Academic Catalog 2010-2011 - Union Presbyterian Seminary

7. Financial Assistance forStudentsGENERAL INFORMATIONUnion Presbyterian Seminary offers a generous financial aid program that includes merit aid, Promise for ParishMinistry Awards, need-based grants, prizes, and loans. Union Presbyterian’s admissions policy is need blind;eligibility for financial aid does not affect admission to the school. While Union Presbyterian seeks to helpstudents meet the expenses of attendance, the ultimate responsibility for these costs rests with the student.Information regarding outside scholarships may be found on the Union Presbyterian website athttp://www.upsem.edu/Current_Students/Financial_Aid.html.Churches or denominations that endorse persons to prepare for ministry usually offer personal encouragement,spiritual oversight, and fiscal support. It is the student’s responsibility to secure financial support from theirchurch or denomination. Students who are members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may be eligible toapply for grants and loans from the denomination through the financial aid office. To be eligible for PC(USA)aid, a student in the M.Div. program must be at least an inquirer.UNION PRESBYTERIAN SEMINARY SCHOLARSHIPSBasic Degree Merit AidUnion Presbyterian offers Merit Aid for full-time study in the first professional degree program (the M.Div.,M.A.C.E., and the M.Div./M.A.C.E). These awards are made to incoming students who have demonstrated academicexcellence and who have participated in the life of the church and their communities. Merit Aid for PC(USA)students may be up to 100% of tuition plus an additional grant which may be used to cover housing, books andother costs. For non-PC(USA) students and those not considering ordination in the PC(USA), the tuition grantportion is capped at 75% of the cost of tuition.All admitted applicants are automatically considered for merit awards without submission of an additionalapplication. To ensure consideration, a completed admission application must be submitted by March 15th.Basic Degree Merit Aid Renewal CriteriaThe faculty’s Student Assessment and Awards Committee reviews awards for renewal each Spring. In order tohave their scholarship renewed, students on merit scholarships must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.Students whose GPA falls below 3.0 will lose their merit aid for the next academic year but may reapply for thefollowing academic year. Please see page 7-4 for a description of the duration of these awards.The committee will occasionally offer merit awards to individuals who did not receive an award in their firstyear but whose work at Union Presbyterian has been outstanding. Applications for these awards are madeavailable in January.Advanced Degree Merit AidTh.M. students may be eligible for a merit award of up to $8,000. This award is granted based on the students’application for admission and is not renewable.7-1