Financial Aid

Financial Aid

Eligibility

To be eligible for federal student aid in a given semester at Western Seminary, students must be enrolled at least half-time in a degree program. Since the only federal student aid available to students at Western Seminary is Direct Unsubsidized Loans, financial need is not a factor, but there are many other  basic eligibility criteria  students must meet in order to qualify.

Application Process

To request a loan, please complete the FAFSA (use school code G07178), then complete the Borrower-Based Direct Loan Request form in SIS. First-time borrowers must complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note. Western Seminary's loan period is two semesters. All loan requests should be for two semesters, unless the student does not anticipate needing a loan in the second semester. Loan requests can be submitted at any time, but disbursement may be delayed if the request is submitted after the financial aid application deadline.

Awards

Students may be eligible to borrow up to $20,500 every two semesters. However, Western Seminary recommends borrowing no more than $13,334 in any two-semester loan period and no more than $40,000 total in combined graduate/undergraduate borrowing  at the time of repayment. This applies in aggregate to Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans, loans that have been 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.

Origination and Disbursement

Loan requests will begin to be processed for eligible students during open registration for the upcoming semester. Once a student's loan has been originated, the student will receive an email notification containing important information about the loan. Loan disbursement begins 10 days before the start of the semester, and will consist of half the overall loan amount (in the rare case of a one-semester loan, the disbursement would represent the entirety of the loan). Loan checks usually arrive in the mail the week before the semester begins, provided all paperwork was submitted by the deadline and the student is still eligible when disbursement begins. Upon receipt of the loan check, students should deposit it immediately, as it may take several days for the check to clear.

Paying Tuition

Tuition is due in full by the tuition deadline, regardless of when you receive your loan check. If you anticipate you will not receive your loan check in time, you can sign up for a monthly payment plan and make the first payment.

Loan Default Rate

As of 2019, the loan default rate for Western Seminary students was 0%.

Loan Eligibility

To be eligible for Title IV (Federal Unsubsidized Loans), you must meet the following criteria:

  1. Enrolled at least half-time in your program.
  2. Meet the Financial Aid application deadline of August 1.
  3. Complete the FAFSA, Master Promissory Note, and Entrance Counseling (links found here on our Financial Aid page).
  4. Maintain good standing, including an acceptable SAP score.
  5. Have an aggregate loan total of under $138,000, considering all loans taken for your education.

Please note that all awards granted by Western Seminary are based on the information available at the time of the award. Therefore, these awards are subject to change or cancellation if we become aware of any facts, assistance, or circumstances that differ from the basis of the award. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.

What's Next after Loan origination?

  1. Disbursement of loan funds will begin on the week preceding the start of term.
  2. SAP (see more information below) and verification of at least half-time enrollment for the semester must be performed prior to any loan disbursements. Please review SIS for any outstanding requirements to prevent delays in disbursement (including any missing grades as all grades must be posted for prior semesters for loan funds to be disbursed).
  3. Your loan funds will be requested from the federal government once confirmed that all requirements are met.
  4. Upon receipt of these funds, the seminary will disburse your loan amount directly to your student account.

You have the right to cancel all or a portion of the loan(s) listed above at any time prior to the disbursement of the loan funds to the seminary simply by contacting the Financial Aid Office. In addition, if you do not want or do not need the loan funds once disbursed, please contact the Financial Aid Office within 14 days of the email notification of disbursal and we will return the funds to the federal government. If you decide after the 14 days, please contact the Financial Aid office.

Please Be Advised: If you withdraw from Western Seminary or drop below half-time at any time during the period of enrollment for this loan, please contact the Financial Aid Office immediately. Due to federal regulations we may be required to return a portion of your disbursed loan funds if you withdraw prior to completing less then 60% of the enrollment period based on calendar days. Federal loans may be subjected to this same refund policy if a student has received all F’s or a combination of F(failing), I(incomplete), or W(withdrawal) grades, depending on the last date of attendance for the enrollment period.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and Continued Eligibility for Loans: 

All students receiving federal funding must meet the seminary’s criteria for SAP and must be enrolled at least half-time making regular progress toward a degree. Only credits applicable to the student’s degree shall be counted. The SAP policy may be viewed at https://www.westernseminary.edu/sap. If you have any questions regarding your loans or additional funding option, please feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office by phone at 503-517-1821 or by replying to this email.

What's Next for Disbursement?

Your loan funds will be disbursed directly to your student account. You will notice that your payment will be for an amount slightly less than the amount you requested. This is because the federal government takes out a small percentage in fees associated with direct loans (called "origination fees"). We would encourage you to consider the use of the seminary's payment plan in conjunction with or in lieu of additional loans. For more information or to sign up, please see the payment plan page in SIS. You have the right to cancel this loan by immediately contacting the Financial Aid Office within 14 days of the date of this email/notice. If you wish to return funds after 14 or more days of receiving this notice, please contact the Financial Aid office to discuss this return of funds.

Eligibility for These Funds

You must be enrolled and attend class(es) at half-time status (at least 4 credits per semester) as a degree student to be eligible for Title IV (Direct Loan) funds. You must also complete a FAFSA as well as a master promissory note and entrance counseling. Your aggregate loan limit (all loans for schoo you've taken out for all time) must not exceed $138,000 at the time of application.  You may not borrow more than $20,500 per term. If you have not established eligibility by attendance in class(es) at a half-time level, or by dropping all of your classes, 100% of these funds must be returned to the seminary Financial Aid Office.

What If You Withdraw?

Should you withdraw from school or drop below half-time at any time during the period of this loan, please contact the Financial Aid Office immediately. If you withdraw completely (drop all of your classes) at some point in the term, federal regulations require that any "unearned" loan funds be returned to the lender. The percent "earned" equals the portion of the loan period completed as of the date of withdrawal. This is based on the number of calendar days in the "loan term" (first and last day of class each term as shown on the school's academic calendar). Provisions of the 1998 Higher Education Act require a certain percentage of Title IV funds to be returned to the lender when a student withdraws before completing more than 60% of the enrollment period, based on calendar days. The return of Title IV funds has no relationship to the Seminary's tuition refund policy. If you wish to receive a detail of this calculation, please contact the Financial Aid Office for a copy. Should you find it necessary to withdraw during the term, please immediately contact the Financial Aid Office.

Continued Eligibility for Loans

All students receiving federal funding must meet the seminary’s criteria for SAP and must be enrolled at least half-time making regular progress toward a degree. Only credits applicable to the student’s degree shall be counted. The SAP policy may be viewed at https://www.westernseminary.edu/sap.

If you have any questions regarding your loans or additional funding options, please feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 503-517-1821.

Financial Aid Policies Institutional Aid Refund Policy

All institutional aid is considered earned if the student remains enrolled and attends at least one class such that he or she completes attendance through the end of the of the term in which institutional aid is received, and the student was eligible for the institutional aid at the time the aid was applied to the account. A pro-rated portion of the institutional aid received will be returned if the student officially or unofficially withdraws from the Seminary before the end of the institutional refund period.

Withdrawing or Altering of Financial Assistance

Financial aid may be withdrawn or altered for any of the following:

  • Falsification of information on Financial Aid Application Forms or Application for Admission.
  • Unreported income which changes the financial situation of the aid recipient.
  • Failure to meet either general financial aid eligibility requirements or those specific to the award.
  • Personal behavior that results in dismissal from Western Seminary

All of the above situations will be dealt with on an individual basis with a right to appeal

Resource Change Reporting

A student receiving financial aid is responsible to notify the Financial Aid Office of any resources or aid received which were not reported in the financial aid application. If such resources or aid places the student in an over-award situation, a re-evaluation and revision will be made of the award.

Confidentiality

All records and conversations between an aid applicant, his/her family, and financial aid staff are confidential and entitled to the protection ordinarily given counseling relationships. No public announcement shall be made of amounts awarded to individual students. No information concerning a student's financial aid records may be released to anyone outside the Financial Aid Office without written consent of the student. All student records will be maintained in the Student Financial Aid Office for a period of not less than three years after the last term of attendance.

Right to Appeal

If a student disagrees with the award given (or not given), he/she has the right to appeal the determination. The first step is to contact the Financial Aid Director. If the question is still unresolved, the Scholarship Review Committee serves as the final appeal source for students with grievances relative to the awarding of funds or complaints about the general administration of the program. Appeals should be submitted in writing.