Financial Aid Terms and Conditions

By accepting the financial aid offer, the student agrees to fulfill all terms and conditions set forth by federal, state, and institutional policies:

What is financial aid?

Financial aid includes need-based, merit-based, and other grants, scholarships, loans, student employment, income share agreements, military educational benefits, and employer educational benefits from federal and state agencies, other institutions, and third parties. Federal tax credits for higher education expenses, such as the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and account payments made by a student or on a student’s behalf are not considered financial aid.

Financial aid principles

The student and/or the student’s family has primary responsibility for financing the education, and a student requesting financial aid is expected to contribute toward their own educational expenses. This self-help contribution may be in the form of summer or school-year earnings, loans, or a reasonable combination of both. Financial aid from the university and other sources is viewed as supplemental support to family contributions.
The student’s financial need is determined by an analysis of the information provided in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Consideration is given to factors affecting a family’s financial status, including current income, assets, number of dependents, other educational expenses, and retirement needs.
Students applying for financial aid are expected to meet annual application deadlines. Deadlines vary by school. Dates and deadlines for each academic program are available below:
All Bethel financial aid offers are prepared by the Office of Financial Aid and are designed to ensure students are reviewed equitably. Students must accept or decline the financial aid offer. A student may appeal their offer, but the decision made by the Financial Aid Office of Bethel University is final and binding.
All financial aid, excluding job earnings, is first credited to the student’s Bethel account. If aid results in a credit balance, the student should contact the Business Office.
The types and amounts of financial aid available to students vary by school, degree sought, academic program, and financial aid criteria. For example, postbaccalaureate students taking undergraduate courses will not receive gift aid but are eligible for government loans if they are seeking licensure, certification, or a second type of bachelor’s degree (e.g., a student with a B.A. now seeking a B.S.).

Enrollment and attendance requirements

Financial aid is based on enrollment assumptions derived from a student’s admissions file and/or enrollment pattern at Bethel. If the student’s actual enrollment differs from these assumptions, aid may be adjusted at any time. This applies to all federal, state, and Bethel-specific aid.

The Financial Aid Office monitors student enrollment each term. For the College of Arts & Sciences, BUILD, and Seminary, the office locks in student enrollment on the 10th day of fall and spring semesters and adjusts financial aid accordingly. For the College of Adult & Professional Studies and the Graduate School, enrollment is monitored throughout the semester, with financial aid adjusted as necessary.

Only courses that are required for the student’s program of study, as defined by DegreeWorks program audits, may be counted when determining the enrollment status used to disburse financial aid. Students should refer to their personal degree audit to determine the coursework necessary to fulfill individual graduation requirements.

Simply being registered in courses is not enough to secure financial aid; students must also attend and actively participate in the courses for which they register. Course attendance and participation are verified by course instructors.

Financial aid eligibility

Financial aid eligibility varies depending on the funding type (grant, scholarship, loan, work, etc.) and source—such as institutional, federal, military, or state aid. Listed below are key program-specific eligibility criteria. For more information, visit bethel.edu/financial-aid:

Student loans. Students must be enrolled at least half-time to receive Federal Direct or PLUS loans. There are also annual and aggregate limits applicable to Direct Loan eligibility.
Federal Pell Grant. Available to students seeking their first baccalaureate degree. Eligibility is determined by FAFSA results. The maximum Federal Pell Grant is awarded to undergraduate students enrolled full-time (12+ credits), though the amount varies when enrolled less than full-time. Students may receive Pell Grant funding for up to twelve full-time semesters. Full details are found at studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/pell.
Minnesota State Grant. Available to students seeking their first baccalaureate degree. Eligibility is determined by FAFSA results. The maximum Minnesota State Grant is offered to undergraduate students enrolled for 15+ credits, but the amount varies for each credit from 3 to 15 credits per semester. The Minnesota State Legislature determines the formula for grant amounts and may change it. If the formula changes, Bethel will recalculate amounts and notify students. Full details are at ohe.state.mn.us.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). Offered in place of need-based institutional grants to College of Arts & Sciences students who are eligible for Pell Grants. FSEOG funds are subject to the same policies and procedures as institutional grants and scholarships.
Institutional Grants and Scholarships. Eligibility criteria for institutional grants and scholarships are summarized in the catalog and on the "Types of Aid" webpage for each school. Institutional grants and scholarships are not available for semester study abroad experiences.
Outside Assistance (private grants and scholarships, employer assistance, and/or veterans and other military educational benefits). In most cases, outside assistance does not impact the amount of Bethel-controlled grants and scholarships, though it frequently affects loan or student employment eligibility.

Financial aid adjustments resulting from outside assistance and military educational benefits

When finalizing your financial aid offer, Bethel must ensure that your total financial aid does not exceed your cost of attendance due to institutionally controlled aid and outside (privately funded) aid. If the sum of aid from all sources exceeds the cost of attendance budget, an aid overaward exists. Overawards are most likely to occur when students receive outside aid that was unknown or unconfirmed to Bethel when the initial financial aid offer was prepared.

In determining if there is an overaward, Bethel considers all aid you will receive, including military educational benefits. If the amount of institutional or outside aid results in an overaward, Bethel must eliminate it by reducing the financial aid offer.

Typically, Bethel addresses overawards by first by reducing loans and work-study funds dollar for dollar against the excess institutional or outside aid until the overaward is eliminated. If further reductions are necessary, Bethel reduces institutionally controlled aid, beginning with need-based aid.

For students receiving federal military educational benefits, Bethel is limited in the reductions it can make to certain federal and state aid included in your financial aid offer. This means you may be allowed to retain federal loans, federal work-study eligibility, and Minnesota State Grants, but Bethel may need to reduce institutionally controlled aid or other outside aid to eliminate the overaward. See examples of financial aid adjustments (pdf).

Other financial aid adjustments

Financial aid offers may be adjusted at any time during the term at the sole discretion of the university. Additional factors that may require an adjustment to your final aid offer include, but are not limited to, the following:

The sum of a student’s financial aid exceeds the actual cost of attendance Bethel used to calculate the offer
The assumptions used to prepare the offer (e.g., enrollment status, program of study, documented need) do not match the student’s actual circumstances
Processing error corrections
Final and complete FAFSA verification
Changes in eligibility criteria made by the organization funding the aid

Student responsibilities

Students withdrawing from Bethel University must notify the appropriate office for their program as listed below:

College of Arts & Sciences: Office of Student Life
BUILD
College of Adult & Professional Studies, Graduate School, and Seminary: Office of Student Success

Students must immediately notify the Office of Financial Aid if financial assistance is received from an outside source (e.g., private scholarships) that was not previously disclosed to Bethel.

All students must read and comply with financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy and must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress as described in Bethel’s SAP Policy. Failure to maintain SAP may result in loss of financial aid.

All financial aid funds listed on a student's offer letter must be used solely for educational expenses related to attendance during the academic year.

School bill

As part of the financial aid process, the Office of Financial Aid estimates the anticipated total cost of attendance at Bethel using direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include tuition, fees, room and board, etc., and are charged directly to the student account. Indirect costs may include transportation, books, supplies, and social activities, but are not charged directly to the student; they are used to estimate the total cost of attendance. Please refer to the catalog and Bethel student account for actual charges.

In addition to tuition, some courses and activities may have additional fees, such as for science labs or music lessons.

Electronic consent

Bethel University uses a secure website (my.bethel.edu) to disclose and provide financial aid information to students. In addition, Bethel corresponds with students using their Bethel email addresses to communicate important financial aid information. By applying for financial aid, students voluntarily consent to participate in electronic transactions related to financial aid. Students who do not wish to participate in electronic communication must contact the Office of Financial Aid in writing to make alternative arrangements.

Instructions for acknowledging terms and conditions (pdf).