security, technology innovation, water issues in the energy sector, agriculture and energy interface, etc. Up to four (4) scholarships, at least $1,000 each, will be awarded per year. Scholarship applications are due in late January.
Renewable Energy Scholars Award Application (doc).

Summer Internship Stipends

The Erb Institute seeks to develop leaders capable of contributing to many kinds of organizations, including non-profit, and hybrid organizations, social ventures and government agencies as well as private businesses.  In order to reduce the economic disincentive represented by generally lower salaries offered by non-traditional MBA internship employers, the Institute offers its MBA/MS students supplementary stipends. Stipends are intended to bring total compensation in line with a benchmark "full-funded internship" which has been set at $10,000 for 2010.

Qualifying internship employers include non-profits, government agencies and start-up social ventures, as defined in the Erb Internship Funding Guidelines. Additional qualifying criteria are detailed in the funding guidelines. Stipend amounts are subject to funds availability and the number of MBA/MS stipend applicants in any given year. Students may be pre-approved for funding by submitting their Intent for Internship Funding Application by March 12. Students who apply after March 12 are put into a secondary applicant pool and receive notification of their awards, if any, after May 15.

Masters Opus Grants

Erb Institute MBA/MS students are eligible to apply for limited funding to subsidize expenses associated with conducting the sustainability-related research that is necessary to fulfill the requirements of the Masters Opus at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Applicants must fully articulate the scope of their planned research activities and demonstrate that the expenses to be funded are necessary to conduct this research. Awards are capped at $2,000 per student.

GSRA / GSI Appointments

The Erb Institute periodically funds Graduate Student Research Assistant or Graduate Student Instructor positions in response to faculty requests for assistance. Every effort is made to ensure that Erb MBA/MS students know about these positions and have the opportunity to apply.

Percy Service Awards

Since its inception, the Erb Institute MBA/MS Program has continuously improved owing substantially to the unselfish contributions put forth by countless students enrolled in the program. To recognize these efforts, the Institute bestows four annual service awards for the most extraordinary student contributions. (Three awards were offered prior to 2008). Winners of these awards are selected by their fellow students and earn $2,500 scholarships along with public recognition.

  • 2009 Winners:  Russell Baruffi, Anna Coldham, Katie O'Hare, Ryan Whisnant
  • 2008 Winners:  Russell Baruffi, Aaron James, Jackie Pitera, Emily Reyna
  • 2007 Winners:  Michele Diener, Josh Nothwang, Brian Swett
  • 2006 Winners:  Alex Keros, Karen Putterman, Doug Wein
  • 2005 Winners:  Marshall Chase, Chris Guenther, Sarah Winkeller
  • 2004 Winners:  Jon Forrester, Bryan Magnus, Sara Nosanchuk

Conference Fees and Related Travel

The Erb Institute has given significant consideration to this issue over the years and we have concluded that the best forms of direct financial support for students are third-year scholarships, non-profit internship subsidies, small research grants and service awards. Therefore, the Erb Institute does not award any funding related to general conference attendance.

Please note that SNRE provides some funding support for conference attendance.

There is also a funding source within Rackham that students can draw on if they are presenting academic work at conferences.