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Financial Aid

The HJ International Graduate School for Peace and Public Leadership is committed to helping eligible students meet their financial needs. Through scholarships and grants, HJI seeks to alleviate the financial burden of both domestic and international students. However, funding for these programs is limited, and they provide only partial coverage of the expenses incurred at HJI. Students are therefore encouraged to seek other sources of funding first.

Some local and national churches have set up generous scholarship programs that completely fund students’ theological education.

More information is available through the Financial Aid Administrator.

Types of Financial Aid

Financing a college or graduate school education is a challenge for many families. Students should consider the total cost of their education and not just the initial year. Besides the usual sources—family assistance, personal savings, and summer earnings—there exists a variety of ways to pay college and graduate school costs. These are generally referred to as student financial aid. They consist of scholarships, grants, loans, and earnings from part-time work while in school.

A variety of scholarships, loans, veteran’s education benefits, and payment plans are available at HJI through the Financial Aid Office or the Finance Office.

Please keep in mind:

  • All Federal financial aid rules and regulations are set out by the Department of Education. These are federal laws and regulations that the HJI Office of Financial Aid is required to follow.
  • HJI does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, or disability.

Scholarships

All applicants are evaluated for scholarships at the time of application for admission. No separate application for scholarships is required. Scholarships are awarded at the time of admission.

Unification Leadership Scholarship

The Unification Leadership Scholarship is awarded to members of the Unification faith who have demonstrated outstanding achievements or success in church-related responsibilities. Recipients receive up to 50% of tuition.

Next Generation Leadership Scholarship

Awarded to recommended current or aspiring next generation Unificationist leaders who commit to at least three years of public leadership following graduation. Recipients may receive up to 70% of tuition.

Founders’ Scholarship

Any new (first-time), full-time domestic or international master’s student may qualify for a Founders’ Scholarship based on academic merit. The program provides up to 50% tuition assistance.

Priority deadlines:

Fall semester: July 1
Spring semester: November 15

After these deadlines, Founders’ Scholarships may be awarded if funding is still available.

NOTE: Students are eligible to receive only one of the above scholarships. Scholarships are renewed annually contingent upon maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Scholarships may be withdrawn if academic performance falls below this level.

Post-9/11 GI Bill® Education Benefits

VA education benefits help Veterans, service members, and their qualified family members with needs like paying college tuition, finding the right school or training program, and getting career counseling. Learn how to apply for and manage the education and training benefits you’ve earned.

HJI is a GI Bill®-approved school. However, you will need to check with the HJI VA benefits coordinator (Dr. Frank LaGrotteria) for more details to ensure that the GI Bill® covers your preferred degree program.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill

Federal Direct Loan Program

The Federal Direct Loan program assists students enrolled at least half-time (six credit hours per term) in borrowing directly from the U.S. Department of Education. Loans are insured by the federal government.

Direct Loans – Unsubsidized

Graduate students may apply for unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans. These loans have a fixed interest rate of 8.08% and begin accruing interest immediately. Students may either begin paying interest right away or allow the DOE to capitalize the interest, resulting in a larger repayment amount.

To receive federal aid administered through the HJI Office of Financial Aid, you must:

  1. Be admitted to a degree-seeking program at HJI.
  2. Have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent.
  3. Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or eligible non-citizen.
  4. Maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP).
  5. Be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits).
  6. Not owe a refund or be in default on any federal loan.
  7. Be enrolled in coursework at HJI.

Procedure to Apply for Federal Direct Loans

  1. Contact the HJI Financial Aid Office to request a Federal Direct Loan and to discuss your eligibility for a loan, the amount a student is eligible to receive, and how much of that the student wishes to borrow.
  2. New students: Complete the FAFSA application at www.fafsa.gov
    Returning students: Update the FAFSA record at www.fafsa.gov. This must be done each academic year.
  3. New students: Login with the FSA ID at https://studentaid.gov/ and click on “Complete and Process” and complete the Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN). (Before graduation, do the Exit Counseling by clicking on “Manage Loans”, then Complete Exit Counseling.)
  4. Returning students: Go to https://studentaid.gov/ and check to see if MPN needs to be updated.
  5. Once a student is enrolled in classes and has received a billing statement from the HJI Bursar, the Financial Aid Director will get copies of the registration and billing statement to verify that the student is at least a half-time student as required by the US Department of Education, which provides the loans.
  6. Next, FA Solutions (FASOL)— a company that assists HJI in processing student loans—is informed by the Department of Education if the FAFSA needs correcting and/or if there are additional documents the student must submit to help determine eligibility for a federal loan.
  7. When the eligibility is approved, FASOL will send an email instructing the student to make an account in the FASOL Portal and accept the loan award.
  8. Next, FASOL creates the award/loan package and informs the HJI Bursar that the student’s loan has been approved. The student will receive a disbursement notification via email for each loan disbursement received. The Bursar will deduct tuition and fees and a check for the remainder will be given to the student.

This process is generally completed within the second month of the semester. The federal loan maximum for graduate students is $20,500 for an academic year, minus $218 in government fees. Half is awarded in the first semester and the other half in the second semester. If a student begins in the spring semester, the maximum loan amount is equal to the Cost of Attendance for that semester.

If a student withdraws, a Return to Title IV Calculation will be completed which may result in funds being returned to the government and a balance is due to the institution.

All students who received federal loans will need to complete exit counseling at https://studentaid.gov/ if they drop below half-time, withdraw, or graduate.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid

Federal Regulations require all HJI students maintain good progress toward receiving a degree in order to continue to have eligibility for Title IV financial aid programs. All semesters will be counted toward this progress regardless if the student did not receive aid in a prior semester.

According to Federal Regulations there are three main measurements reviewed at the end of each semester. See the HJI Financial Aid Handbook for more detailed information.

GPA
Graduate program graduation requires a minimum of a 2.5 cumulative grade point average. To continue studies at HJI, graduate students must maintain a 2.5 cumulative grade point average starting at 12 cumulative credit hours.

Pass Rate
Completion Rate: Students must complete at least 67% of all credits attempted. Credits attempted include transfer credits, withdrawals, “F” and “I” grades.

Maximum Time Frame
Students need to complete their degree within a maximum timeframe, including transfer credits and attempted credits. This timeframe is 150% of the degree program requirements. In other words, 63 credits for the M.A. and 120 credits for the M.Div. degree. For the D.Min degree the timeframe is 6 years.

Students not in compliance with the minimum GPA, maximum timeframe, and/or completion rate requirement will be put on financial aid probation and may lose their financial aid eligibility.

Repercussions for not meeting the requirements:
Students who do not meet the above listed requirements will first be placed on Financial Aid Warning/Probation. Any student who is placed on Financial Aid Warning will still be eligible for aid for 1 semester in an attempt to repair their progress.

After the Warning or Probationary period has ended, if the student still does not meet all 3 requirements, he/she will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Students that are placed on Financial Aid Suspension cannot receive any Title IV Federal (or State) Financial Aid until they repair their Satisfactory Academic Progress status by enrolling for classes at their own expense or successfully appealing their probation.

Appeal Process for Students Who Have Failed to Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students will be notified by the Office of Financial Aid that they have lost their financial aid eligibility.

Students initiate the process by requesting a one-time appeal. Such requests should be forwarded to the Director for Financial Aid within two weeks of aid loss notification.

Possible reasons for appeal: serious personal problems, family tragedy, illness, employment and/or difficult adjustment to school, and other unusual circumstances that could reasonably contribute to a lack of academic progress. Appeals should include supporting documentation.

A committee comprised of the Director for Financial Aid, the Registrar, and others as needed will review the appeal request.

Please note, only one appeal will be granted, whether based on qualitative and/or quantitative standards. Students who are not granted an appeal, or those who have already used the appeal, but do not have a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or meet quantitative standards, will regain eligibility once the cumulative GPA and quantitative standards are met.

Code of Conduct

HJI follows the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) professional policies on code of conduct as follows:

An institutional financial aid professional is expected to always maintain exemplary standards of professional conduct in all aspects of carrying out his or her responsibilities, specifically including all dealings with any entities involved in any manner in student financial aid, regardless of whether such entities are involved in a government sponsored, subsidized, or regulated activity. In doing so, a financial aid professional should:

  • Refrain from taking any action for his or her personal benefit.
  • Refrain from taking any action he or she believes is contrary to law, regulation, or the best interests of the students and parents he or she serves.
  • Ensure that the information he or she provides is accurate, unbiased, and does not reflect any preference arising from actual or potential personal gain.
  • Be objective in making decisions and advising his or her institution regarding relationships with any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.
  • Refrain from soliciting or accepting anything of other than nominal value from any entity (other than an institution of higher education or a governmental entity such as the U.S. Department of Education) involved in the making, holding, consolidating or processing of any student loans, including anything of value (including reimbursement of any expenses) for serving on an advisory body or as part of a training activity of or sponsored by any such entity.
  • Disclose to his or her institution, in such manner as his or her institution may prescribe, any involvement with or interest in any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.