Scholarships

Paying for a Marriage and Family Therapy Degree in California

The cost of graduate education is one of the biggest factors prospective students weigh when choosing an MFT program, and for good reason. Tuition for marriage and family therapy programs in California ranges from roughly $14,000 at some CSU campuses to well over $100,000 at private universities like USC and Pepperdine. That is an enormous spread, and tuition alone does not tell the full story of what you are getting for your investment. Program length, cohort size, practicum availability, faculty ratio, and clinical training quality all affect the real value of your degree and how prepared you are to begin practicing as a therapist after graduation.

Sentio University's total tuition of $67,200 for the complete 20 month Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy places the program in the mid range of California MFT programs. The scholarship opportunities described above are designed to bring that cost down significantly for qualifying students, and because the scholarship application is built directly into the program application, every applicant is automatically considered with no additional paperwork or separate deadlines. For a complete breakdown of per unit costs, fees, and payment information, visit our Tuition and Fees page.

What Your Investment Covers at Sentio

When comparing MFT programs in California on cost alone, it is important to look at what is actually included. Many programs charge similar or higher tuition but leave students responsible for finding their own practicum site, which can add months of searching, unpaid labor, and significant stress to the graduate experience. At Sentio, every student in good standing receives a guaranteed practicum placement at the Sentio Counseling Center, our telehealth training clinic that serves diverse, low income communities across California. Students gain over 400 supervised clinical hours that count toward the 3,000 hours required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) for LMFT licensure, and they begin seeing clients in their second semester. You can learn more about how these hours apply to the licensure process on our Licensure Information page.

Sentio also maintains a 4:1 student to faculty ratio with a maximum cohort size of 16 students. That level of individualized attention is rare among California MFT programs at any price point. Every student receives weekly video based supervision from faculty and supervisors who have completed Sentio's own Deliberate Practice Supervision Residency, meaning the feedback you receive is based on direct observation of your clinical sessions rather than on case discussion from memory or notes. For a firsthand look at how this training model plays out week to week, visit our Week in the Life page.

A Nonprofit Institution Invested in Student Access

Sentio University is a nonprofit organization, which means it does not operate to generate profit for shareholders or owners. Revenue goes back into the institution to support student training, faculty development, clinical operations, and research. This distinction matters when evaluating the cost of your education, because it shapes the priorities behind every financial decision the school makes. You can read more about Sentio's founding story and institutional mission on our About Sentio University page, and you can review our Transparency page.

As a newer institution, Sentio is not yet eligible for federal student loans (Title IV funding), which typically requires a level of accreditation that takes several years to achieve. This is an important consideration for prospective students, and our admissions team is transparent about it. The combination of scholarship support and the lower total program cost compared to many private California MFT programs is designed to make the degree accessible without federal loan dependency. If you have questions about how to finance your education at Sentio, our admissions team is happy to discuss your options. You can request information to be connected with an advisor or review common financial questions on our FAQ page.

Training That Adds Value Beyond the Classroom

The return on your investment in an MFT program is ultimately measured by how effective you are as a clinician and how prepared you are for the job market after graduation. Sentio's training model is designed to maximize both. The entire curriculum is built on Deliberate Practice, an evidence based methodology that emphasizes structured skill rehearsal, expert feedback, and continuous performance improvement. This is the same approach used to develop expertise in fields ranging from music to surgery to professional athletics, and Sentio is the only MFT program in California that has built its entire curriculum around it. The research on Deliberate Practice in psychotherapy training consistently shows that therapists who train this way develop clinical skills faster and more reliably than those in traditional lecture based programs.

Sentio is also the first graduate program in the country to formally integrate AI training into mental health education. Our AI Research team has published peer reviewed work in The Lancet Psychiatry, and students graduate with hands on experience using AI tools safely and ethically in clinical contexts. As the mental health field continues to evolve alongside advances in technology, this training gives Sentio graduates a professional skill set that most programs do not yet offer. You can explore the AI curriculum and research findings on the AI Research page and learn about our broader innovation work on the Innovation Lab page.

Next Steps

If you are evaluating the affordability of MFT programs in California and want to understand how Sentio's scholarship support could work for your situation, the best first step is to start your application. Scholarship decisions are made on a rolling basis during the admissions cycle, and early applicants receive first consideration for available funding. Visit our Apply Now page to begin your application, or attend an open house to meet our team and ask questions about the program, scholarships, and financial planning. You can also reach out directly through our Contact page.