Financial Aid FAQs

• How do I apply for scholarships and/or loans from Covenant Seminary?

  After you have applied for admission to the seminary, please complete an Application for Financial Aid online from the Student Portal or submit the completed PDF version to the Financial Aid Office, which is part of the One-Stop area in Founders Hall. In most cases, you will also complete a FAFSA which you can do online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You do not need to complete a FAFSA if you are an international student on a student visa, a DMin or Distance Education student, or a Staff Scholarship or Spouse Teamwork Scholarship recipient not taking a student loan. If you are only interested in taking a loan, you can complete the FAFSA only but we will have to get some other information from you in order to complete processing of your loan.

• How long does it take to get a financial aid decision?

  Financial aid decisions are not made until you are admitted to the Seminary. Once we have your application and FAFSA and you are admitted, your application will be considered at the next scheduled meeting for scholarship awarding. These are held shortly after the four scholarship deadlines for new students each year. You should hear from us within 30 days after the deadline.

• Is there a deadline for applying for scholarships?

  There are four deadlines for new students to be considered for scholarships each year--February 15, April 15, June 15, and October 15--and there is a deadline for returning students to reapply for scholarships--March 15. The sooner you get your application in (within reason, of course), the better the chance of receiving scholarship money. If you apply 4-6 months before the semester you want to attend, that should give you plenty of time to get everything processed before you come.

• How do I appeal a decision?

  If you disagree with the decision that has been made or feel that the Financial Aid Committee has not looked at everything in your situation, you should first call the Financial Aid Director, Melinda Conn, at 314.434.4044, ext. 4033. If you then want to make a formal appeal, this should be done in writing by e-mail or by letter sent to her attention explaining your situation more fully and why you are appealing.

• How can my church or an individual support me while I'm in seminary?

  We have an entire section in the Financial Aid Handbook dealing with this issue. Check out pages 23-24. If you have further questions, please give us a call at 314.434.4044.