Financial Aid FAQS

The starting point for students seeking aid is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the application used to determine eligibility for federal and state student grants, federal work study and federal loans. The U.S. Department of Education accepts applications for an upcoming academic year starting October 1 of the prior year. Learn more about the FAFSA here.

You should complete the FAFSA for each academic year they wish to be packaged with federal aid.

The federal school code for Lipscomb is: 003486.

In order to be eligible for financial aid you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen in a degree or certificate program of study at least half-time (enrolled in six credit hours or more).
• Make satisfactory academic progress (A 2.0 cumulative GPA and completing at least 67% of all attempted credit hours).
• Not be in default on a federal student loan.
• Not owe a refund on any federal financial aid grant.
• Have a valid Social Security number.
• Enrollment status will be calculated based only on those courses that are required for, or that can be applied as an eligible elective credit toward, a student's degree or certificate program.

Undergraduate Students:

• Students must be enrolled in at least half-time status to be eligible for federal aid.
• Full-time: 12 credit hours (Fall/Spring)
• Half-time: 6 credit hours (Summer, non-travel)
• Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which an undergraduate student is enrolled, rounded to the nearest whole percent. 
  For example, if full-time enrollment is 12 credit hours and a student is enrolled in 7 credit hours, the enrollment intensity would be 7 ÷ 12 × 100% = 58.3% (round to 58%).  Refer to the chart below for determining enrollment intensity, per semester.

Graduate Students:

• Students must be enrolled in at least half-time status to be eligible for federal funding.
• Full-time: 6 credit hours
• Half-time: 3 credit hours
• Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which a graduate student is enrolled, rounded to the nearest whole percent. 
  For example, if full-time enrollment is 12 credit hours and a student is enrolled in 7 credit hours, the enrollment intensity would be 7 ÷ 12 × 100% = 58.3% (round to 58%).  Refer to the chart below for determining enrollment intensity, per semester.

It's likely the Financial Aid Office is in the process of awarding aid for the upcoming semester and you should see it on your bill shortly. You may also want confirm that you submitted the FAFSA for the correct academic year by visiting your account on the studentaid.gov website.

You will receive an automated email from Lipscomb’s Financial Aid Office notifying you that your award has been added. You may go into your student portal on my.Lipscomb.edu to review and accept the awards. Find helpful Instructions to View Financial Aid Offer letter here. 

You may do so through the student portal. Log into your student portal on my.Lipscomb.edu. Then follow these instructions.

Loans may not process for a variety of reasons such as a missing Master Promissory Note, incorrect Social Security number, misspelled name or incorrect date of birth preventing loan from matching, late application, wrong award year selected or credit check expired before the loan processed because the application was submitted too early (must be less than six months from process date). Refer to your application at studentaid.gov to check for incorrect information or call 1-800-4FEDAID.

Now that you have accepted your federal direct loans, you will need to complete two loan requirements that can be done on studentaid.gov.

• The Master Promissory Note (MPN) is a legal document which the borrower signs as a promise to repay your loan(s) and any accrued interest and fees to the U.S. Department of Education. It also explains the terms and conditions of your loan(s). You may borrow additional Direct Loans on a single MPN for up to 10 years. The MPN must be signed by the borrower prior to the disbursement of any loan funds to the student's account.
• If the borrower applies for the loan each year, then the borrower only has to complete the MPN once – the first year these funds are borrowed for you. The borrower, however, must re-apply for a new loan every year.

Entrance Counseling

• If you accept a federal direct loan, federal and institutional regulations require you to complete an entrance counseling tutorial to ensure that you understand the responsibilities and obligations you are assuming. You will learn important information about repayment, deferment, forbearance and cancellation. You can meet this requirement by completing the online entrance counseling tutorial at studentaid.gov. This is only required the first time you receive a federal direct loan. 

Find helpful instructions for completing entrance counseling and MPN here. 

Check on the studentaid.gov website to be sure you submitted the FAFSA for the correct academic year.

Confirm that your enrollment hours meet the minimum requirement to receive aid.

• Undergraduate students must be enrolled in 12+ hours to receive full aid; for those enrolled in less than 12 hours, aid is prorated: 6-8 hours (50%), 9-11 hours (75%). Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours to receive any aid.
• Summer term - select aid is prorated at 6+ hours.
• Graduating/Final Semester - you must complete Scholarship Special Request form to have scholarship prorated at 6+ hours.
• Graduate students must be enrolled in 3+ hours to receive full aid.

If you drop a class and fall below the minimum threshold for credit hours, your aid may be reduced or removed.

Confirm that you match eligibility for GPA and on/off campus housing requirements specific to your award.

If your FAFSA reflects a change in your Student Aid Index (SAI), your aid may be reduced or removed.

This may occur because:

• You do not meet the enrollment requirement (6 credit hours).
• Your aid type is ineligible for summer usage (TS00, Community Vision, Heritage scholarship, Kairos Scholarship, Memorial Grants, NCSA Grants, Pathways, Phi Theta Kappa, Presidential Distinction, Scout Scholarship).
• For more information on summer Financial Aid, you can read details here.

• You may be flagged by FAFSA for C-Code or Verification. After filing your FAFSA, more information may be needed. Carefully read your Student Aid Report and follow instructions to make changes.  If you are selected for Federal Verification, you will be notified by the Lipscomb Financial Aid Office.
• Please see the “Paying Your Bill” section for other reasons holds may be placed on a student’s account.

Lipscomb University no longer requires paper checks as the payment method for outside scholarships. Payments may now be submitted online.

In the Online Scholarship Submission Portal, you can:

• Enter scholarship details
• Upload an award letter (optional)
• Make a secure online payment

Lipscomb University uses Backpack to receive 529 + Outside Scholarship payments. Backpack, is a payment technology company specializing in higher education financial workflows. Backpack helps Lipscomb University digitize and automate its scholarship processing, ensuring faster, safer, and more transparent handling for both providers and students.

The platform is free to use, and payments are directly integrated with our Cashier’s Office, so we’re notified the moment your transfer is initiated. To make payment, click here.

Click here to access Backpack

Yes. You must raise your GPA to the minimum requirement (Academic Scholarship - 3.0; Bison Achievement Award - 2.0). Once your grades are submitted reflecting the increased GPA meets the threshold, submit the Scholarship Reinstatement Request form to the Financial Aid Office to be reviewed for consideration. 

Work study is a federal student aid program for college students with financial need that helps them find part-time jobs.

Federal work-study (FWS) is paid by having an on campus job and earning a paycheck as work-study earnings.  These funds are not paid to your registration bill but paid to you directly and you may spend them on immediate living expenses while in school. Federal work-study is intended to help students pay for books, supplies and personal expenses during the academic year.

The offer has limited funding and is offered to students based on their need eligibility. Income is counted as financial aid, and not as regular income, which increases a student’s eligibility for financial aid.

You can get more information about FWS here.

Yes, it is called Special Circumstances or Professional Judgment. It is used in situations like divorce and job loss, and thorough documentation is required. Students may complete this form to be considered for a Special Circumstance. 

Email financialaid [at] lipscomb.edu (financialaid[at]lipscomb[dot]edu) with any questions you may have or visit lipscomb.edu/admissions/financial-aid.

• double majors
• double minors
• major and/or minor changes
• repeat coursework