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Am I Eligible?
Eligibility & Enrollment Requirements
To be eligible for financial aid, you must:
- Be either a citizen or eligible non-citizen of the United States.
- Be admitted to a Grace University degree program (one year bible certificate is not eligible for federal financial aid).
- Be enrolled at least half time for federal aid and full time for institutional scholarships.
- Have a valid Social Security number.
- Not be in default on repayment of any student loans.
- Not owe refunds for federal grant funds to any institution.
- Show Satisfactory Academic Progress () toward your designated degree.
- Be registered with the Selective Service System, if required.
Undergraduate students must have earned a high school diploma or its equivalent (see the Financial Aid Office for official equivalency requirements) before attending Grace University. If at any point we find you don't meet all the general eligibility requirements, we may be required to withdraw financial aid funding, and you may have to repay any funds already disbursed.
Registration Requirements
To receive the financial aid shown on the Grace University Award Letter, you must register for the number of credit hours indicated in the cost of attendance section on the front of the Award Letter. If you enroll for a different number of credit hours, the Financial Aid Office must be notified in writing so that we can determine whether the change affects your financial aid eligibility.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
The Grace University Financial Aid Office wants you to be aware of your rights and responsibilities as a financial aid recipient.
You have the right to know:
- What financial aid programs are available to you, including information on all Federal, State and University financial aid programs.
- The application procedures and deadlines for each of the available programs.
- How financial aid is distributed and the basis for these decisions.
- How and when financial is is disbursed.
- How your financial aid eligibility was determined including: 1) cost of tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, travel, personal, and miscellaneous expenses determined in your estimated cost of attendance; and 2) what resources-such as parental contribution, other financial aid or personal assets-were considered in the calculation of your financial aid eligibility.
- What the interest rate is, the total amount to be repaid, repayment procedures, when repayment begins, and the length of the repayment period
- How Grace University determines whether you are making Satifactory Academic Progress (SAP), and what happens if you are not.
- How refunds and repayments of your financial aid will be handled if you withdraw from the University.
It is you responsibility to:
- Regularly check your Grace e-mail account for information from the University.
- Complete all application forms accurately and submit them on time to the correct location. You are responsible for knowing the financial aid reapplication deadlines. You are responsible for reading and understanding all forms you are asked to sign and for keeping copies of each.
- Provide correct information. Reporting false information is a violation of the law and may be considered a criminal offense. In addition, such violations of law or University policy will be reported to the Student Development Office.
- Submit all additional documentation, verification, corrections and/or new information requested by either the financial aid office or the agencies to which you submitted applications within 30 days or by the deadline.
- Notify us in writing if the information reported on your financial aid applications has changed.
- Notitfy us in writing if you receive any scholarships or other awards which do not appear on your Grace University Award Letter.
- Accept responsibility for all agreements that you sign.
- Perform the work agreed upon if you accept a Federal Work-Study job, and notify your employer if the amount of your award changes.
- Know and comply with Grace University's refund procedures.
- Show Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to Grace University's established policies and standards.
- If you have a loan, notify the lender and Grace University immediately of changes in your name, permanent mailing address, anticipated graduation date or enrollment status.
- Notify us in writing if you are receiving financial aid for attendance at another institution while attending Grace University.
If you are a recipient of a Federal Stafford Loan, you must notify the lender should any of the following occur before the loan is repaid:
- You change your address and/or phone number.
- You graduate.
- You withdraw from school or are enrolled less than half time.
- You change your name (e.g. maiden to married name).
- You transfer to another university.
Independent Status
All graduate students are considered to be independent for purposes of financial aid eligibility. Almost all undergraduates at Grace University are considered dependent on their parents for the purpose of determining financial aid eligibility. Students often think that filing for financial aid as an independent student is a simple alternative to reporting their parents' financial information. There are, however, strict guidelines set by both the federal government and the University that govern your status.
The federal government has stated that students in the following circumstances CANNOT BE MADE INDEPENDENT for purposes of awarding financial aid:
- Parents refuse to contribute to the student's education.
- Parents are unwilling to provide information on the application or for verfication.
- Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
- The student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.
If you have unusual severe circumstances please contact the Financial Aid Office to request a Independent Status Appeal and those will be handled on a case by case basis.Undergraduate Students: your status is independent for the purpose of awarding FEDERAL and STATE financial aid for 2005-2006 if you meet any of the criteria below.
- You were born before January 1st, 1982.
- You were married at the time of filing your 2005-2006 FAFSA.
- You have a legal dependent other than a spouse, and you can document that you provide more than 50% of that person's income.
- Both of your parents are deceased, and you don't have an adoptive parent or legal guardian; or you are a ward of the court; or you were a ward of the court until age 18.
- You are a veteran of the United States Armed Forces.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
To be eligible for Federal, State and University aid, students are required by the U.S. Department of Education and the state of Nebraska to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward their degree. In compliance with prescribed regulations, Grace University has established guidelines that are designed to promote timely advancement toward a specific degree objective.The following guidelines provide academic progress criteria for all students receiving financial aid at Grace University. Although the requirements for students receiving financial aid are somewhat more restrictive than for the general student population, they are based on reasonable expectations of academic progress toward a degree and should not be a hindrance to any student in good academic standing.
Financial Aid Programs Subject ot SAP
Academic progress criteria apply both to recipients of financial aid programs created under Title IV regulations of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, as well as to recipients of those other programs used by USC's Financial Aid Office to provide students with financial assistance. Specifically included are the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, and Federal Work-Study Programs. These SAP standards also apply to students maintaining eligibility for Federal Stafford Loans. SAP standards also apply to students receiving state supported grants and participation in all scholarship, grant, loan or employment programs provided through university funds.
Definition of SAP
At Grace University, satisfactory academic progress is defined by the following three criteria:
- meeting a minimum grade point average requirement
- earning minimum number of credits per semester
- completing the degree objective within a maximum number of semesters enrolled and a maximum number of attempted credits (maximum time allowance)
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