Graduate Financial Aid

The HSU Office of Financial Aid strives to provide graduate students with information and financial resources to attend Hardin-Simmons University, along with support programs that promote higher education and developmental opportunities. As a part of this commitment, we hope to provide several financial solutions to graduate students at all levels.

To apply for financial assistance, an eligible graduate student should submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA becomes available on October 1st each year for the next academic year. Students are encouraged to submit their FAFSA online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid as soon as possible. Information on FAFSA can be found at HSU’s Financial Aid Process page. Only students who have been accepted for enrollment, have a FAFSA or other financial aid application on file, and have submitted all requested documentation to HSU Financial Aid will be sent a financial aid offer.

All financial aid is contingent upon student enrollment and making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), as defined by the HSU Financial Aid Office or the specific aid program.

Financial aid is available in two forms: Gift Aid and Self-Help.

Gift Aid	Self-Help
Grants (Federal, State, Institutional)	Loans (Federal, State, Alternative, Institutional)
Scholarships	Student Employment (Work Study, Internships)
	Outside Scholarships

Financial aid offers for incoming graduate students beginning in the Fall semester are made early in the preceding Spring semester. Financial aid offers for incoming students beginning in the Spring semester are made late in the preceding Fall semester. Financial aid offers to continuing students for the upcoming academic year are made Spring semester and may be adjusted once grades Spring grades have been submitted. To be considered for Summer Financial Aid you must complete a Summer Financial Aid Request form and complete the following steps prior to submitting your request form to the Financial Aid Office.

You must file a FAFSA for 2023-2024 in order to receive financial aid for Summer 2023.
You must be enrolled at least half-time. To be considered enrolled half-time, the student must register for and attend at least six (6) hours during the summer terms.

Financial aid offers are made based on the assumption that students will enroll full-time in the Fall and Spring semesters. Cost of attendance and offered financial aid amounts will be adjusted for students who are enrolled less than full-time at HSU or another approved consortium program.

Students may only receive federal financial aid for eligible courses that count towards their program of study. Regardless of the type(s) of aid offered, the cost of attendance for students will be reduced for courses that are not counting towards their program of study, which may result in a lower amount of federal, state, and institutional aid a student could receive. Financial aid offers may also be adjusted if a student does not begin attendance in all courses in which he or she is registered.

Student inquiries may be directed to:
Hardin-Simmons University
Financial Aid
HSU Box 16050
Abilene, TX 79698
Direct Ph. - (325) 670-1050 Toll-Free - (800) GO-HSUTX Fax - (325) 670-5822
Email - financialaid@hsutx.edu
FAFSA School Code 003571
Please visit our website for the most current information on financial aid applications, programs, and any associated deadlines.

Government Aid Programs

HSU participates in the following Government Aid Programs for graduate students:
The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Programs - are available to students who have submitted a FAFSA.

Unsubsidized Loan - Direct Unsubsidized Loans are loans made to eligible undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, but eligibility is not based on financial need.

A Direct PLUS Loan is commonly referred to as a grad PLUS loan when made to a graduate or professional student. To receive a grad PLUS loan the student must be a graduate or professional student enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school in a program leading to a graduate or professional degree or certificate; not have an adverse credit history (unless you meet certain additional eligibility requirements); and meet the general eligibility requirements for federal student aid.

For more detailed information, borrowers should visit the studentaid.gov website.

Federal/State College Work Study Programs - On & Off-Campus Work Study Programs

Work Study Programs are a great way to stay on top of your education and your financial health at the same time! There are two types of work study programs that you can be a part of at Hardin-Simmons. You can work on campus at Hardin-Simmons, or at one of our off-campus jobs available through the federal/state work-study program. Both programs are designed to help undergrad and grad students with financial needs. This gives you an opportunity to have a part-time job earning money to help with your educational expenses.

Students with work-study eligibility are not guaranteed a job. Furthermore, applying for a job does not guarantee you to a job. A student can find more information about job fairs, seminars, and job searching on our Career Services page. By activating your account in our online recruiting platform Handshake, and can view open work study positions on- and off-campus, submit their resume for employers to view, see upcoming event details, and access career documents and resources. Students who want to work on campus may interview during summer orientation or wait until return for the fall semester.

The number of hours per week a student works depends on several factors:

The amount of the student’s work-study award will dictate the maximum number of hours per week the student is eligible to work. Students may not work more than 19 hours per week while enrolled in classes. During the summer that number increases to 29 hours per week.
Students are encouraged to register for classes before applying for a job. Then, review the job listings on HSU Central.

For addition information, please see https://www.hsutx.edu/tuition-aid/work-study/

Students must file a FAFSA, be enrolled at least part time, and have financial need to be eligible to work an off-campus work study job. There is no minimum or maximum a student can earn in federal/state work study funds as long as their earnings do not exceed their financial need.

For more detailed information, borrowers should visit the studentaid.gov website.

Other Loan Opportunities for Graduates

Private Certified Loans – are loans taken by graduate students and normally require a credit approval. If the student does not meet the lenders credit criteria, a co-signer is needed to help a student qualify for a private loan. Private loans are only for the amount that is left after subtracting qualified financial aid from your attendance cost, just like Plus Loans. But just like Direct Loans, you can defer payment until the student graduates or is enrolled in less than 6 hours.

Most of the lenders offer 6 months of grace period before payment begins. FAFSA is not required, and private loans can be adjusted to fit your needs! Of course, that is within the limits of the calculated Cost of Attendance. Click this link for more info.

HSU Scholarships and Endowments

HSU Church Match Scholarship - HSU will match designated Christian church gifts $1 for $1 up to $2,000/year, per student. Students must complete and submit the Church Match Scholarship Form annually to receive the match.

Endowments - Graduate students are encouraged to apply for endowed scholarships. Endowed Scholarship opportunities are financial aid awards that have been established through generous donations to Hardin-Simmons University by individuals who wish to enable Hardin-Simmons’ students to further their education at reduced cost through additional scholarship funding. Numerous endowed scholarships are available through the various departments across campus, each with their own set of criteria that was established by the donor of the scholarship fund. Recipients of a particular endowed scholarship(s) are determined by the respective faculty/staff member who serves as their department’s Scholarship Budget Officer. Awards are typically announced mid-Summer for the following academic year.

Program directors and the Financial Aid Office will make endowed scholarship awards based on completed Scholarship Universe applications. Students should submit the general scholarship application on Scholarship Universe prior to May 31st each year. For more information, please visit the HSU Scholarship Section of our website.

Honors and Awards

Hemphill Graduate Honor Award - The HSU Graduate School recognizes the outstanding master’s/doctorate candidate at the May commencement exercises with the Hemphill Graduate Honor Award. This award recognizes the graduate who has excelled in his/her academic studies, possesses character and behavior consistent with the university’s purpose, and exhibits potential for significant contribution to his/her chosen field. The recipient is selected by the Graduate Council.

This award has been endowed by the late Dr. Lee Hemphill and the late Mrs. Lunelle Nix Hemphill. Dr. Hemphill served as vice president of development and was a vice president emeritus.

Graduate Award of Excellence - The HSU Graduate School recognizes an outstanding graduate candidate at the December commencement exercises with the Graduate Award of Excellence. This award recognizes the graduate who has excelled in his/her academic studies, possesses character and behavior consistent with the university’s purpose, and exhibits potential for significant contribution to his/her chosen field. A committee of graduate program directors selects the recipient. This award is funded by an anonymous endowment.

Outside Scholarships

Outside scholarships are those funded by private individuals, foundations, and organizations, that play an important role in providing gift revenue used to pay for educational costs. Students can apply for numerous outside scholarships online, although some scholarships require them to complete a paper application. Outside Scholarships have certain required qualifications that applicants must meet and will have an application filing deadline.

All students are encouraged to notify the Office of Financial Aid upon receipt or notification of receiving an outside scholarship. Such funds can and will affect a student’s financial aid award.
Please see our Outside Scholarship information on the HSU website.

Veterans Benefits

The coordination of benefits for veterans is the responsibility of the Office of the Registrar, which aids veterans and dependents of veterans.

In accordance with the laws regarding veterans in Chapters 30, 31, 33, 35 and 1606 of Title 38 in the United States Code, assistance benefits to veterans and other eligible persons will be discontinued when the student ceases to make satisfactory progress toward the completion of his/her training objective. Students placed on probation who receive VA benefits must show academic improvement every semester they continue on probation. If improvement in GPA is not made, benefits will be discontinued. Any veteran receiving veteran’s benefits is deemed to be making less than satisfactory progress if he or she remains on academic probation beyond two semesters without an improvement in his or her academic standing. Accordingly, any student who is placed on probation for a third, successive semester will be reported to the Veterans Administration for termination of benefits due to unsatisfactory progress.

The financial aid office will work closely with the VA Coordinator in the Registrar’s Office. https://www.hsutx.edu/admissions/military-veterans/#:~:text=Tuition%20Assistance%20Program&text=Service%20members%20should%20speak%20with,about%20the%20Tuition%20Assistance%20Program.

Changes In Status that Impact Financial Assistance

Dropping a course may affect a student’s enrollment status depending on the type of term and when the student drops. In turn, enrollment status may impact certain funding sources as described in the below sections.

Enrollment Status – A student’s enrollment status continues to be adjusted throughout the semester when a student drops a course. However, in most cases, the change in status has minimal impact, depending on timing or recent changes in laws. The impact is primarily on student loan repayment. Federal financial aid can only be paid for courses included in the student's degree plan. Enrolling in courses not on the degree plan may result in reduced financial aid eligibility.
Dropped Courses – Timing matters on when a student drops a course.
Fall & Spring Semesters

Effective May 1, 2005, students dropping individual courses after the closing date of official registration (census date) will be allowed to keep 100% of their financial aid. No refunds for courses dropped will be given and no course credit will be issued. Students withdrawing in full are subject to the Federal mandated refund policy for Title IV aid. It is highly advised that students receive counseling by the financial aid office prior to dropping classes because:
Class hours dropped with a WF are added to the student’s attempted hours, thus affecting the completion rate for Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Financial aid is available for only two attempts of a class (one attempt for Institutional Family Grant or Tuition Exchange).

Summer Terms

Effective May 1, 2005, students dropping individual courses after the closing date of official registration (census date) will be allowed to keep 100% of their financial aid provided that the student remains in six (6) semester hours, which is a prerequisite for aid received. Students not enrolled in six (6) semester hours for the summer terms (May – Summer II) combined will not be eligible for financial aid and subject to the appropriate adjustments (excluding Pell). Students who are eligible for aid at the time of disbursement will keep their disbursed aid, but no future aid disbursements will be made if they drop below the 6-hour requirement. Students completely withdrawing are subject to the Federal mandated refund policy for Title IV aid.
The financial aid office must counsel students who drop classes because class hours dropped with a WF add to the student’s attempted hours, thus affecting the completion rate for satisfactory academic progress. Also, financial aid is available for only two attempts of a class (one attempt for Institutional Family Grant or Tuition Exchange).
Student Loan Repayment – students must maintain at least half-time enrollment throughout the semester for student loans to remain in an in-school deferred status. Dropping below half-time enrollment at any time during the semester will trigger student loans to enter any applicable grace period, with repayment required after the grace period has elapsed. Changes in enrollment status from full-time to half-time have no consequence on student loans. Half-time enrollment for an undergraduate student is defined as 6 hours for the Fall and Spring semesters.
Withdrawing from the University (Dropping All Classes) – please see the Institutional Refund Policy or visit the financial aid office.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

To meet federal and state guidelines governing the administration of student financial aid funds, Hardin-Simmons University Director of Financial Aid has established the following minimum standards for “measurable satisfactory academic progress” that graduate students must meet in order to be eligible for and to continue to receive, federal and/or state aid. Review of students’ records to determine satisfactory academic progress are made on both a quantitative basis (hours completed) and a qualitative basis (cumulative grade point average) at the end of each semester once grades have posted and the registrar has notified the FAO.

While Academic Standards are similar, they are separate from Financial Aid Standards.

Certain institutional, state, and federal programs require a minimum GPA. GPA’s are assessed at the end of each semester except for the first semester for first-time freshmen.

SAP Components
There are three components to Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Failure to comply with any component may result in a loss of aid eligibility. The three components are as follows:

1. Minimum Financial Aid Grade Point Average (GPA) – Qualitative Measurement

Graduate: one must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00

All graded courses are included in this calculation, including failed courses. This could be different from the academic GPA. The academic GPA is used to determine HSU scholarships and institutional aid.

2. Completion Rate (Pace) – Quantitative Measurement *Change from 75% to 67% was approved on February 15, 2023. 22 Summer and 22 Fall calculations reflect the previous policy. 23 Spring calculations will include the updated policy change.

While students are expected to enroll full-time to be eligible for financial aid, each student must successfully complete a minimum percentage of all credit hours attempted. This percentage includes all institutional and transfer credit hours, regardless of whether or not financial aid was received.

Students must earn at least 67 percent of the credit hours which they attempt for each program level (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate degree).

This component is measured at the conclusion of each semester (summer, fall and spring) and is calculated using the total number of transfer hours as well as completed hours at HSU divided by the total number of attempted hours. Drops and withdrawals are considered unsuccessfully completed coursework when determining SAP and will impact completion rate. All repeated and remedial courses are calculated in this quantitative measure.

All Pace calculations are rounded up or down to the nearest full percentage (e.g. 0.664 is rounded down to 66% and 0.665 is rounded up to 67%)

3. 150% Maximum Credit Hours – Max Time Frame

Students are expected to complete their degree pursuits within a maximum timeframe and are limited to receiving aid for up to 150% of the attempted credit hours required for completion of their program of study. Transfer credits are included in the attempted hours calculation.

The HSU Office of Financial Aid monitors student's SAP at the end of every semester (Summer, Fall, Spring). GPA’s are assessed at the end of each semester except for the first semester for first-time freshmen. Student’s minimum pace for making SAP (i.e., the quantitative progress) is 75%.

After one semester of not meeting the SAP standards, students will be issued a warning and will be permitted to receive financial aid for the next semester. However, after the one semester of warning, students who fail to meet any one or a combination of the SAP components will be ineligible for financial assistance. Students may appeal ineligibility by providing information on extenuating circumstances, indicating what has changed to allow successful academic progress. If an appeal is granted, students may be placed on financial aid probation and asked to follow an academic plan that will lead to meeting minimum SAP requirements in the near future. If students do not meet the terms of probation, eligibility for financial aid will cease and all remaining aid will be cancelled. Subsequent appeals of the same nature are not permitted. Once a student falls from his/her academic plan and loses eligibility, the only way to regain eligibility for financial aid is to meet the SAP requirements.

The Office of Financial Aid will notify the student who ceases to meet minimum requirements for satisfactory academic progress. For more information on SAP or how to appeal. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Verification

Verification is the federally required process of checking the accuracy of information that students supply on their FAFSA application. Verification is completed based on the Federal Title IV verification guidelines. At Hardin-Simmons University, federal aid will be awarded as an estimate. However, not be disbursed to those selected for verification until all documents required are submitted and the verification has been completed. If selected, you will be directed to your campus logic verification portal to complete the steps necessary for verification.