Scholarship and grant opportunities are provided through generous gifts from individuals and organizations and are distributed through Meadville Lombard based on merit and need.  Listed below are only a few of the grants, fellowships, and scholarships made available to matriculated students.

Full Tuition Scholarships
Meadville Lombard offers three full-tuition scholarships awarded in alternating years to a full-time student in the Master of Divinity degree program.  These merit-based scholarships provide 100% tuition assistance to one student for their three years in the program as long as they remain in good academic standing and complete the program as outlined in the award letter.

Applicants must have a completed application by March 15 and intend to study full-time.  The scholarships will be awarded according to the following schedule:

The Hardy and Betty Sanders Scholarship for Excellence: 2013
The Arnold and Julia Bradburd Endowed Scholarship Fund for Excellence: 2014
The Spencer and Susan Lavan Endowed Scholarship Fund: 2015

Denominational Scholarships
Grants from the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
Students must apply directly to the UUA for subsidized grants. We encourage all students who are seeking to serve as Unitarian Universalist ministers to become familiar with the UUA’s offerings and to bookmark the following sections of their website to become familiar with the opportunities available to current students as well as financial assistance offered to fellowshipped ministers:
Click here for more information

Scholarships from the John Haynes Holmes Memorial Fellowship
Ministerial students may apply directly to the John Haynes Holmes Memorial Fund Fellowship Committee, c/o the Community Church, 40 E. 35th St., New York, NY 10016, (212) 683-4988.  Applications will be available in December/January of each year. The application deadline is April 1.

For more information on scholarships contact the Senior Director of Student Services.

Meadville Lombard awards tuition reduction grants from available scholarship resources to eligible students based both on need and merit.  All awards are authorized for the academic year and are credited to the student's account each term. The average scholarship for students applying is approximately 30%, though students with greater need may receive a much higher percentage. See the current policy for Institutional Tuition Reduction Awards here.

To be considered for institutional financial aid, new and current students need to apply for financial aid each year by submitting the Meadville Lombard Institutional Tuition Reduction Application (ITRAA) as well as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The due date for the ITRAA is March 15 each year.

Students who are matriculated into a degree program at Meadville Lombard are eligible to apply for Federal Financial Aid while they are enrolled at least half time for their degree program and maintain satisfactory academic performance.

While loans are available to all students meeting the minimum eligibility requirements, the use of these loans can be a burden for students pursuing the ministry as a career. Most of our students do receive some form of tuition reduction award and many receive assistance from the Unitarian Universalist Association and other organizations dedicated to helping students manage their debt load. 

William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
The U.S. Department of Education (rather than a bank or other financial institution) offers Direct Loans at low-interest rates for students and parents to help pay for the cost of a student's education after high school. Additional information on Federal Direct Loans is available from the Department of Education 800-848-0979.

Two Types of Direct Loans available to graduate students:

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

Students get Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans regardless of need, but will have to pay all interest charges.

Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loans (Plus Loans for Graduate and Professional Degree Students)
Graduate and professional degree students may borrow under the PLUS Loan program up to their school's cost of attendance minus other financial assistance. A credit check is required.

Application Procedures
To apply for a Federal Direct Stafford Loan you will need to complete the four steps below.

Step 1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by using "FAFSA on the Web"
Step 2. Complete the online loan entrance counseling (required for first time borrowers)
Step 3. Complete and sign the electronic Master Promissory Note (if not already signed)
Step 4. Complete theMeadville Lombard  FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN REQUEST FORM

Step 1.  Complete the FAFSA Online
You should have received a Federal PIN from the U.S. Dept. of Education shortly after the first time that you completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The PIN serves as your electronic signature and holds the same legal status as your written signature. You should keep your PIN in a safe place and not share it with anyone. If you do not have a PIN, go here and choose either "Apply for a PIN" if you have never had one or "Request for a Duplicate PIN" if you had one but do not know it. You will need to submit your name, social security number, date of birth, and email or mailing address. A PIN will be generated and sent to you. You will have the option of receiving your PIN either through your email account (2-3 days) or your PIN can be mailed to you (7-10 days).

Step 2. Complete Online Entrance Counseling
All new borrowers at MLTS must complete the Federal Direct Student Loan Entrance Counseling. Borrowing a student loan is a serious financial obligation, and the entrance counseling will provide you with the important information you need to know to be able to make an informed decision about student loan borrowing. The entrance counseling must be completed before the Financial Aid Office will accept and process your loan application.

Complete the online entrance counseling on the Federal Direct Loan Servicing website. This tutorial reviews basic facts about Federal Direct Loans, and your rights and responsibilities as a borrower. After you complete the tutorial, you will be required to take and pass a quiz. The tutorial and quiz will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Once you have passed the quiz, the system will display your quiz results and ask you to choose a school. You may print your passing entrance counseling quiz results along with a copy of your rights and responsibilities by clicking "Retrieve Quiz Results" from the main page.

Step 3. Complete and Sign your Electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN)
First time Direct Loan borrowers need to sign a Federal Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN). If you have already signed a Federal Direct MPN previously for another Direct Loan college (online or paper), you do not have to complete a new MPN.

Students now are able to sign their MPN electronically on the web.  You will need to log in using your PIN issued by the Department of Education and then select "Complete Master Promissory Note."

Completing an electronic MPN is very simple and easy. You must complete the entire process in a single session so be prepared and give yourself plenty of time. If you exit the site before signing your electronic MPN, you will be required to start over from the beginning.

IMPORTANT: Before beginning your electronic MPN session:

• Have your federal PIN ready. If you misplaced your PIN, see the instructions on how to obtain a new PIN.
• Be ready to provide two references (name, address, and telephone number). These should be people who have known you for at least one year (preferably relatives) who live at different addresses.
• Remember to always use your full legal name as it appears on your social security card.

Paper Option: If you do not wish to sign your MPN with your PIN, you may request that the Financial Aid Office print a copy of your MPN. The printed copy will be mailed to your home address for your signature, but this will delay the processing of your loan application.

Step 4: Complete the FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN REQUEST FORM
Complete the Meadville Lombard Federal Director Loan Request form and FAX it to the number shown on the application. This form must be completed before eligibility can be determined. This form also gives you an opportunity to opt to borrow less than the maximum.

Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for a Federal Direct Loan a student must:
1. be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien;
2. be taking at least six credit hours and be matriculated in a degree program;
3. not owe any refunds on a Pell Grant or other awards received and not be in default on repayment on any type of student loan.

Each new student loan recipient will be required to complete entrance counseling before a loan application is processed and attend an exit interview when graduating or terminating from school.

Exit Counseling
Federal regulations require that all student loan borrowers must have an exit interview/exit counseling during their final semester at MLTS. Students may access and complete the Exit Counseling. This will satisfy all requirements for exit counseling and give the borrower up to date information on their student loan balances. This is the quickest and easiest way to satisfy the exit counseling requirement.

Maximum Loan Amounts
Independent Student -- Unsubsidized for a total of $20,500 per year. An independent graduate student may borrow up to an aggregate limit of $138,500. This maximum total graduate debt limit includes Federal Stafford Loans received for undergraduate study.

Repayment Terms
Graduate Federal Direct Stafford loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) have been set at a fixed interest rate of 6.8%. In addition, all Federal Direct Loans are charges an origination fee of 1.0% with an up-front rebate of 0.5%.

For a Federal Direct PLUS loan, the fixed interest rate is 7.9%. In addition, the Federal Direct PLUS loan has an origination fee of 4% with an up-front rebate of 1.5%.

There are several ways to repay a Federal Direct Loan:
A standard repayment plan has a fixed monthly repayment amount for a fixed period of time, usually 10 years.

An extended repayment plan has a lower fixed monthly payment amount, and loan repayment can be extended beyond the usual 10 years. 

A graduated repayment plan usually begins with lower monthly payments, and payment amounts increase at specified times. Payments may be the usual 10 year period, or they may be extended beyond the usual 10 years.

Income-contingent repayment plan sets annual repayment amounts based on the borrower's income after leaving school. The loan is repaid over an extended period of time, not to exceed 25 years. 

A servicing agency will be responsible for maintaining the loan account and repayments. It is the student's responsibility to maintain contact with that agency.

Loan Consolidation
Students who have previously borrowed FFELP student loans through a lending institution and who are now borrowing a Federal Direct Loan have the option to consolidate all of their student loans into one Federal Direct Consolidation Loan. This will help the borrower avoid the situation of owing two separate loans to two different lenders.  Borrowers who are interested in consolidation of all their student loans into one Consolidation Loan can contact the U.S. Department of Education for more information.

In order to remain eligible for both institutional and Federal aid, students must be enrolled at least half time each term (per the definition of their program) AND maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The following outlines the policies and the procedures by which the policies are enforced with regard to SAP.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
In addition to all Meadville Lombard Theological School academic requirements (as outlined in the Student Handbook), recipients of Federal Financial Aid (Loans and Federal Work-Study) funds must meet the following standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in order to establish and maintain eligibility for assistance from these programs:

• Successful completion of at least 75% of all coursework attempted during each academic term (this is the program completion pace). 
• Attempted coursework is defined as any course in which a student is enrolled at the end of the 100% refund period (see refund policies on the website or in the Student Handbook). 
• Successful completion of coursework is defined as receipt of a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-,C+, C,C-, D+, D, D-, or P if a course is taken as pass/fail. 
• Unsuccessful completion of coursework is defined as receipt of a grade of F, I, PI, or W. 
• Repeated coursework is counted as many times as the course is repeated in the computation of total units attempted. 
• Courses that are assigned an incomplete grade are included in the cumulative hours attempted but cannot be used as credits earned toward progress standards until a successful grade is assigned. 
• Credit officially accepted in transfer and specifically applied toward a student's degree program will not be counted toward the pace.

Financial Aid Warnings and Appeals
Satisfactory Academic Progress will be reviewed at the conclusion of each term by the Senior Director of Student Services. If SAP is not met, the Senior Director of Student Services will notify the student by email that they have been placed on Financial Aid Warning. Under the warning, Meadville Lombard is only allowed to disburse Federal funds for the next payment period. If the student meets SAP in the next term, they will no longer be on Financial Aid Warning. If, however, they do not meet SAP in a term directly following a warning, the student will no longer be eligible for Title IV funding. The Senior Director of Student services will notify the student by email to their Meadville mail account of their ineligibility for further Federal Aid within one week of the conclusion of the grading period. 

Students may appeal for reconsideration of Title IV eligibility by submitting a Letter of Appeal to the Senior Director of Student Services. The Letter of Appeal must state the circumstances resulting in the student not meeting SAP. These reasons must be clear and critical, i.e.: 

• The death of a relative 
• An injury or illness of the student 
• Extreme circumstances (flood, fire, etc.)

The Letter of Appeal must also address the change in circumstances that will allow the student to demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress by the end of the term. The Letter of Appeal must be received by email or snail mail within two weeks of the notice of ineligibility.

The appeal will be reviewed by the Senior Director of Student Services, the Provost, the student's Academic Advisor, and the Director of Student Records. If the appeal is granted, the student is put on Financial Aid probation and will be deemed eligible for Title IV funds for the term.  If the student does not meet SAP at the end of that term, they will be ineligible for Title IV funds. The student will be notified of the committee's decision within two weeks of receipt of the Letter of Appeal.

A student whose Title IV eligibility has been reinstated under the terms of an academic plan is considered to be making satisfactory progress.

Retaking Coursework
If a student retakes a class that was not completed successfully, the course will count toward the student's enrollment status in the new term, but it is Meadville Lombard's policy not to provide any institutional tuition assistance for classes retaken because of an unsuccessful completion.

To get an estimate of the costs for a student enrolled full-time in our degree programs. You can find rates for our tuition and fees here. Masters level students attending full-time should average 9 units per year as well as 3 non-tuition units during one summer (for Clinical Pastoral Education). Students in the TouchPoint program should expect to make at least 7 trips to Chicago during the course of their degree program for between three days and three weeks. Prospective students may contact the Student Services staff for help in how their time might be spent in Chicago.

The Department of Education also provides a budget calculator to help students consider all costs as they prepare for higher education.