Need-Based Scholarships

St Vladimir’s Seminary awards and distributes its financial resources with a view toward Christian charity and stewardship. Most seminary students receive some form of financial assistance, and students should be mindful that such aid is a privilege to be enjoyed thanks to many benefactors who have graciously given funds to the seminary.

The seminary’s aid program consists of need-based grants, need-based scholarships, and federal loans.

All students are considered financially independent. Therefore, parental information is not required to determine need. The seminary does, however, require financial information from spouses of married students and full disclosure of grant and scholarship assistance from outside sources, such as, but not limited to, parish, diocesan, and archdiocesan education funds.

Eligibility for Financial Aid

To be eligible for financial aid from St Vladimir’s Seminary, a student
must live on campus, be enrolled at the seminary on a full-time
basis as a degree candidate or registered auditor, and be making satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree. To be considered full-time, students must be enrolled for at least twelve credits per semester. To be eligible for federal loans, students must be enrolled for at least six credits per semester.

Students enrolled on a full-time basis, as defined above, are eligible to receive aid from the seminary only for the number of semesters necessary for normal completion of a degree program. Therefore, an M.Div. candidate is eligible to receive financial aid for no more than six semesters; an M.A. candidate for no more than four semesters; and an M.Th. candidate for no more than four semesters, as long as the student continues in residence while writing the thesis.

Satisfactory progress toward completion of a degree program is measured not only by a student’s successful completion of courses but also by satisfactory participation in the seminary’s extra-curricular activities of chapel worship and community service. What constitutes satisfactory progress in these areas is defined below for each award category.

Application Deadlines

Prospective students who seek financial aid from or administered by the seminary must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the seminary’s Financial Aid Application. Application materials and an estimated expense budget are available online in late December. The financial aid deadline is April 1. Students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA by March 15 in order to meet the financial aid deadline. Award notifications begin May 15.

Returning students must reapply for financial aid each academic year. The required forms are the FAFSA and the seminary’s Financial Aid Application. The financial aid deadline is April 1. Award notifications begin May 15.

Applications received after April 1, or incomplete applications received prior to the deadline but completed after April 1, will be considered for financial aid only if funds remain available. Applications received after May 15 will not be considered for financial aid.

Types of Financial Aid

The seminary administers three types of financial aid: need-based tuition grants, need-based scholarships, and federal loans. All three types of financial aid require both an annual financial aid application and the FAFSA. Students who demonstrate need on the basis of a complete application are automatically considered for a need-based tuition grant or a need-based scholarship.

Although financial aid applications are submitted on an annual basis, awards are distributed one semester at a time to eligible students, as defined above. The amount given per semester will normally be one half the total award for the year.

Need-based tuition grants. Need-based tuition grants (of up to 50% of tuition) are available to all full-time students, as defined above, with need determined on the basis of the FAFSA and the seminary’s Financial Aid Application. Students who receive scholarship assistance from an outside source, as defined above, may still be eligible for a need-based tuition grant of a lesser amount, if the outside assistance is less than the cost of tuition. The amount of aid from the seminary will be up to 50% of the tuition balance remaining after applying the outside assistance.

To retain a need-based tuition grant, an eligible student must maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA, participate regularly in seminary chapel services, and perform community service assignments satisfactorily.

Need-based scholarships. Need-based scholarships are available to qualified students enrolled at St Vladimir’s Seminary on a full-time basis, as defined above. Need is determined on the basis of the FAFSA and the seminary’s Financial Aid Application. Students who receive scholarship assistance from an outside source, as defined above, may still be eligible for a need-based scholarship of a lesser amount, if the outside assistance is less than the scholarship award. The amount of aid from the seminary will be 100% of the award balance remaining after applying the outside assistance.

St. Vladimir’s currently administers one need-based scholarship:

• Serbian Scholarship (entering and returning students) – 3 Awards (up to 100% of tuition, books, and room/board of a single student). Awarded to Serbian, or Serbian-American, men and women who demonstrate need, strong academic performance, and promise of significant service to the Church. Priority is given to men who are enrolled in the MDiv program and preparing for ordination.

To retain a need-based scholarship, an eligible student must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA, participate regularly in seminary chapel services, and perform community service assignments commendably.

Federal loan programs. The seminary participates in two educational loan programs: the Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan Program and the Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan Program. These loan programs allow students to borrow funds to help meet their educational expenses. To begin the loan process, a student must complete the FAFSA. St Vladimir's Title IV school code is G02833.  

Probation and Loss of Award

Any student who does not meet the minimum conditions for retaining a seminary grant or scholarship, as defined above, will be placed on probation for the following semester. If the student demonstrates appropriate improvement during the following semester, then probation is lifted and the student continues to be eligible for seminary financial assistance.

If, however, the student fails to show sufficient improvement, then the student becomes ineligible for further financial assistance from the seminary, although he or she may, depending on the circumstances, be permitted to continue as a degree candidate. If a student who has previously been on probation should fail a second time to meet the minimum conditions, then the student becomes ineligible to receive further financial assistance from the seminary.

If a student’s GPA falls below 2.0 in any semester, then he or she automatically forfeits financial assistance from the seminary; no probationary period will be allowed.

Financial Exigency

St Vladimir’s Seminary awards all funds available for grants and scholarships once a year during the spring application process. Therefore, after the financial aid deadline the seminary is unable to consider new or modified requests for financial assistance.

If, however, a student should experience significant, unforeseen financial difficulty after the expiration of the financial aid deadline, he or she is encouraged to speak to the Associate Chancellor for Finance prior to registration in order to arrange a formal payment plan.

Refunds

Each semester’s financial aid is applied toward the student’s seminary account at the time of registration. Seminary awards are given with the understanding that the student will be in attendance for the full semester. If a student withdraws from the seminary during the semester under circumstances permitting a refund of fees, only amounts paid by the student will be included in the calculation of the refund.