Nashotah House is dedicated to providing exceptional and affordable theological education. The seminary offers assistance for accessing funding from a variety of sources including 1) internal scholarships, 2) external scholarships, 3) Title IV loans and 4) private student loans.
New and returning students receive a variety of aid. To evaluate a student’s level of funding, each year students are required to submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online, by July 30. The FAFSA provides the seminary with information used to determine a student’s aid eligibility.
HEERF has been funded through several pieces of federal legislation with the intention of providing financial support to institutions of higher education and their students during the coronavirus pandemic. A portion of the funding must be used for emergency financial aid grants to students which may be used for any component of the student's cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care), or child care. In making financial aid grants to students, an institution of higher education must prioritize grants to students with exceptional need.
Nashotah House internal merit, work, and need-based scholarships, and information related to admissions scholarships are available from the Financial Aid Office.
Nashotah House has a modest endowment fund designated for scholarships and student aid. Each year the proceeds of this fund are distributed to full-time residential students according to financial need. All residential students seeking aid must submit their FAFSA and previous year financial information to Nashotah House annually by March 1st. Financial need is assessed each year based on that information. Every new residential student who qualifies for financial need will be awarded some amount of aid. The three types of aid are as follows:
Students in the Distance Education are not eligible for Nashotah House scholarship aid at this time but may be eligible for external scholarships.
Advanced Degree programs are not eligible for Nashotah House scholarship aid but may be eligible for external scholarships.
Many organizations award grants and scholarships to seminary students. Students must be organized and willing to work at securing such funding, but Nashotah House pledges to assist students in all of their programs (Residential, Distance Education, and Advanced Degree) and in their efforts to find and apply for such funding. Nashotah House is committed to helping students in any way they can to avoid or minimize student loan debt. Nashotah House is pleased to provide a list of foundations and other organizations providing scholarships to seminary students. Students can apply for these scholarships by directly accessing an organization’s website.
Nashotah House is proud of their students who have worked hard to raise funds by appealing to family, friends, and other supporters, presenting their financial needs during seminary as an opportunity for others to invest in their ministry and in the future of the Church. Students who have been industrious in raising funds in this manner have many inspiring stories to tell about how the Lord has provided for their needs. They have been especially blessed because each donation comes with prayer support, encouragement, and spiritual blessing. Through these exchanges, their faith has grown. Nashotah House requires that students make efforts at fundraising part or all of their seminary expenses.
Fundraising is factored into the Estimated Financial Assistance (EFA) for a student and used to calculate financial needs. We ask students to provide their potential and declared sponsors (at least their sending parish and diocese) with the Seminarian Supporters Guide and return the applicable forms.
Nashotah House participates in the Title IV Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan Program. Seminary financial aid staff members are available for guidance and to address your questions regarding the borrowing process.
To apply for a Federal Student Loan, please apply online and you will be directed to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Students will need to complete the FAFSA online each academic year, by July 30.
1). Be accepted into a Nashotah House degree program:
For acceptance into the STM and DMin degree programs, students must hold either an MDiv or an equivalent degree.
For acceptance into the MTS program, students must hold a Bachelor’s degree.
For acceptance into the MDiv, MM, and MPM a Bachelor’s degree is also required; however, the seminary accepts a limited number of students into these professional degree programs who have not earned a Bachelor’s degree, providing the applicant is a minimum of 28 years of age, submits an academic paper of at least seven (7) pages, submits MAT or GRE scores, provides a bishop’s letter granting permission to study, provides documentation of life experiences, noting vocational and spiritual development, and completes the degree application. Applicants who do not hold a Bachelor’s degree may not be eligible for Title IV Federal aid.
Students in the Diploma in Anglican Studies program are not eligible for Title IV Federal aid.
2). Be registered as at least a half-time enrollment and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress;
3). Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online.
4). Make a written application through the Nashotah House Financial Aid and Scholarship Request Form.
In addition to submitting the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online, students must complete the online Entrance Counseling, and sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN). The school code for Nashotah House is GO3874. The award letter provided by the Financial Aid Office will include information related to loan eligibility. A student may initially choose to decline a loan or accept less than offered, provided the initial award is unchanged. A student may receive the declined loan funds later, to the specified level of eligibility.
If a student accepts a loan then subsequently receives an unanticipated scholarship not included in the award letter, the addition of which causes total financial aid to exceed the cost of attendance, the student’s loan eligibility will decrease and future loan disbursement will be canceled or adjusted.
Federal regulations (34 CFR 668.34) require a student receiving the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) while pursuing a degree at the seminary. Qualitative and quantitative minimum standards must be met by students. A student’s grade point average, completion rate, and maximum timeframe to completion are reviewed regularly to determine eligibility for a Title IV Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan.
The grading system used for determining grade point average is:
A 4.0
A- 3.7
B+ 3.3
B 3.0
B- 2.7
C+ 2.3
C 2.0
C- 1.7
D+ 1.3
D 1.0
D- .7
F 0
Academic progress is reviewed at the close of each term, corresponding with loan payment periods. To remain in good standing at Nashotah House, students must:
1). Pass all courses for which they have registered
2). Maintain, in each semester, a minimum grade point average of:
“C” (2.0) for Residential and Hybrid-Distance programs
“B” (3.0) for Advanced Degree programs
Earned hours include S, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-. Attempted unearned hours include U, NC, F, and W. Transfer credit is included in the calculation of attempted and earned hours. Repeated courses are included in the GPA. Nashotah House does not offer remedial courses. A grade of I or Incomplete is counted as attempted, but not completed. Upon receiving a grade, the student’s GPA is recalculated to determine SAP. If a grade for the course is not assigned within eight weeks, a grade of F will be calculated into the GPA and place the student on academic probation.
A student whose grade point average falls below this standard in any particular semester is automatically placed on academic probation. The failure of a course results in automatic academic probation. Failure to achieve a grade point average of 2.0 (3.0 for STM and DMin) in a term in which a student is on academic probation will also result in automatic suspension. Student progress is reviewed annually, corresponding with loan payment periods. Nashotah House includes courses applicable to a student’s program, whenever taken, are evaluated for satisfactory academic progress. SAP is, however, subject to appeal. Students are not eligible to receive federal financial aid if the student is placed on academic probation. A change to a different Nashotah House program, pursuing a second degree, and summer term attendance does not render a student ineligible to receive federal financial aid.
When a Nashotah House student changes programs, any courses taken in the previous program will be included in the SAP calculations for the new program. When a student changes program any coursework from the old program that applies to the new program will be included in the SAP calculations. When a student is pursuing a 2nd degree, any courses that were taken during the 1st degree that are transferred to apply to the student’s 2nd degree will be included in the SAP calculations.
Students must earn at least 67% of the credits that they attempt. Satisfactory academic progress is checked at the end of each payment period, and the end of every standard term (including the summer term for those enrolled in it). Credits transferred to the seminary are included in the calculation of attempted and completed credits. Again, courses in which a student receives an Incomplete will be counted as attempted but not as earned credits. Once an incomplete is resolved, a student can notify the financial aid contacts to have their rate of completion reevaluated. A grade of W will be treated as attempted and not earned. Courses that are repeated will be treated as attempted but only will count as earned credits once. A student can repeat a course for which they receive an “F” grade, and receive aid, as many times as it takes to pass the course. A student can repeat a course that they received a “passing” grade in, and receive aid, only once.
Credits Attempted vs. Minimum Necessary Credits Earned:
24 / 17
30 / 21
48 / 33
60 / 41
72 / 49
90 / 61
Each academic program has a published program length, measured in credit hours. Students will not be eligible for financial aid for any credits that are attempted in excess of 150% of the published credit length of their program. Credits transferred to the seminary are included in the calculation of attempted and completed credits for the purpose of determining the total 150% timeframe. Credits earned while a student is not receiving Title IV aid will also count toward the 150% timeframe. Any course with a grade of “W” is counted in the credits attempted calculation.
If after review of a student’s satisfactory academic progress status it is determined that a student will exceed 150% of the published program length, or will be unable to complete his or her program within the 150% timeframe, his or her Title IV financial assistance will be suspended. Students may appeal the loss of financial aid eligibility due to the 150% rule. The appeal process is defined within the following section of this policy.
Program Published Program 150% Limit Length (Credits):
1). Master of Sacred Theology 24/36
2). Doctor of Ministry 30/45
3). Master of Ministry48/72
4). Master of Theological Studies 60/90
5). Master of Pastoral Ministry 72/108
6). Master of Divinity 90/135
A student with academic suspension status is also on financial aid suspension and is not eligible to receive federal financial aid. To regain eligibility, a student may appeal this status if unusual circumstances interfere with her or his ability to meet SAP standards. Examples of usual circumstances include, but are not limited to divorce, serious injury or illness, personal issues, death of a family member, or documented disability.
To appeal, a student must provide a letter to the Nashotah House Provost describing the circumstances (with supporting documentation) and including a plan with a timeline to achieve SAP. The letter must be received two weeks before the start of the term in which aid is requested. The Provost will evaluate the appeal and provide a final decision. Within two weeks, the appeal decision will be communicated by Nashotah House email (@nashotah.edu) to the student and will be shared with the registrar.
If the appeal is granted, the student regains eligibility and is restored for enrollment. If the appeal is not approved, the financial aid award will be canceled and funds will be returned to the aid program.
SAP standards ensure successful completion of coursework and continuation of financial aid. All students receiving financial aid must be enrolled at least half-time and meet SAP standards for Nashotah House. Students are not eligible for federal funding if they are enrolled less than half time and may be required to begin payments on student loans if they are not actively enrolled in classes.
Full-Time Students are:
1). Residential students registered for at least nine (9) credit hours per semester
2). Hybrid-Distance students registered for:
at least nine (9) credit hours per Fall semester (inclusive of Summer-Fall terms)
at least six (6) credit hours per Spring semester (inclusive of January-Spring terms)
3). Advanced Degree students registered for six (6) or more credit hours per year, including the first academic year of thesis or project preparation and writing.
At Least Half-Time Students are:
1). Residential students registered for between four (4) to eight (8) credit hours per semester
2). Hybrid-Distance students registered for three (3) credit hours per term (i.e., Summer, Fall, January, Spring)
3). Advanced Degree students registered for at least three (3) or more credit hours per year, including each academic year subsequent to the first academic year of thesis or project preparation and writing until the completion of the program.
Less Than Half-Time Students are:
1). Residential students registered for three (3) or fewer credit hours per semester
2). Advanced Degree students registered for less than three (3) credit hours per year
Withdrawal is the voluntary unconditional termination of student status affected by a student. Financial aid regulations (34 CFR 688.22) determine the number of loan funds that must be returned if a student withdraws from the seminary.
Students must complete the Institutional Withdrawal form and it must be signed by both the student and the Provost. If a student simply does not register for courses for more than one term and does not communicate with the Nashotah House administration, the student will be considered withdrawn.
The federal government mandates that if a student withdraws from all classes, she or he may only keep the financial aid "earned" up to the time of withdrawal. The Title IV funds that were disbursed in excess of the earned amount must be returned to the federal government by Nashotah House and/or the student. If a student received a credit balance refund check for financial aid that was credited earlier in the semester, the student may be required to return a portion of those funds to Nashotah House. This portion represents funds that were intended to pay education-related expenses through the end of the term. The amount to be returned to Nashotah House will be calculated from the date on which the student officially withdrew.
To determine the amount of aid a student earned up to the time of withdrawal, Nashotah House will divide the total number of days in the payment period as of the student’s last day of attendance by the total number of days in the payment period. The resulting percentage is then multiplied by the total federal funds that were disbursed (either to a student’s Nashotah House student account or directly by check) for the semester.
This calculation determines the amount of aid that a student is allowed to keep. The unearned amount of a Title IV Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan (the only type of Title IV aid offered by the seminary) must be returned to the Department of Education within 45 days of the Nashotah House of the date the seminary has determined the student withdrawn. The student will be notified within 30 days of the determination of withdrawal and contacted to discuss the student’s eligibility for a post-withdrawal disbursement.
The seminary Business Office will issue refunds to students by direct deposit or by check to students based on credit balances within 14 days after their financial aid is credited to their student account. The Business Office will deduct tuition, fees, and book charges from the student’s account before refunding the remaining balance. Students can grant permission to use their aid refund to pay for other charges.
A student may repay loan funds without interest penalty if completed within 120 days of the disbursement.
For questions regarding financial aid please contact Fr. Jason Terhune, jterhune@nashotah.edu, 262-646-6518.
Financial Aid put together by considering the student’s FAFSA information, student’s expected contribution (EFC), and the support of sponsors and internal and external scholarships. These factors make up the Estimated Financial Assistance of a student which is then subtracted from the Cost of Attendance to calculate financial need. Need-based aid is then considered and awarded. Any remaining Cost of Attendance will be offered in the form of Title IV Loans not to exceed the annual maximum of $20,500. Depending on their situation, a student may choose to accept the part, all, or none of the offered loans.
Changes to an aid package may result for various reasons including lack of fulfillment of work duties, decrease/increase of pledged sponsorship or cost support funds, loss of satisfactory academic progress, disciplinary violations resulting in a loss of a scholarship, change to your FAFSA, change in full-time status, and addition of a previously unknown external scholarship.
Students will be notified via email/mail if changes to the aid package have been made. A new award letter will be issued and, if applicable, a bill of outstanding charges resulting from the change.
All FAFSA prior year W-2s, and financial aid application forms must be received by January 15th to be considered for priority packaging. Late applications/submissions of forms may result in the loss of or lessening of potential financial aid. Award Letters will be mailed and emailed to the student by March 15th and must be signed and returned (scanned or mailed). No student will receive any financial assistance until the signed letter is returned.
Private loans are available from banks and credit unions for students to use to pay for expenses not met from other sources of support.
Students can access information regarding loans directly from a lender, generally on the lender’s website. Once a private loan has been approved, the seminary will be notified by the lender to certify the loan. For assistance in calculating maximum loan eligibility, students should contact the Nashotah House Financial Aid Office.
Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation (GLHEC) a loan servicer and guarantor, has created tools that may be helpful to students who wish to explore private loan options. The seminary financial aid staff is glad to provide assistance; however, students are encouraged to carefully consider borrowing and the long-term implications of borrowing on finances.
For questions regarding financial aid please contact Fr. Jason Terhune via email: jterhune@nashotah.edu or phone: 262-646-6518.
Explore Private Loan OptionsNashotah House is an approved certifying school for G.I. Bill® recipients. A student interested in using this benefit to help pay for seminary should first apply online via the G.I. Bill® website to determine her or his eligibility.
Questions regarding the application or eligibility should be directed to the regional Veteran’s Affairs office or to the student’s assigned VA Counselor. Students must provide a copy of their Certificate of Eligibility to the Financial Aid Coordinator before their first term in order to be certified. The Nashotah House Financial Aid Office will certify each Veteran’s enrollment at the start of every term.
If a student has already received a Certificate of Eligibility, they can send a copy of the Certificate to the Office of Financial Aid. Kristen Olver, our Financial Aid Coordinator will certify the student at the beginning of each term.
Military Tuition Assistance is also accepted at Nashotah House. Students should apply with their respective branches to begin the process.
Note: Prospective students with over $60,000 in loan debt are encouraged to have a frank conversation with their diocese and sending parish, and possibly to work to pay down this debt before entering seminary.
Apply Online Contact The Office of Financial Aid