Southern Adventist University provides financial aid for students in the form of grants, scholarships, loans, and employment. The source of these funds is Southern Adventist University, private groups, donors, corporations, the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the student's state, and Title IV funds from the United States Government. Financial aid applicants will not be denied assistance on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, religion, or ethnicity. The Student Finance Office follows established procedures and practices which will assure equitable and consistent treatment of all applicants.
Students are urged to contact the Student Finance Office, P.O. Box 370, Collegedale, TN 37315-0370, phone 1.800.SOUTHERN, or visit our website southern.edu/finance for additional information.
Financial aid awards are made for one academic year to students who are accepted for admission, demonstrate a financial need, and are enrolled for at least six credit hours. Recipients of government aid must hold U.S. citizenship or a permanent resident visa. Students desiring aid must reapply each year, have a GED or high school diploma on file in the Records and Advisement Office, and continue to make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward a degree to receive financial aid.
WARNING: If a student purposely gives false or misleading information on the federal aid application, s/he may be fined up to $20,000 by the US Department of Education, sent to prison, or both.
Eligibility for Southern Adventist University need-based funds is based upon a minimum of six credit hours (except where otherwise noted) being taken on the Southern Adventist University's main campus. Co-op, transient, directed study, distance learning, Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA), and off-site campus classes are not eligible for institutional funds, and do not count toward the six credit hours. Students who have been awarded funds based on full-time enrollment, but enroll below full-time, will have an adjustment made (up to the total loss of the funds awarded) after census (last day to add classes). Please consult with the Student Finance Office if you plan to enroll in less than 12 hours in any semester.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be submitted annually to apply for the federal, state, and institutional aid programs. This application needs to be completed online at studentaid.gov/fafsa. Southern Adventist University's TITLE IV code is 003518.
Applications received by the priority deadline of January 31 will be given preference. Applications received after January 31 will be processed as long as time and funds permit.
Southern Adventist University strongly encourages selecting the automatic IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing the FAFSA to ensure accuracy of financial information and avoid potential verification delays.
A financial aid offer letter will be available online through the Financial Planning section of MyAccess, to each accepted applicant after the Student Finance Office receives the FAFSA results. To confirm and reserve the funds offered, students should click accept on all awards they wish to receive.
Financial aid awards are made on a rolling basis, as long as funds are available, with the neediest students receiving priority. The financial aid award package may be a combination of the following:
When financial aid recipients receive additional resources not included in the financial aid offer letter, it is the student's responsibility to report these funds to the Student Finance Office. Federal regulations prohibit overawards. Therefore, when the total of all resources exceeds the allowable student budget, financial aid awards must be adjusted. When financial aid funds have already been credited to the student's account, any adjustments due to overawards will be charged to the student's account.
Financial aid for students transferring from other institutions will be determined by their academic standing, which will be calculated on all hours Southern Adventist University has accepted. Students with a GPA below policy will be on financial aid probation for one semester. If the cumulative GPA or the completion rates are below the required levels at the end of the probationary period, students will be ineligible to receive financial aid. Deletion of transfer hours from Southern Adventist University academic records may affect a student's financial aid eligibility, depending on the number of hours deleted. Any change in academic program, such as changing from a baccalaureate degree program to an associate degree program, or from an associate degree program to a one-year certificate degree program, may affect a student's eligibility for financial aid.
Financial aid for transient students is available when a student receives a transient student permission letter from the Records and Advisement Office. Eligibility for Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized), or Federal Direct PLUS Loans will be based on total hours enrolled at both institutions. Costs at both institutions will be a factor in determining eligibility.
Southern Adventist University reserves the right to change or amend any of the scholarship policies at any time.
Financial aid awards are disbursed based on enrollment status each semester. The disbursement will show as a credit on a student's account. Loan funds received from the federal loan programs will in most cases be automatically credited to the student's account after the semester's census date and once the master promissory note (MPN), and entrance counseling requirements are met.
Credit balances caused by federal financial aid will be released to the student or parent within 14 days of disbursement, unless the Student Finance office has received written permission to hold the credit balance. If the student has a credit balance caused by a financial aid overaward, the necessary credit will be allocated to the financial aid funds, according to the Financial Aid Award and Disbursement Procedures. If any credit remains, the refund will be credited back first to any credit card that was used to make payment within 90 days of the refund. If the refund involves a credit card payment exceeding $2,000, the refund will be credited back first to the credit card regardless of the date of payment.
Students may become eligible for an increase in financial aid if they have a significant change in finances since the FAFSA was filed. Please speak with a financial counselor at the Student Finance Office to evaluate eligibility for additional aid.
The following documents must be submitted only if you have been selected by the government for verification. The Student Finance Office will notify you if these documents are needed.