Financial Planning

The purpose of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary student financial aid is to assist Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Religion students in their educational preparation for ministry. This is done by providing need-based grants, fellowships, and loans to our eligible full-time students.

Scholarship Grants | Scholarship Opportunities | Procedures for Financial Aid | Typical Annual Costs, Full Time | Student Fees 2010-2011| Refunds | Other Forms of Aid | Employment | Standards of Satisfactory Progress | Appeal Process | Special Circumstances Request Form

Scholarship Grants

Most of our full-time student body receives need-based tuition grants of up to 100% of the full-time tuition rate. Scholarship grants are ordinarily limited to M.Div. and M.A.R. students who can provide evidence of endorsement of their studies by their denomination. These grants are subject to availability of funds at the seminary and financial need of the student. Financial Aid is available for no more than eight semesters.

Native American students may receive grants for up to 100% of the cost of tuition plus additional amounts for other expenses through the Native American Residential Program.

Grants are awarded without obligation of repayment, subject to the recipient's maintaining satisfactory progress toward their degree. Standards of satisfactory progress are described below.

Scholarship Opportunities

The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary invites qualified applicants for the Presidential Scholarship, the Rural/Small Church Ministry Scholarship and our Presbyterian College Scholarship.  These scholarships are offered in addition to our need-based scholarship policy of granting up to 100% tuition grants for students from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and up to 50% tuition grants for students from other denominations. 

Please click here for the Scholarship Application Form.

Application Procedures for Financial Aid

To assist the seminary in establishing individual levels of financial need, students seeking financial aid must submit a completed financial aid application in the spring of each year. The financial aid application includes the UDTS financial aid application and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form of the Federal Student Aid Program. All of these applications are mailed to prospective students at the time they request an admissions packet. These forms can also be obtained directly from the Financial Planning Office or online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

A personal consultation with the Director of Financial Planning is highly recommended. During a consultation the student and the director work together to ensure that the various components of the student's budget are in proper balance. The seminary is committed to assisting its students in the budgeting process, so they may be freed from anxiety about finances and not unduly burdened by excessive outside employment or indebtedness.

Typical Annual Costs, Full-Time

Students enrolled full-time for the entire 2010-2011 academic year can expect estimated annual costs as follows:

Students ordinarily will not receive tuition grants (see Scholarship Grants for requirements) if they demonstrate a need less than the total cost of tuition or do not match the admission goals of the institution.

The remaining need for tuition, as well as living expenses, can typically be met from income in one or all of the following sources: scholarships from denominational bodies or congregations, work-study employment on campus (minimum wage), Supervised Practice of Ministry, and outside employment or guaranteed student loans.

*Under certain conditions, up to three hours of January interim tuition may be waived. This will be the case for students who have registered for at least nine hours in the fall semester and are registered for at least 9 hours in the following spring semester.

**This off-campus summer rate applies to Supervised Practice of Ministry and Clinical Pastoral Education courses (or other such courses) where UDTS facilities and regular faculty are not the primary instructional resource.

Payment of Fees
All semester costs are due and payable at the beginning of each semester, before the student is admitted to classes. Alternatively, a student may make an installment payment contract with the University Business Office, subject to a nominal interest rate. If fees have not been paid in full or an installment payment contract has not been made, a student will not be admitted to classes unless special arrangements have been made with the business office.

General Notes
The cost of books is not covered by fees.

All room and board charges are subject to change. Room contracts become effective on the day before each session begins and terminate on the day after finals are done (with the exception of townhouse and rental apartment leases, whose termination date is specified in the lease). Summer room contracts are available. In the case of withdrawal from residence on campus, room charges will be pro-rated. No refunds will be granted for board charges. Notice of withdrawal from residence must be given in writing to the Housing Office.

Students departing at the end of the fall semester or the January interim term, or entering either at the beginning of the January interim term or of the spring semester, pay the semester room rate.

Audit hours are not counted in calculating the tuition rate. However students who are enrolled for at least 9 credits can audit classes for free as long as the number of credit hours plus audit hours do not exceed 16 hours.

Health Insurance 
The seminary will not be held liable for medical bills incurred by the students. Maintenance of adequate medical insurance coverage is the student's responsibility. 

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) students registered with their Presbyteries as Inquirers are eligible to enroll in the medical insurance portion of the denominational benefits plan, provided that they are also enrolled in the seminary on a full-time basis (at least 9 hours per semester).

Refunds

Tuition Payments
See Schedule of Refunds in the Student Handbook.

Tuition for Modules, Summer, and January Interim Courses
For modules, summer courses or January interim courses, 100% refund will be given if withdrawal occurs before the second meeting of the class. If withdrawal occurs before the course is half over, a 50% refund will be given. No refund will be given if withdrawal occurs after half the scheduled meetings of the class have taken place. All summer courses must be registered and paid for as summer courses.

Other Forms of Aid

Church Support
Theological education involves not only the student and the seminary but also the student's denomination. We suggest you inquire about financial aid that may be available from your judicatory and local churches.

Outside Scholarships
The guide Outside Sources of Financial Aid, compiled by the Association of Theological Schools and the Presbyterian Church (USA), contains a comprehensive listing of institutions and agencies which provide financial support to students who are pursuing theological education.

Loans
Seminary students are able to receive low-interest loans for academic and personal expenses, within the guidelines of each loan program for which they are eligible. Available loan programs include: Stafford Loans (Guaranteed Student Loans) and denominational loan programs. Repayment for most of these student loan programs does not ordinarily begin until several months after completion of full-time study.

The Financial Planning Office offers information and counseling regarding loan programs. Students may apply for most loan programs through that office. The seminary urges that you approach the subject of educational loans with great caution and only after you have exhausted all other financial resources. High levels of indebtedness may impede ministries of graduates who enter the pastorate, where salaries are not often calculated to account for heavy loan payback obligations.

Eligibility for most educational loan programs is limited to students who are registered as at least half-time students (five or more semester hours).

Employment

Seminary Employment
A number of part-time positions are available on campus for seminary students. For most of these, students are expected to qualify under federal work-study guidelines. The Financial Planning Office is the source of information about work-study and other on-campus student positions.

The seminary also seeks to assist students and spouses in obtaining off-campus employment of other kinds. The Student Life Office keeps a list of off-campus part-time job openings for college and seminary students.

Other Employment
Another major source of income for seminary students is stipends from Supervised Practice of Ministry (SPM) positions. All M.Div. students are required to complete a designated number of semester hours in SPM (see Supervised Practice of Ministry in the Academic Regulations section). These positions doubly benefit the students, providing both income and academic credit. SPM position openings are posted through the Office of Field Education. Some SPM positions are student pastorates, in which the student serves as solo pastor of a small congregation. Student pastors are often provided housing in addition to a stipend.

Standards of Satisfactory Progress
The following guidelines will be used to determine a student's continued eligibility for all federal Title IV funds and for all institutionally controlled awards. Students who fail to achieve the minimum grade-point average or credit-hour requirements will be ineligible for consideration for such aid until the deficiency is removed.

Students must remain in good academic standing (not on academic probation at the beginning of the semester) to be eligible to receive or to continue receiving financial aid (see Probation in the Academic Regulations section).

Students awarded aid on a full-time basis are expected to complete a minimum of 18 hours for an academic year and will be granted no more than eight (8) semesters of aid eligibility.

A Grade of F is defined as unsuccessful course completions. Grades of Pass (P), Incomplete (I) or Withdrawal (W) will not be counted in the grade-point average. Audited courses are not counted in the total hours attempted. Course repeats when a passing grade has previously been earned may not be used to meet the minimum credit-hour completion requirement for financial aid.

Appeal Process
Students may appeal decisions regarding their eligibility for financial aid. Such appeals must be made in writing and should be addressed to the Dean. Decisions regarding such appeals will be made by the Director of Financial Planning and the Dean.

Special Circumstances Request Form
If you and your family have experienced unusual circumstances, complete this form to the best of your ability and provide the requested documentation to the Financial Aid Office. They will review your request and respond as quickly as possible. This is not an all–inclusive list. If you have experienced a hardship that is not listed here, provide us with as much detail as possible on how the situation has affected you financially, either in terms of income loss or additional expenses.

The following form can be printed out, completed and returned to:

Financial Aid Office
University of Dubuque
2000 University Avenue
Dubuque, IA 52001

Special Circumstances Request Form