Tuition and Financial Aid

NPTS offers Covenant Presidential Scholarships to help selected degree-seeking students prepare for vocational ministry in the ECC. These awards are designed to assist full- and part-time students in pursuing and completing their studies at the ECC’s denominational seminary as efficiently as possible. Covenant Presidential Scholarships are funded in part by donors to the Seminary Annual Scholarship Fund.

NPTS offers this scholarship to a limited number of students who:

• Will be degree-seeking students at NPTS (including transfer students).
• Demonstrate a sense of call/intention to serve in vocational ministry through the ECC.
• Have demonstrated a record of participation, service, and membership through the ECC.

Factors considered in awarding the scholarship include:

• Previous academic record
• Effective ministry experience in ECC congregations or ministries is considered an advantage
• Clarity and strength of call and commitment to serve through the ECC
• References (submitted with the application for admission)
• Student financial need (as indicated by the FAFSA)

Requirements that accompany the scholarship offer:

• Maintain appropriate progress toward degree (varies by degree and full-time/part-time status).
• Commit to serving in the ECC for three years upon graduation.
• Cooperate with the Office of Advancement in donor acknowledgment campaigns and represent NPTS as requested. This may include writing thank-you notes, submitting autobiographical information, making phone calls, conducting church visits, and scheduling photo sessions.
• If at any point during their degree program, a student determines they will not be serving through the ECC, the student is expected to communicate that decision to the Office of Seminary Admissions promptly.

Additional scholarship information:

Covenant Presidential Scholarships award 20%, 50%, and 70% tuition discounts to eligible students with the most generous awards offered to full-time residential students studying on the Chicago campus. Covenant Presidential Scholarships cannot be combined with the Nyvall or Lund Scholarships or need-based grants. This scholarship can be combined with the Mosaic Leadership Scholarship for a maximum tuition scholarship award of 70%.

Students are responsible for field education charges, community services fees, books, psychological testing fees, counseling, insurance, rent, miscellaneous fees incurred by the student, and other personal expenses.

Through the Mosaic Leadership Scholarship, NPTS supports the ECC’s vision of becoming a church anchored in the multicultural, multiethnic diversity of the kingdom of God. The Mosaic Leadership Scholarship recognizes students who have demonstrated through previous leadership in ministry, community, career, civic, or pastoral contexts the potential for significantly expanded and more effective work and ministry in the church and/or society.

NPTS offers this scholarship to a limited number of students who:

• Will be degree-seeking students (full- or part-time) at NPTS.
• Demonstrate a sense of call to vocational ministry in the church or broader community.
• Have demonstrated a record of leadership and service in the church and/or community.
• Belong to a local church.
• Will cooperate with the Office of Advancement in donor acknowledgment campaigns and represent NPTS as requested. This may include writing thank-you notes, submitting autobiographical information, making phone calls, conducting church visits, and scheduling photo sessions.

Factors considered in awarding the scholarship:

• Previous academic record
• Previous experience serving in ministry or community leadership
• Level of commitment to lead in the church or community and embody the values of the Mosaic Leadership Scholarship
• References (submitted with the application for admission)
• Student financial need (as indicated by the FAFSA)

Additional scholarship information:

• Awarded students must cooperate with the Office of Advancement in donor acknowledgment campaigns and represent NPTS as requested. This may include writing thank-you notes, submitting autobiographical information, making phone calls, conducting church visits, and scheduling photo sessions.
• NPTS awards this scholarship to degree-seeking students as part of a comprehensive financial aid package. Financial aid awards assume a personal financial investment and the opportunity for the student to benefit from the Church Matching Grant program. ECC students who are eligible for the Mosaic Leadership Scholarship may also be eligible to receive a Covenant Presidential Scholarship, Lund Scholarship, or Nyvall Scholarship, with a maximum total tuition discount of 70%. NPTS will offer its most generous awards to full-time residential students studying on the Chicago campus.

Our merit-based scholarships award past academic performance for future graduate study. Combined tuition scholarship awards will not exceed 70%.

Nyvall Scholarship

Awarded upon admission to degree-seeking students who have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.7 (out of 4.0), the Nyvall Scholarship is a 30% tuition reduction. This award cannot be combined with the Covenant Presidential Scholarship, and the reduction is not applied to fees, including field education.

Lund Scholarship

Awarded upon admission to degree-seeking students who have an undergraduate GPA between 3.3 and 3.69 (out of 4.0), the Lund Scholarship is a 20% tuition reduction. This award cannot be combined with the Covenant Presidential Scholarship, and the reduction is not applied to fees, including field education.

Through the Church Matching Grant program, North Park matches financial gifts of up to $500 per academic year from a student’s home church. Through this initiative, NPTS seeks to honor and encourage the support that local congregations offer to their members who are called into ministry and desire theological training. Congregations may provide more than the matching amount and are encouraged to invest as much as they can in future leaders.

The Office of Seminary Admissions is glad to discuss this program with local church representatives. We also encourage students to express their gratitude directly to their home church for such gifts and expressions of support.

Eligibility and notes

Students may be degree- or certificate-seeking, but must be enrolled in three or more academic credits each semester the grant is applied. Those interested must apply for the grant. Students may combine the grant with any other scholarship or grants awarded.

If the combined amount of the church’s support and North Park’s institutional match exceeds a student’s tuition charges for the semester, North Park will reduce its match to the extent necessary to exceed those charges. The Church Matching Grant applies only to billed tuition and not to fees, including field education costs.

Church considerations

Churches should be aware of the possible tax implications related to these programs and should consult with their tax counsel on these matters:

1. Churches must determine whether providing financial support to their employees constitutes a taxable benefit. The IRS rules do allow, under certain conditions, the exclusion of certain educational benefits from taxable income.
2. Generally, a donor may not select the recipient of financial assistance and also receive a charitable gift receipt for that assistance. Churches should establish and follow protocols so individual donors do not receive charitable gift credit for assisting individuals of their choosing.

The United States Department of Education administers federal student loans, not North Park University. Students interested in receiving federal student loans must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Start with the FAFSA

If you are a US citizen or eligible non-citizen, fill out the FAFSA in addition to your application for admission.

What: FAFSA
When: Available beginning October 1 of each year
Why: To determine your eligibility for need-based financial assistance
How: Visit studentaid.gov
Important: The federal school code for North Park University, which includes North Park Theological Seminary, is 001735.

Graduate student loans

Degree-seeking seminary students who are US citizens or eligible non-citizens can apply for federal student loans to assist in funding their education. Federal rules require that you enroll in at least four credit hours for each semester in which you plan to borrow money. Students enrolled in doctoral or certificate programs are not eligible for federal loans.

North Park strongly encourages graduate students to minimize borrowing and debt. However, many graduate students choose to take out student loans as part of their financial aid packages. You must repay all student loans; most federal student loans offer significantly lower interest rates than private loans.

To explore options for student loans, you must complete a FAFSA for each academic year you want loan funding. Generally, you will start loan repayment six months after you graduate or leave school.

North Park is neither the lender nor the servicer of any student loan. If you do access student loans, you are responsible for submitting correct, current address information to your lender/servicer for any loans you take out. This is especially important as you leave North Park and enter repayment. North Park will not forward updated name and address information to your lender/servicer.

Direct Unsubsidized Loans for graduate students

Graduate students may be eligible for Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Interest will accrue throughout the life of the loan; however, you do not have to make interest payments while attending school.

The amount of money graduate students can borrow in Direct Unsubsidized Loans is set by the federal government but tied directly to the cost of attendance for your academic program. Therefore, it varies widely within the seminary’s programs. Your admissions counselor and the Office of Financial Aid can provide you with more information about how much loan money you may qualify for.

You can find interest rates and loan fees at studentaid.gov.

You do not have to make payments on your Direct Unsubsidized Loans while you are in school. Repayment begins six months after you cease to be enrolled at least half-time (four credits for graduate students), and lasts at least 10 years. However, your loan servicer may provide other options for deferment or graduated repayment depending on your financial circumstances when you are no longer in school. There is no penalty for prepayment.

If you have never borrowed a federal direct loan, you must complete a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN). You also must complete entrance counseling. You can complete both of these items online using your FSA ID. You need only complete these documents once (rather than annually, as with the FAFSA). They will be good for all of the federal direct loans that you borrow while attending North Park.

The Office of Financial Aid must receive your MPN and entrance counseling before it can process your loan.

Direct PLUS Loans

If you are a graduate student and you have borrowed your annual limit of Direct Unsubsidized Loans, then you can apply for a Direct PLUS Loan, which is a credit-based loan guaranteed by the federal government.

• Interest rates change year to year.
• Repayment begins 60 days after the final disbursement has been sent to North Park, and the repayment term is up to 10 years. You can defer payment while enrolled at least half-time (four credit hours per semester). You can choose this option when you complete the loan application or by contacting Direct Loan Servicing at (800) 557-7394 after the loan has been disbursed. There is no penalty for prepayment.
• You must complete the Direct PLUS Loan application and an MPN for this loan to be processed. You can complete both online using your FSA ID.

Private loans

We recommend exhausting all federal financial aid options before applying for a private loan, as neither North Park nor the government regulates private loans. They are often less favorable than PLUS and/or unsubsidized loans in terms of fees, interest rates, and repayment schedules.

Exit counseling

Students who leave North Park are required to complete exit counseling for their federal student loans. Exit counseling will explain to you your rights and responsibilities as a student loan borrower.