We prepare a budget for students in each of various categories. For Federal financial aid purposes, this budget is called the "Cost of Attendance," or COA. Please note that these budgets represent the nine month cost for the student and do not include family member living expenses. Please see question #4 (Seminary Cost Estimator) to develop a total budget for your family. Choose the appropriate Academic Year:

Academic Year 2008-09		Academic Year 2009-10
All categories below: MDiv-AR, Residence Hall Deac-MA, Residence Hall MDiv-AR, Married, no children MDiv-AR, Married, 1 child MDiv-AR, Married, 2+ children		All categories below: MDiv-AR, Residence Hall Deac-MA, Residence Hall MDiv-AR, Married, no children MDiv-AR, Married, 1 child MDiv-AR, Married, 2+ children

Step I Complete and transmit to us your CTS Financial Aid application electronically. Just click here. If you are applying for Financial Aid for Summer Greek or the summer session of 2009, you must use the 2008-09 application.

Step II – File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the appropriate year. You will need information from your previous year's Federal Income Tax Form 1040. To save time, it is a good idea to file your income taxes before you file your FAFSA. Before you begin, download the FAFSA Worksheet (available at the above FAFSA link) and organize your material. You will need our Federal School Code. It is G20876. If you prefer to file a paper FAFSA, you must call the Federal Student Aid Information Center (1-800-433-3243) and order one.

Step III – Apply to your LCMS District. Print the "District Financial Aid Application" (available in PDF), complete Section One, sign it, ask your pastor to sign it and mail it to us. Do not mail it to your District. We will complete Section II and then forward it to your District. Your District’s application deadline is on the list of District Financial Aid Contact Persons (available in MS Word format). Be sure to check for asterisks and note whether your District requires any different – or additional – application steps. Note: We must receive your FAFSA, your CTS Financial Aid application, and your "District Financial Aid Application" at least two weeks before your District's deadline. New students, please be aware that the seminary and your District cannot process your financial aid application until you have been granted admission. Returning students, please note that your financial aid deadline is May 1 (or two weeks before your district deadline - whichever comes first).

Step IV – Ask your pastor and the leaders of your home congregation to support your seminary study. We will also write in your behalf, asking your home congregation to consider supporting you with gifts totaling at least $3,000 per year. Your congregation may not be able to help that much; or, it may be able to help more. Ask early in order to give your congregational leaders time to plan for your support.

CTS grant-in-aid is the financial aid you receive from the seminary to offset a portion of your tuition (max. for 2009-10 is 55% tuition). Each quarter, you will receive grant-in-aid based on your Expected Family Contribution [EFC] as a percentage of your Cost of Attendance [COA]. You can use the calculator provided below to see what percent of your tuition will be covered by CTS grant-in-aid.

Cost of Attendance status: MDiv-AR Dorm Resident Deac-MA Dorm Resident Married, no children Married, 1 child Married, 2+ children These are the totals from the Cost of Attendance sheets from step 1 above.
Enter your Expected Family Contribution (from FAFSA)
Your grant-in-aid is based on the percentage figure above.
Enter any number of credit hours (default is 15) - in order to calculate your grant-in-aid, either for one quarter or for the whole year
Select your program: Ministerial Student Deaconess Tuition cost @ $ /hour
Less seminary grant-in-aid
Net tuition cost

Approximately 75% of our students qualify for the maximum percentage of 55%. Please note: Home congregation support, District support, all outside scholarships and Student Adoption Program gifts are applied to your student account in addition to your CTS grant-in-aid. We urge you to be aggressive and apply for every scholarship possible.

If you do not know your EFC and would like to obtain an estimated EFC, you can visit the College Board EFC Calculator and receive a free estimate. Please use the Federal Methodology (FM) for best results.

We have prepared a Seminary Cost Estimator to help you with this important and sometimes challenging task. If you’re not sure if you will need to borrow, you can still do so later. You can also adjust your loan upward or downward, or cancel it altogether, later in the year. If you have strong outside support, you may receive enough gift-aid to cover some of your living expenses, in addition to tuition. Keep in mind that no matter how much you receive, you will have many costs to cover yourself, whether by earnings, savings or loans. Please note: Bills come out during the first week of each quarter and are due at the end of the third week.

When you file your FAFSA, you will receive an Award letter that will include a loan offer and a calculation of your estimated loan eligibility. After receiving your Award letter, if you decide to borrow, go to our Loan Page and follow the steps indicated. Remember to return your completed Stafford Loan Award page to the Office of Finacial Aid if you decide to borrow. Loan applications for 2008-09 can be submitted until the end of the summer term. Loan applications for 2009-10 will be processed after July 1, 2009. If you are not interested in receiving a student loan, please hold on to your Stafford Loan Award page so that you can return it if you decide later on that you need to borrow.

Yes. If you have a temporary cash-flow problem, but don’t need a Stafford Loan, we may be able to help. The seminary offers 60-day, interest-free emergency loans, $1,500 or less. There is a charge of 1.5% per month, starting with the loan date, on emergency loans that are not repaid within 60 days.

Yes. If you receive financial aid during the regular academic year, you will also receive CTS grant-in-aid for your summer classes. No special application is required. Your total summer gift-aid will probably be less, since District aid, home congregation gifts, Student Adoptions, and outside scholarships do not normally continue during the summer.

We have prepared a list of Outside Scholarship Resources, for you. Look over the list, take note of any deadlines and apply for all those for which you are eligible.

Yes, the seminary participates in the Federal Work Study program. Numerous on-campus and community service jobs are available. Some jobs, such as work in the chapel, are not eligible for Federal funding. Students hired for these jobs are paid from Institutional Work-Study Funds. Students looking for employment on campus must inquire at the department where they are interested in working (Library, Information Technology, Mailroom, Student Commons, Co-ops, Dining Hall, Security, Gymnasium, etc.)

Our office will match you with a church, church group, or individual wishing to adopt a student. Student Adoption provides a supplement to your financial aid and, in addition, gives you opportunity to "meet new friends," through your thank-you notes and telephone calls. To participate, complete the Application for Student Adoption and click “Submit.” Note: M.Div., A.R., and Deaconess students may apply for the student adoption program. When you sign up for Student Adoption you are obligated to send thank-you notes and/or letters whenever you receive financial support from your adopters. Remember, students must register for the Student Adoption Program each year they are attending classes on campus.

These significant in-kind resources are separate from and added to your regular financial aid. While they are designed to help families, residence hall students also utilize the Co-op for such items as snack foods, toiletries and clothing. Families will typically receive 75-percent, or more, of their food, paper products, baby diapers and other household supplies through the Co-op. The Co-op provides families with high-quality used clothing and household furnishings donated by church members throughout the country. Please visit the Food & Clothing Co-op page for additional information.

If you drop a class in the middle of the quarter, all of your seminary tuition grant money for that class will be removed from your account and you will be responsible for any remaining tuition costs (see the Academic Calendar or Academic Catalog for tuition refund rate schedule). If you drop classes with the result that you fall below half-time status (6 credits for M.A., M.Div. and A.R.) you will lose all your seminary grant money and Federal student loans for that quarter. If you withdraw from the seminary during the middle of the quarter, both your seminary grant money and Federal financial aid are affected. Please click here to read our Return of Financial Aid Funds Policy for Students who withdraw from the Seminary.