Graduate Financial Assistance

Qualifying Criteria

For financial aid eligibility, graduate students must meet the rules in the following two areas:

• Enrollment Status—Students must be accepted into a curriculum authorized by the faculty of their respective school. Students enrolled on PTC status (permission to take classes) are not eligible to receive financial aid.
• Course Load—Students are awarded financial aid based on their percentage of full-time enrollment as defined in Class Loads and Financial Aid. 

Special regulations apply to students who have completed all course work and are preparing theses, projects, or dissertations.

College of Arts & Sciences

Students who have completed all course work in an approved graduate program may not have completed all work needed to complete a degree. A student may be deemed to be enrolled fulltime provided the student meets one of the following criteria:

1. Is enrolled in one of the following courses:
   COMM 589   (Internship)
2. Is enrolled in a Project Continuation, Recital Continuation or Thesis Continuation course. Only students who have enrolled for the required number of project, recital or thesis credits but have not completed the work are eligible.

School of Health Professions

Students who have completed all course work in an approved graduate program may not have completed all work needed to complete a degree. A student may be deemed to be enrolled fulltime provided the student meets one of the following criteria:

1. Is enrolled in one of the following courses:
   PTH 881 , PTH 882 , PTH 883 , PTH 884  (Clinical Internship)
   NRSG 680  (Internship)
   FDNT 594  (Practicum)
2. Is enrolled in a Project Continuation or Thesis Continuation. Only students who have enrolled for the required number of project or thesis credits but have not completed the work are eligible.

Theological Seminary

Doctoral Students. Students who have completed all course work in an approved doctoral program must register for 1-6 credits under GSEM 796 - DMin Project / Dissertation or 1-12 credits under GSEM 995  PhD-ThD Dissertation, or 1-14 credits under DSRE995 Doctoral Dissertation. If the candidate does not complete the dissertation, he/she must register for GSEM 788 - DMin Project Continuation  or GSEM 888 - PhD-ThD Dissertation Continuation  until the dissertation is completed to qualify for status as a full-time student. Confirmation by the dissertation chair that full-time work is being done must be sent to Student Financial Services.

Master’s Students. To obtain full-time status for the MA degree, the student must register for GSEM 688  Master’s Degree Continuation after he/she has registered for the allowable thesis credits but has not finished the work. Confirmation by the dissertation chair that full-time work is being done must be sent to Student Financial Services.

Andrews Graduate Scholarship

Availability

1. The Graduate Scholarship is available for full time students in:

•  All on campus Master programs (except professional master programs).
• Professional Doctoral level programs: EDS, EDD, DPT.
• Doctoral programs PhD, ThD.

2. The Graduate Scholarship cannot overlap with another discount from an Andrews University budget. 

3. The Graduate Scholarship will not be available for programs that already have a discounted tuition below the standard tuition rate.  If the Graduate Scholarship is greater than the discount provided by the specific program, then the difference will be awarded as an additional scholarship.

4. The Graduate Scholarship does not apply for staff members that are using the free class benefit from Andrews University. If the Graduate Scholarship is greater than the discount for which the staff member is eligible for, the difference will be awarded as an additional scholarship.

5. The Graduate Scholarship will be assigned by the School of Graduate Studies and Research and applied by the Office of Student Financial Services at the time of a student’s registration.

Scores

The Graduate Scholarship is a tuition reduction percentage and is awarded as follows:

 
Time Limits

  The scholarship is available for the following number of semesters:

Eligibility

1. New graduate students who meet the appropriate GRE/GMAT scores are eligible for the Graduate Scholarship if:  

• The students took the GRE/GMAT prior to the start of the first semester. 
  • For example, students registering for their first semester in the Fall 2013 should have taken the GRE/GMAT prior to the start of that semester.  
• The students took the GRE/GMAT test during their first semester in the graduate program. However, because the GRE/GMAT was taken during their first semester of registration the GRE/GMAT scholarship will be applied in their second semester. 
  • For example, students who took the GRE/GMAT during their first semester of Fall 2013 are eligible for the scholarship in their second semester, Spring of 2014. Fall 2013 will count as one of the semesters of the scholarship.  
• The student took the test multiple times in their first semester. In that case, the highest score will count toward the GRE/GMAT scholarship. However, because the GRE/GMAT was taken during their first semester of registration the GRE/GMAT scholarship will be applied in their second semester. 
  • For example, if students took the GRE/GMAT multiple times in their first semester of Fall 2013, then the highest GRE/GMAT score will count toward their scholarship for Spring 2014. Fall 2013 will count as one of the semesters of the scholarship. 

2. In order to retain the Graduate Scholarship, students are required to maintain the minimum GPA for their program. Students whose GPA falls below the required minimum for their program will permanently forfeit the scholarship.  

3. Scholarship money will not be applied retroactively to any coursework started prior to taking the exam. 

4. Students applying and accepted to a second graduate degree, who already had received the Graduate Scholarship, will be eligible to the scholarship for the new program if the GRE/GMAT scores are not older than 5 years.

  Please visit Financial Information section and the program page for more information.

Federal Aid

Students should read the General Information, p. 70, and Satisfactory Academic Progress sections, p. 78, to determine their eligibility for financial aid.

Federal Direct Loans are available to graduate students. To apply for this aid, refer to p. 70, General Information, and the Financial Aid Quick Reference .

Institutional Aid

Student Financial Services forms need not be completed for students to apply for the Andrews graduate grant or scholarship; students must apply directly to the graduate dean or department head of the school/program. All aid received by the student (except assistantships), however, is taken into account when determining eligibility for a student loan and a Michigan Tuition Grant.

Grants and Scholarships

Grant, scholarship, and assistantship funds are available through the offices of the various academic deans and department chairs. Grants and scholarships are gift aid; however, if a student is given an assistantship, this is considered to be employment and is processed through the Office of Employment. Application forms, if required, must be requested from and returned to the respective dean’s office. The student does not need to complete any application paperwork for Student Financial Services to apply for and receive institutional aid.

Seminary Emergency Aid Fund. This emergency aid fund is available to seminary students for emergency relief only and is not a form of continuous financial aid. Students may apply for assistance through the seminary dean’s office.

Student Employment Program

Work opportunities for graduate students are available through the university’s Employment Office. Assistantships are available as arranged by the dean or department chairs of the school where the student is enrolled. For information regarding employment contact the Employment Office. The website is www.andrews.edu/hr/.

Travel Equalization Fund

Graduate students coming more than 500 miles to the University from the United States, Canada, or overseas may be reimbursed for part of their travel expenses if certain criteria are met. For information, contact the Office of Student Financial Services.

Federal Loans and Scholarships

Information on the following sources of financial aid may be obtained from Student Financial Services. For details, review the Financial Aid Quick Reference .

Loans

• Federal Direct Loan Program (Unsubsidized)
• Federal Graduate PLUS Loan

Scholarships

• Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship

SAP Policy for Graduate Students with Financial Aid

Graduate students must meet the Andrews University Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy. The following minimum standards must be met for Federal and State financial aid purposes.

Students must maintain the minimum Andrews University graduate overall GPA required for the degree program in which they are enrolled. The SAP summary below indicates the minimum GPA required to meet the university’s SAP policy for each type of degree program.

Compliance with these requirements is monitored by Student Financial Services on a regular basis. Students must complete at least two-thirds of the number of credits attempted, regardless of their enrollment status (full-time or half-time), and maintain a 66% completion ratio. Exception may be made for courses whose requirements have a time-frame by design that extends beyond the limit of the semester in which it is registered.

Financial Aid Warning. Students who fail to meet the required SAP are placed on Financial Aid Warning status during the following semester. During the Financial Aid Warning semester, the student is eligible to receive financial aid as awarded. The student is allowed only one Financial Aid Warning semester for each degree program, except under extenuating circumstances. Academic performance during the warning semester determines the aid given in the following semesters. If the student again meets the minimum required, the student is returned to satisfactory progress status and is eligible to continue receiving aid as awarded. Students who fail to attain satisfactory progress after the Financial Aid Warning semester are no longer eligible for Federal financial aid.

Appeal Procedure. When failure to attain the required GPA is due to extenuating circumstances or circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the student, he/she may appeal for a semester of financial aid probation.   All master’s-level students may be allowed a maximum of a one semester probation. Doctoral- and specialist-level students may be allowed a maximum of a two-semester probation extension. However, the student must make the appeal for the second probation extension in the same manner as for the first appeal. Students should recognize that appeals are not “automatically” granted. Future financial aid is dependent on meeting SAP standards by the end of the probationary semester(s). All appeals must be made in writing and submitted to the appointed representative of the student’s respective school. Proof must support the stated extenuating circumstances. The appropriate authorizing office sends written notification to Student Financial Services of the appeal details.