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Your seminary training will carry value
that lasts for a lifetime of Christian service — and it will also
carry some costs. Fortunately, Western Seminary tuition rates are
lower than the national average for evangelical seminaries and private
graduate schools, and we offer various types of financial aid such
as scholarships, loans, and payment plans to help make your training
affordable. Our experienced financial aid staff are also available
to help you make responsible decisions about paying for school today
so that your future in ministry won’t be hindered.
In the majority of cases, it is expected
that a student will provide for most of their expenses, and they do
so through a combination of personal employment, spouse's employment,
scholarships, loans, or pledged support. We invite you to explore
your eligibility for various financial aid opportunities at Western.
- In order to qualify for
most kinds of financial aid below, students must be enrolled
at least half-time (4 hours) and be admitted to a degree or Graduate
Studies program.
- Non-degree students are not eligible
for financial assistance.
- Most eligible students may
receive more than one grant or scholarship but only up to a maximum
of 20% of tuition for a term.
- Occasionally, an
eligible student may qualify to receive a scholarship for an
even greater percentage of tuition, up to 100%.
Institutional
Aid Outside
Aid Federal
Aid Monthly
Payment Plan
Grants will be based primarily on financial need and will
depend in large part on the amount of money available and the need of the applicant.
Grants are awarded on a fall-spring-summer academic year. The Church Partnership Grants
and Need-Based Grants are funded by the endowment and restricted scholarships shown
in the Seminary catalog. Eligible programs include Certificate, Diploma, Master's, ThM,
and Doctor of Missiology. Please see Community Service information below.
Students who are staff members of CB churches, CB agencies
or supporting churches may be eligible for a grant of 25% of tuition costs. Contact
the Financial Aid Office for details and eligibility. Please see Community Service information
below
Thanks to the strong partnership between Western Seminary
and the following ministry organizations, staff workers in each organization may be eligible
for a partial scholarship. (Click on name to download application information.) Please see Community Service
information below.
Visiting Western Seminary when you live at a distance can be expensive!
We would like to reward you for visiting our campus by offering you a $300.00 grant..
Please see Community Service information below.
Degree graduates of Western Seminary are invited to audit
one course per year at no charge. Degree graduates include those who have completed
a full master’s or doctoral degree program.
To download the request for financial aid under the Spouse
Tuition Policy, please click
here.
COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT
In an effort to enable the Seminary to enhance the grant/scholarship
program, Portland students who receive certain kinds of scholarships or grants will
be required to assist the Recruitment or Advancement Office up to four hours per term
during the terms in which the aid is received. (This is commonly referred to as
"Community Service.") This service will probably be something like stuffing
envelopes for a seminary mailing, telephoning prospective students, making calls for
the alumni department and/or donors in a "phoneathon,"
or helping with a school-sponsored
event.
Federal Stafford loans are interest loans obtained through
a lender of the student's choice. Western Seminary recommends that students limit their
borrowing to $13,333 in any 12-month period and total graduate/undergraduate borrowing
to $40,000 at time of repayment. This applies to subsidized, unsubsidized Stafford loans,
consolidated and Perkins loans. These recommended loan limits are based on the expected
income of a Western Seminary graduate. Students wishing to borrow in excess of these
recommended limits will be asked to provide additional information regarding financial
resources and future repayment. Repayment begins six months after you graduate or cease
to be at least a half-time student. The Stafford loan process can take six to eight
weeks and should be started as early as possible. (As a graduate institution, students
are not eligible for federal grant programs such as Pell.)
Helpful Links
Western Seminary works with veterans and active duty armed
forces personnel in the receiving of VA and other educational benefits. A student’s
ability to qualify for and receive these benefits is determined by the government and
not Western Seminary, though a VA Certifying Official on Western staff is available
to counsel students that may qualify to receive these benefits. That official
will assist eligible students by certifying and tracking students’ enrollment
and progress in their degree program. Students receiving these types of benefits will
need to partner with their certifying official each semester to ensure full understanding
and clear communication about enrollment.
If you are eligible to receive VA or TA benefits, please follow these
steps:
| 1. |
Speak with the VA certifying official at the appropriate
campus:
For TA Benefits, please contact:
Sandy Foster
503.517.1888
sfoster@westernseminary.edu |
| 2. |
Please research and apply for these benefits
online at:
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Some denominations have scholarships and loan programs
to assist seminary students. Many local churches also have established scholarship funds
for students who are members of their congregations.
Some students have been able to secure scholarships or
grants from trusts and civic organizations.
You may wish to do the following:
- Contact your local library to research grant books
- Although the majority of aid is for undergraduate
level, other scholarship sites include:
For students who are not able to pay their tuition in full
at the beginning of the term, a monthly payment plan is available. This plan is administered
by Academic Management Services and payments are made directly to AMS, not to the seminary.
There is a per-semester or -year charge for this service but, if payments are made on
time, there are no interest or other charges for using this plan. For more information
about how the plan works or to sign up for the plan, click
here. Or you may call the Business or Financial Aid Offices if you have additional
questions.
Please note:
This monthly payment plan is not available for the summer term.
If you have any questions about these or other financial aid programs, please
contact:
*Please note that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not an application for
financial aid in itself,
but it is a need analysis document required for programs such
as the Western Seminary Grant and for student loans.
Click outside this box to close the calculator.
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