Tuition and Financial Aid FAQs and Answers for Traditional, Adult and Graduate Students

a. Visit FAFSA.ed.gov

b. You can complete your FAFSA for the upcoming year as early as Oct. 1. The filing deadline to be considered for Indiana state grants is April 15. We recommend that you file as soon after Oct. 1 as possible, as some scholarship and grant funds can be exhausted.

a.  Federal Aid – financial aid from the federal government is available to help you pay for education expenses. Grants (Pell, TEACH, SEOG), loans (subsidized, unsubsidized, PLUS) and work-study are types of federal student aid; you must complete the FAFSA to apply for this aid. More information regarding federal aid can be found on their site. 

b. State Aid – Indiana residents may be eligible for grants from the state of Indiana to be applied to their direct tuition costs. These grants are need-based and the FAFSA must be completed by April 15^th in order to be considered for any applicable state grants. More information regarding state financial aid.

c. Institutional Awards – Bethel University awards many types of institutional scholarships and grants to full-time undergraduate students. Awards may be based on merit or need and may be restricted to tuition costs only. Financial aid awards and policies are subject to change. Review list of expanded list of institutional awards and financial aid policies.

d. Students can apply for an alternative loan to cover remaining educational expenses, but most will need a credit-worthy cosigner. Learn more about your alternative loan options.  

Adult and Graduate students may be eligible for federal and state financial aid, as determined by the submission of their FAFSA. Find financial aid information specific to Adult and Graduate students.

TEACH grants are available to students who agree to teach for four years in an approved school and/or field. To be eligible, you must meet certain requirements as indicated on the Federal Student Aid website. If you qualify and would like to utilize the TEACH grant, complete this form and someone from the Financial Aid Office will contact you in 2-3 business days to verify your application and create your award.  Once your award has been created and you have signed your Agreement to Serve, the funds will post to your student account. 

EFC stands for Expected Family Contribution, and it is determined by a formula that evaluates the information you submit on your FAFSA. Bethel University and the federal Department of Education assume that families will contribute to the educational expenses of their students. The Department of Education determines the EFC as an indicator of the family's ability to help cover educational costs. Bethel will work to fill in any remaining gap after the EFC is applied to the student’s costs.

Based on criteria established by the federal government, students who receive federal financial aid may be selected for verification. This process is designed to verify the financial information provided on the FAFSA. A verification worksheet and federal tax information is required to complete the process; additional information may also be requested. In order to be considered for all financial aid, information must be submitted within 30 days of the college’s written request. In no instance will verification information be processed beyond the student’s enrollment period.

• 2020-2021 Verification Worksheet (PDF)
• 2020-2021 Verification Instructions (PDF)
• 2021-2022 Verification Worksheet (PDF)
• 2021-2022 Verification Instructions (PDF)

All federal, state and institutional grants and scholarships will post to your student account at the start of each semester, once all requirements have been met. Some grants or scholarships may have minimum enrollment or housing requirements; endowed scholarships often require a thank-you note from the recipient to be sent to the donor. Some federal programs require additional steps to be completed prior to funds being released, such as the direct loan and TEACH grant.

We realize that the FAFSA portrays a snapshot of your specific circumstances. If you feel there are details to your financial situation that are not accurately explained with the FAFSA information, such as job loss, extraordinarily high medical expenses, or similar situations, please contact our office to explain your situation. While we cannot guarantee additional funds will become available, we will walk through the process with you, of clarifying your information to help provide any possible resources. 

Bethel makes every attempt to make your college education affordable. If you find that you have exhausted all possible resources and still need additional help, we have an appeal process that students can complete to provide us with more information to help seek out any further resources. 

We recommend students search for outside scholarships throughout their educational career. Information for outside scholarships that is sent to the Financial Aid office is posted in the Office of Student Financial Services. You can also find several websites that offer scholarships here.

a. For federal direct loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), students must complete entrance counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN). This must be completed before loan funds are first disbursed for a student and will remain valid for 10 years following. Both requirements can be completed on this site, which includes step-by-step instructions.

b. For federal PLUS loans, parents must complete the PLUS Request and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN). The PLUS MPN only needs to be completed once in most cases, but the PLUS Request must be completed annually. Both requirements can be completed on this site, which includes step-by-step instructions.

c. Students can apply for an alternative loan to cover remaining educational expenses, but most will need a credit-worthy cosigner. Learn more about your alternative loan options.   

Any direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans included in your financial aid award will be processed prior to the start of the semester. If you have completed the entrance counseling and MPN, the funds will post to your student account after classes begin. If you wish to reduce or decline your direct loans, you can complete a Loan Adjustment Request and submit it to the financial aid office.

a. Visit FAFSA.ed.gov

b. You can complete your FAFSA for the upcoming year as early as Oct. 1. The filing deadline to be considered for Indiana state grants is April 15. We recommend that you file as soon after Oct. 1 as possible, as some scholarship and grant funds can be exhausted.

Adult and Graduate students may be eligible for federal and state financial aid, as determined by the submission of their FAFSA. Find financial aid information specific to Adult and Graduate students.

EFC stands for Expected Family Contribution, and it is determined by a formula that evaluates the information you submit on your FAFSA. Bethel University and the federal Department of Education assume that families will contribute to the educational expenses of their students. The Department of Education determines the EFC as an indicator of the family's ability to help cover educational costs. Bethel will work to fill in any remaining gap after the EFC is applied to the student’s costs.

a. For federal direct loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), students must complete entrance counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN). This must be completed before loan funds are first disbursed for a student and will remain valid for 10 years following. Both requirements can be completed on this site, which includes step-by-step instructions.

b. For federal PLUS loans, parents must complete the PLUS Request and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN). The PLUS MPN only needs to be completed once in most cases, but the PLUS Request must be completed annually. Both requirements can be completed on this site, which includes step-by-step instructions.

c. Students can apply for an alternative loan to cover remaining educational expenses, but most will need a credit-worthy cosigner. Learn more about your alternative loan options.   

Based on criteria established by the federal government, students who receive federal financial aid may be selected for verification. This process is designed to verify the financial information provided on the FAFSA. A verification worksheet and federal tax information is required to complete the process; additional information may also be requested. In order to be considered for all financial aid, information must be submitted within 30 days of the college’s written request. In no instance will verification information be processed beyond the student’s enrollment period.

• 2019-2020 Verification Worksheet (PDF)
• 2019-2020 Verification Instructions (PDF)
• 2020-2021 Verification Worksheet (PDF)
• 2020-2021 Verification Instructions (PDF)

Adult and Graduate students may be eligible for federal and state financial aid, as determined by the submission of their FAFSA. Find financial aid information specific to Adult and Graduate students.

All federal and state aid will post to your student account at the start of each semester, once all requirements have been meet. Some federal programs require additional steps to be completed prior to funds being released, such as the direct loan.

We realize that the FAFSA portrays a snapshot of your specific circumstances. If you feel there are details to your financial situation that are not accurately explained with the FAFSA information, such as job loss, extraordinarily high medical expenses, or similar situations, please contact our office to explain your situation. While we cannot guarantee additional funds will become available, we will walk through the process with you, of clarifying your information to help provide any possible resources. 

We recommend students search for outside scholarships throughout their educational career. Information for outside scholarships that is sent to the Financial Aid office is posted in the Office of Student Financial Services. You can also find several websites that offer scholarships here.

Any direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans included in your financial aid award will be processed prior to the start of the semester. If you have completed the entrance counseling and MPN, the funds will post to your student account after classes begin. If you wish to reduce or decline your direct loans, you can complete a Loan Adjustment Request and submit it to the financial aid office.