Program Charges, 2026-2027

The policies in this document are for federal aid eligible programs and are not applicable for non-eligible programs such as Professionals, Certificates, ESL, Non-Degree guest students, or programs delivered at foreign sites. The following charges are “per semester,” originated from financial aid and utilize our integrated automated enrollment system.

Tuition per semester

Housing and meals charges per semester

All students who live on campus receive a bundled package of housing and three meals per day, six days per week, and two meals (brunch and dinner) on Sunday. Students not residing on campus may purchase meals online using the Campus ID/OneCard system.

Undergraduate students under 21 years of age are required to live in the residence halls on campus. Exceptions include legally married students, those with dependents, and graduate students. Students with exceptional circumstances, such as living with their parents in Fairfield, may petition Student Life for an exception. Students under age 21 who have lived on campus for one year and have a GPA of 3.0+ may also petition Student Life for an exception.

Enrollment status and grade level

Undergraduates are full-time with twelve credits and half-time with six credits. Graduate students are full-time with six credits and half-time with four credits. PhD Candidates and Researchers are always full-time. Students with federal aid have their enrollment status, academic program, length of the program, and grade level reported monthly to the National Student Loan Data Service. For undergraduates, 32 credits are designated for grade-level progression (33-64 credits are second-year grade level).

Enrollment that mixes courses from different programs or program tracks

Degree program enrollment may be only one degree program per term. A student may include courses from a different program level with appropriate approvals. For example, if a bachelor’s or PhD student adds a master’s level course in a term, the designated degree program for the term always remains in the bachelor’s or PhD program, no matter how many master’s course credits are taken for that semester.

Terms and intersessions

• Professionals programs have two six-month terms: the Fall starts in mid-June and ends in mid-December, and the Spring starts in mid-December and ends in mid-June.
• All other programs: The two standard semester terms are 18 weeks as defined on the published academic calendar. The January Intersession is attached to the spring semester, and the summer term stands alone.
• Summer Term: Credits are designated under the separate summer term for all purposes, including enrollment status, Satisfactory Academic Progress, charges, and all other term-based processes.
• January Session: Credits earned for courses starting after the Winter Holiday break are session credits added onto, and part of, the standard spring semester. Tuition/Housing/Meals are charged in the same way all credits are charged for spring semester enrollment as a whole.

Other charges

• Student Fees: $350 per semester for students attending onsite programs on the Fairfield campus and $200 per semester for students attending online programs. Fees are not prorated for partial enrollment. Fees are not charged when enrollment is less than half-time in a semester and not charged during summer.
• Application Fees: Applicants are asked to submit a nonrefundable application processing fee of $20.
• International Students Health Insurance: International students are charged an estimated $1,002 per semester for six months of required health insurance unless otherwise insured (proof of other insurance required within two weeks of initial semester registration). Health insurance is not prorated for partial enrollment, except for three-month increments (approximately 50% of the semester rate) as long as no claims have been incurred. Insurance amounts listed on the Financial Aid Award Letter are estimated until the rates are finalized with the insurance provider.
• TM-Sidhi^® course: Full-time MIU students who are enrolled during the TM-Sidhi course may earn two academic credits for the TM-Sidhi course, which is taught by the Maharishi Foundation in coordination with MIU through a contractual agreement. The base cost of the course is $1,450 when the course is taken in Fairfield or $2,400 at other locations. There is an additional cost of $700 for room and board for the final two weeks in residence on top of the base cost.

Other estimated costs of attendance

Undergraduate programs

• Books, Equipment and Supplies — $1,000 per year
• Personal Expenses and Transportation — $4,000 per year
• Living Expenses (Housing and Meals) — $8,000 per year

Graduate programs

• Book and Supplies — $1,000 per academic year
• Personal Expenses and Transportation — $6,000 per year
• Living Expenses (Housing and Meals) — $10,000 per year

These other estimated costs of attendance are generally applicable to full-time students. Students attending less than two months during one semester estimated costs are generally 50% of the amounts listed above. Students whose enrollment status is less than half-time don’t qualify for personal expenses and living expenses.

Payment

Semester payment is due by August 1 for the fall semester and by January 1 for the spring semester. Payment may be made by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, e-check from domestic accounts, and peer-Transfer from foreign accounts. Details.

Other points regarding charges

Students with a remaining balance due should pay it to the university before leaving. In case students are requested to withdraw from the university because of poor academic standing or disciplinary reasons, reductions in charges are the same as for other withdrawals from the university. An appeals process for review of specific situations is available by filing a Financial Review Board petition form.

Study abroad and courses delivered by other institutions under contractual agreement

US students eligible for federal aid will be assisted in obtaining it to attend eligible study-abroad programs. Only $500 of university tuition will be charged when the other institution grants academic credit via an approved transcript. University tuition is charged for any other course taken away from Fairfield, including internships, fieldwork, thesis, projects, Maharishi Vedic Science special studies, and other studies, even when the source of coursework is not primarily taught by MIU faculty.

Military deployment

MIU will offer no fewer than the following options to a student who is a member, or the spouse of a member, if the member has a dependent child, of the national guard or reserve forces of the United States and who is ordered to national guard duty or federal active duty:

1. Withdraw from the student’s entire registration and receive a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees.
2. Make arrangements with the student’s instructors for course grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the student registration shall remain intact, and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for the courses in full.
3. Plan with only some of the course instructors for grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student later. If such arrangements are made, the registration for those courses shall remain intact, and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for those courses. Any course for which arrangements cannot be made for grades or incompletes shall be considered dropped, and the tuition and mandatory fees for the course refunded.

Veterans benefits

In accordance with Section 103 of the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018, MIU assures it will not impose any penalty, including

1. the assessment of late fees
2. the denial of access to classes
3. the denial of access to libraries or other institutional facilities
4. the requirements that a Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 recipient borrow additional funds to cover the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to MIU due to the delayed disbursement of a payment by the US Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans eligible for BAH monthly benefits: The VA utilizes a scale of credits per block of courses; therefore, the VA sometimes pays part-time benefits for an individual month while the university delivers full-time federal aid for an entire semester. Our Veterans Certifying Officials (SCO) are Tal Ron and Aimee Lambert in the Office of Financial Aid.

University scholarship

The university reserves the right to increase or decrease university scholarships at any time, for any reason, for any individual. Such a change in scholarship level (up or down) may be reviewed by petition from the student.

Nondiscrimination

Maharishi International University and its educational programs, and benefits are available to all people without distinction as to sex, age, race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, handicap, veteran’s status, or sexual orientation. Institutions of higher education are required by law (Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1963, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) to provide this broad access to their educational programs and to serve society in a way that treats, with equal dignity, the diversity of individuals and groups which comprise our society. Inquiries concerning Title IX, Section 504, and the Americans with Disabilities Act should be directed to the General Counsel’s Office, Maharishi International University, Fairfield, Iowa, 52556, (641) 472-1183.

Important notice

In compliance with Iowa Code Annotated Title VII 3 261B, please see the MIU Catalog for course titles, descriptions, academic policies, credit earned, and degrees, as well as accreditation information, in combination with the charges and refund policies herein. Maharishi International University reserves the right to change, without prior notice, its charges and policies.

Information in this document is in accord with federal regulations as of December 1, 2025