Financial Aid Guidelines

Shenandoah University maintains a strong financial aid program to assist students in funding their educational expenses. Financial aid is awarded according to an individual’s financial need and academic success in relation to the university costs; awards may be modified in the event university costs increase. Financial aid consists of a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and employment.

Application Procedure

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): Students wishing to apply for Federal financial aid are required to complete a FAFSA. To ensure the university receives a student’s FAFSA, students must include Shenandoah University’s Federal School Code of 003737 and provide the university their correct Social Security Number.

Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Application: Domiciled Virginia residents submit a completed Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Application by July 31. Once awarded, it is not necessary to reapply for subsequent years as long as the student maintains their domicile and full-time enrollment in an undergraduate program.

Virginia Conference United Methodist Scholarship Application: Shenandoah University offers a scholarship to full-time undergraduate students who are members in good standing of the Virginia Conference United Methodist Church for at least one year. Membership standing must be certified by their minister. This award is automatically renewed for up to four years for eligible students. Applications are available on the Financial Aid website. 

Once a student has been accepted for admission and the Office of Financial Aid has received their FAFSA, the Office of Financial Aid will determine what financial aid the student is eligible to receive and notify the student with a financial aid award offer. Students should accept this award offer as quickly as possible. Awards are based on assumptions related to projected enrollment, tuition and fees and university costs; in the event the university modifies its assumptions and/or projections, the university may modify its financial aid awards as well.

Students applying for summer financial aid should complete the FAFSA for both the current and the following academic year.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Process Overview & Responsibilities

All undergraduate and graduate students must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements in order to receive Financial Aid at Shenandoah University. Federal regulations require each college or university to have an academic progress policy, which establishes the minimum standards of eligibility for Financial Aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured by:

• Cumulative grade point average (GPA).
• Cumulative number of credits attempted compared to credits earned, often referred to as Pace of Progress. Students must earn credits toward their degree at a 67% rate when compared to credits attempted.
• Total number of credits attempted overall (maximum time). Students are not eligible for aid once they have reached 150% of the credits allowed for their specific program. This includes all coursework taken for a specific academic level (undergraduate or graduate), even if the student is no longer pursuing that degree.

Students who have not received Financial Aid in previous years, but apply for Financial Aid assistance for the first time are also held to these requirements. Satisfactory Academic Progress is reviewed for all semesters of a student’s enrollment, regardless of whether or not the student was eligible for assistance during a term.

If a student is not meeting the requirements as outlined above, they are considered in Financial Aid Suspension and must appeal and be approved to regain eligibility for Financial Aid. To appeal, please follow the instructions below under Appeal Procedures.

Repeats, Pass/Fail, and Transfer Credits

Students who have earned a passing grade in a course can only take it one more time for Title IV aid, where a “D” is considered a passing grade. Once they have earned two grades of “D” or higher, any subsequent enrollment in the course is not eligible for Title IV aid and will be excluded from the R2T4 calculation. Withdrawals and drops while in attendance at Shenandoah University will not count towards GPA SAP requirement, however, may count for pace calculations.

Courses that are graded as pass/fail are included in the calculations for pace and GPA if they have a credit-load attached to them.

At Shenandoah University there are some courses that share the same name/number, but are not the same course and are required multiple times in the same degree for degree completion. These courses are evaluated based on the number of instances per required completion of the student’s degree, not on the total number of attempts overall.

Transfer credits will count towards both courses attempted and completed for pace, but will not be considered for GPA calculations.

SAP for Undergraduates

Students pursuing undergraduate programs must adhere to the GPA requirements outlined below, earn 67% of the cumulative credits they have attempted, and not exceed 150% of the published length of the educational program in their attempted credits. Withdrawn courses will be counted in this calculation:

Students who complete the equivalent of 2 years (or four semesters) at Shenandoah University must have at least a 2.0.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Review

The Office of Financial Aid will review each student’s SAP status at the end of each semester. Email notifications of SAP standards are sent to the student’s university email account. Students not meeting the SAP requirement are placed on either Financial Aid Warning or Suspension. Students on Financial Aid Suspension may appeal the suspension. If the appeal is approved, the student is placed on Financial Aid Probation.

Financial Aid Warning

Students who are not meeting SAP at the end of the semester are placed on a one-time warning status. While no further action is required from the students, it is strongly recommended students meet with an advisor to ensure their course load is appropriate and any courses taken apply to the student’s degree. Following the one semester warning, any student failing to meet SAP is automatically placed on Financial Aid suspension.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students failing to meet SAP following their warning semester are placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Students have the option to appeal this suspension. An appeal must be based on significant mitigating circumstances seriously affecting academic performance.

Some examples of mitigating circumstances include:

• Death in the family.
• Disabling illness or injury.
• Emotional or mental health issues.
• Divorce.
• Natural Disaster.
• Extreme change in financial or legal circumstances.
• etc.

Financial aid Suspension does not prohibit a student from continuing his or her education at Shenandoah University, but it does prohibit the student from receiving institutional or federal Financial Aid until they are in good standing.

Please note: Neither paying for classes with other means for a semester nor sitting out for one term restores Satisfactory Academic Progress on its own unless the student also brings their GPA or pace up to the standard required.  It is possible that a student may pay for so many courses out-of-pocket or using other means to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards which would restore their aid.

Financial Aid Probation

Students successful in their suspension appeal have their aid reinstated for one semester. Students are notified of the conditions of their probationary period. Following the probationary semester, the Office of Financial Aid reviews the student record to determine future eligibility.

If a student requires more than one semester to return to good standing, they may be required to submit an academic plan and work with the office of academic advising.

Financial Aid Academic Plan

If an academic plan is required to be developed by the student and their academic advisor, it will be monitored each semester. If the student fails to meet the conditions of the plan, they will no longer be eligible for aid until they re-establish eligibility on their own. 

Re-establishing Eligibility

Students on Financial Aid Suspension, or have their appeal denied may re-establish their eligibility for financial aid assistance by achieving Satisfactory Academic Standards without federal or institutional aid. This is at the student’s own expense. Sitting out one semester does not accomplish this. Students who have earned the required GPA, or have completed the required number of credits, should submit an appeal to the Office of Financial Aid to have their financial aid reinstated.

Semester Limits for Financial Aid

Many financial aid programs, including state and SU aid, limit assistance to four years or eight semesters of full-time study. Students who do not take these limitations into consideration may find themselves unable to obtain aid for a fifth year of study. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid for more details if you will be attending for more than four years.

Undergraduate to Graduate Seamless Programs

Shenandoah University has several Undergraduate to Graduate health professions programs, including: Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Athletic Training, and Physician’s Assistant. Students are accepted into these programs upon acceptance into Shenandoah University and will transition into their graduate program once they have taken all of the prescribed courses.

Students who have completed from 0-83.99 credits will be considered an undergraduate for Financial Aid, which means:

• The student is eligible for undergraduate Federal Financial Aid—Pell, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) and loans.
• The student is eligible for an undergraduate level of VTAG.
• The student is eligible for Shenandoah University Grant and Academic Scholarships.
• The student is considered for federal or institutional work-study.

Once the student reaches the 84-credit mark, and is accepted into a graduate health professions program,  the following parameters apply:

• The student will receive the remainder of their SU Academic or Presidential Scholarship. They are eligible for this for a total of 4 years, or 8 semesters as an undergraduate and graduate student. This award will apply to tuition charges only (not fees or housing). 
• The student is eligible for VTAG at the graduate level and will be required to complete a new VTAG application for their graduate health professional program.
• The student is eligible for Federal Financial Aid at the graduate level.
• The student is not eligible for federal or institutional work-study.
• The student is not eligible for Pell or SEOG, unless the following exception is met: A student who is enrolled full time, but in a combination of graduate and undergraduate courses may by paid a Federal Pell Grant only on the basis of the courses applying to his or her bachelor’s degree. For example, if the student is enrolled for 15 credits, but only 6 credits are applied to the baccalaureate degree, the student can be paid a Federal Pell Grant only as half-time student. 

Study Abroad

Students in a study-abroad program are eligible for aid if the program is approved for credit by the university. To receive aid, the student must be enrolled as a student at Shenandoah University, and a contractual agreement must exist between Shenandoah University and the foreign school. The student will be charged at Shenandoah University and upon being invoiced by the foreign school, like services (tuition and room and board) will be paid if equal to or less than Shenandoah University services.

Shenandoah University Aid Programs

All aid programs are awarded for tuition expenses (not fees or housing) and are renewable for a total of four years as long as the recipient maintains the applicable grade point average, maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress, and is enrolled full-time each semester in an undergraduate degree program.  Awards will be divided equally between fall and spring semesters. More information about Financial Aid Programs is available here.  

Presidential Scholarship: The Presidential Scholarship is a highly selective, limited scholarship selected by the President of Shenandoah University, available to incoming first-year students and is awarded in place of the Academic Scholarship. Eligibility is determined based upon a student’s application for admission to the university; no additional application is required to apply. To maintain this award for four years,  students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and enroll in at least 12 credit hours a semester. 

Academic Scholarship and Academic Transfer Scholarship: The Academic Scholarship and Academic Transfer Scholarship are available to incoming freshmen and transfer students. For incoming freshmen, eligibility is based on their high school GPA. For incoming transfer students, eligibility is determined by the student’s cumulative GPA. The scholarship may be renewed annually for a total of four years. To remain eligible, recipients are required to maintain full-time enrollment as an undergraduate student and maintain a GPA of at least 2.5. In addition, recipients must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. Eligibility is determined based upon a student’s application for admission to the university; no additional application is required to apply.

Shenandoah University Conservatory Scholarship: The Conservatory Scholarship is available to incoming freshmen and transfer students pursuing a degree within the Shenandoah Conservatory. The scholarship is awarded based upon a student’s academics, their audition, and the needs of the Conservatory. The Conservatory Scholarship may be renewed annually for a total of four years. Recipients are required to maintain full-time enrollment as an undergraduate student and meet the requirements as set by the Conservatory to retain the scholarship. This scholarship is awarded in place of the Academic Scholarship or Academic Transfer Scholarship.

Funded Shenandoah University Award: The Funded Shenandoah University Award is a need-based grant awarded for tuition expenses. The amount of the grant will vary based upon a student’s financial need as determined by the FAFSA. This grant is awarded in addition to other Shenandoah scholarships. Students must be full-time in order to be awarded. Students attending beyond four years will not be eligible for an SU Grant.

Virginia Conference United Methodist Scholarship: Shenandoah University offers a scholarship to full-time undergraduate students who are members in good standing of the Virginia Conference United Methodist Church for at least one year. Membership standing must be certified by their minister. This award is automatically renewed for up to four years for eligible students.

Ministerial Grants: Ministerial Grants are available to dependent children and spouses of Virginia Conference United Methodist ministers. Ministers must be full-time ordained by the bishop. Students must be a resident of Virginia and enrolled full-time to qualify. Ministerial Grant recipients are not eligible for other forms of Shenandoah University aid.

Endowed Scholarships

Endowed scholarships are donated funds to the university to help meet the financial needs of students. Individuals and corporations or foundations donate funds from which the interest is awarded as grants and scholarships while the principal is maintained as part of university’s endowment program. A Shenandoah University Grant, Academic Scholarship or Academic Transfer Scholarship is awarded early in the year and may be later replaced by the proper endowment funds once the donor and student are verified.

Federal Aid Programs

Federal Pell Grants: This grant is awarded to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s or professional degree. Eligibility for the Pell Grant is determined by the Office of Financial Aid based upon the results of the FAFSA in accordance with federal regulations.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG): These grants are awarded by the university from federal funds to students demonstrating exceptional financial need. Priority is given to Pell Grant recipients.  Funds are limited and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis based on FAFSA submissions.

Federal Work-Study Program:This program is designed to provide assistance to students with financial need. Work-study students are employed in various departments on campus and are paid biweekly, based on the number of hours worked. Students not eligible for Federal Work-Study will receive Institutional Work-Study. Work-study is not an entitlement; funds are awarded based on eligibility, timeliness of application, and availability of funding.

Federal Community Service Work-Study Program:This program allows students to work off campus at nonprofit sites that provide valuable services to our local community.

Federal Nursing Student Loan: These loans provide long-term, low-interest loans to help meet the cost of a nursing education for high-need students. Interested students should work with the Office of Financial Aid to determine eligibility and borrowing limits.  After a student graduates, withdraws, or drops below half-time enrollment, they are given a nine month grace period before they must begin repayment of their loans. Students are granted one grace period. The grace period may be extended to longer than nine months if the student is on active duty in the military. At the end of the grace period, students must begin repaying their loans. Funding for these loans is provided from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is limited. Students repay this loan directly back to the university through a contracted servicer.

William D. Ford Federal Direct Stafford Loan: Federal Direct Loans are guaranteed loans available to degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled at least half-time. No credit check is required.

The interest on Federal Direct Loans is determined each year and is fixed for the life of loan. These loans also carry an origination fee. The origination fee is deducted from the loan amount prior to its disbursal to the university and is subject to change over the course of the academic year.

Federal Direct Loans may be subsidized and/or unsubsidized. A Direct Subsidized Loan is awarded on the basis of financial need as determined by the FAFSA and the university. No interest will accumulate for the student while they are enrolled at least half-time or during authorized periods of deferment. The federal government will pay the interest during these periods. A Direct Unsubsidized Loan is not awarded on the basis of financial need. Unlike the Direct Subsidized Loan, interest will begin to accrue immediately from the time the loan is disbursed until it is paid in full. Students are permitted the option of paying the interest each quarter or deferring interest payments until they enter repayment.

After a student graduates, withdraws, or drops below half-time enrollment, they are given a six month grace period before they must begin repayment of their loans. The grace period may be extended to longer than six months if the student is on active duty in the military.

The Federal Direct Loan amount a student is eligible for each year is based upon their academic level and dependency status as determined by the FAFSA. Student whose parent(s) received a credit denial when applying for the Federal Parent PLUS Loan may borrow at the independent student level. Undergraduate students determined to be dependent by the FAFSA may borrow a maximum of $31,000, of which up to $23,000 may be subsidized. Undergraduate students determined to be independent by the FAFSA may borrow a maximum of $57,500, of which up to $23,000 may be subsidized. 

As part of their financial aid notification letter, students eligible for the Federal Direct Loan will be awarded the maximum loan amount they are able to borrow for the academic year or term. If the student wishes to accept the loan as awarded, decline the loan, or request a different amount, they must notify the Office of Financial Aid.

William D. Ford Direct Federal Parent PLUS Program: Federal Parent PLUS Loans are federal loans parents can borrow from the  U.S. Department of Education to fund their dependent student’s educational expenses. Students must be considered a dependent by the FAFSA, be a degree-seeking undergraduate, and be enrolled at least half-time. Eligible parents who can borrow a PLUS Loan include a student’s biological parents, whether they were listed on FAFSA or not, adoptive parents, and stepparents whose income was reported on the FAFSA. Parents must also pass a credit check in order to be approved for this loan. Students whose parents do not pass the credit check for the PLUS Loan may borrow additional funds in the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. 

The interest on Parent PLUS Loans is determined each year and is fixed for the life of loan. These loans also carry an origination fee. The origination fee is deducted from the loan amount prior to its disbursal to the university and is subject to change. Parents may borrow for each year of their student’s undergraduate career, though subsequent credit checks will be required.

Commonwealth of Virginia Aid Programs

Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant: This program is a state-funded, non-need-based grant available to full-time undergraduate students whose families are domiciled in Virginia. Once awarded, it is not necessary to reapply for subsequent years.  Recipients may receive this grant for up to four years. The application is due September 15 and is available at the Office of Financial Aid’s webpage.

Withdrawing from the University

To withdraw from Shenandoah University at any time during the academic year, a student is required to obtain a Withdrawal Form from the Office of Student Success. This form must be completed and returned to that office in order for the withdrawal to be processed in an accurate and timely manner. A student who fails to withdraw properly may receive failing grades in all currently enrolled courses and may be ineligible for a proration of tuition and fees as described below.

Tuition Proration Policy

Students withdrawing from the university during the published add/drop period will be fully refunded tuition, fees and housing charges. Students may be eligible to receive a portion of awarded federal financial aid.

For students withdrawing after the add/drop period, tuition will be pro-rated accordingly. The amount of tuition will be calculated on a pro rata basis through 60 percent of the term. After 60 percent of the term has been completed, the student will be responsible for all tuition charges assessed. Tuition charges and awarded financial aid will be prorated based on the official withdrawal date as determined by the last date a student participated in an academically related activity.

The determination of the payment period attended by the student will be calculated as follows: Number of days completed divided by the total number of days in the term =   the % of term completed.

This percentage will determine the amount of tuition charges that the student is responsible for paying. If the percentage is 60 percent or higher, the student is responsible for 100 percent of tuition charges assessed.

Distribution of Financial Aid Funds

Financial aid funds applied to a student’s account will be returned to the appropriate program in accordance with mandatory federal, state, private organizations and Shenandoah University requirements. Any remaining amount of credit will then be applied to unpaid charges on the student’s account with any remaining funds being refunded to the student. It is possible for students whose accounts were paid in full at the start of a term to owe payment for the balance of charges after the return of financial aid funds.  

Special Purpose Fees:  Charged When Applicable

Withdrawal Fee: ($150) Charged to all students who withdraw from the university after the add/drop period and within the first 60 percent of the term.

Fall term tuition and fees are due in full by the published due date in August, and spring term tuition and fees are due by the published deadline in December, unless the student chooses to apply for the Shenandoah University Payment Plan. Students and/or parents must complete a payment plan application by July (fall) or November (spring) to be eligible to participate. In addition, parents/students must meet acceptable credit standards.