Financial Aid

Graduate Programs

Palm Beach Atlantic makes every effort to offer financial assistance through a variety of programs (federal, state and institutional) to deserving students. Funding is provided on the basis of demonstrated financial need in the form of work study awards and loans. Students must apply for need-based financial assistance each year by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Financial assistance to help defray educational-related expenses, including tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing, meals, transportation, personal items, health insurance, international and other special programs of study, may be provided in the form of Stafford, Grad PLUS loans and work-study employment. Loans must be repaid, usually after 6 months of the day the recipient has graduated or discontinued studies with at least half time enrollment. Under the federal work-study program, students are provided employment and paid monthly based on the number of hours worked.

A student receiving aid at the time of admission may expect to continue receiving assistance during subsequent years, provided:

1. The student makes satisfactory academic progress as defined in this Catalog;
2. The need for aid continues;
3. The student meets the specific requirements of the various scholarship/grant programs;
4. The University continues to receive adequate federal and/or state aid funds; and
5. The student files the proper applications. In the event the student fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress and is denied such assistance, he or she may reestablish student financial assistance by enrolling at his or her own expense and subsequently raising his or her PBA cumulative GPA* to meet the required standard.

* The PBA cumulative grade point average is calculated by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of semester credit hours earned at PBA. All University transcripts must be received and evaluated by the University before a student will be presented with a financial aid award package.

NOTE: A student’s standing as an undergraduate or graduate student is an important factor in the financial aid process. Students who enter PBA’s School of Pharmacy or any other 3+2 program with less than 90 earned credit hours are considered undergraduates for financial aid purposes.  Once a student reaches 90 credit hours they are considered professional/graduate students for financial aid purposes.

Transcript Submission

All official college transcripts must be submitted directly to Palm Beach Atlantic University from every institution previously attended before registration for the subsequent term begins. This includes institutions where courses were attempted and credit was not earned (failing grades or withdrawals). If the transcripts are not submitted, financial aid and class registration will be frozen. We will make an effort to encourage official transcripts prior to the student enrolling for their respective term. For Financial Aid, FAFSA self-certify will verify high school completion. PBA reserves the right to research previous institutions attended through the National Student Clearinghouse database.

Applying for Financial Assistance

Each academic year, students may apply for need-based financial assistance (federal, state, or institutional) by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Renewal FAFSA on or after October 1st. Students may apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

The Financial Aid Office is committed to serving and guiding students through the process of applying for aid. Assistance with completing the FAFSA and financial aid documents is available from professional financial aid counselors located in Hood Hall. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are not necessary.

FAFSA applications and all other required information submitted after March 1 will be given consideration to the extent of availability of funds. Financial aid documents may be required to finalize aid eligibility. These documents are available online at http://my.pba.edu.

Institutional Grants & Scholarships for Graduate Programs

Graduate and Professional Scholarships: PBA’s continued growth in graduate and professional programs has provided additional scholarship opportunities to become available through the school of study (i.e. Rinker School of Business). Students interested in reviewing available scholarship opportunities should contact their advisor or Dean’s Office for additional information about availability and criteria of scholarship offerings.  

Federal (Title IV ) Programs

Eligibility Requirements

Students applying for assistance from any federal program must file either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid/FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA on a yearly basis. Students need not be full-time to be eligible for federal assistance. In addition, students must meet general eligibility requirements which include:

• U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen status;
• Enrollment in a degree-seeking program;
• Ability to benefit (being academically qualified);
• Having earned a high school diploma or the GED or having passed an independently administered exam approved by the Department of Education;
• Making satisfactory academic progress;
• Not being in default on a student loan or owing a grant overpayment;
• Having a valid Social Security Number;
• Being registered with the Selective Service, as required.

Federal Work-Study (FWS)

Eligibility for the Federal Work-Study Program is determined by the FAFSA. Students interested in this program will need to contact the Financial Aid Office to determine eligibility, obtain a listing of FWS positions at http://collegecentral.com/pbacareers, and complete the necessary paperwork to begin a position.

Students are generally employed five to fifteen hours per week. In addition, a number of positions are available off campus with non-profit agencies in the community. The student’s need, class schedule, work skills, and academic progress are considered when offering work-study awards.

Direct Loan Program

Students who have submitted the FAFSA and are enrolled in a degree-seeking curriculum with a minimum of 3 credit hours (Pharmacy students must be enrolled in 6 credit hours) may be eligible for Direct loans. Award amount is determined by the student’s academic grade level and dependency status, and the annual loan limits set by the government. Students apply for Direct Loans by submitting the FAFSA/Renewal FAFSA (the results of which determine what portion of the money borrowed is subsidized and/or unsubsidized), A Master Promissory Note (MPN), a Loan Entrance Counseling session, and Informed Borrowing Confirmation must be submitted at https://studentaid.gov/.

On unsubsidized (non-need based) loans, the student can elect to pay the interest while in school, or, if not paid, it will be capitalized (added to the principal balance) by the lender. Repayment begins six months after the student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time.

Direct Loans- Annual Loan Limits:

Loan Entrance Counseling Sessions

Federal regulations require all students receiving a Direct Subsidized or Direct Unsubsidized Loan to participate in a loan entrance counseling session prior to receiving the first distribution of the loan. No Federal student loan can be disbursed until this requirement is met. A student accepting a loan awards for the first time at PBA can complete the loan entrance requirement by going to https://studentaid.gov/.

Master Promissory Note

Federal regulations require all students receiving a Direct Subsidized or Direct Unsubsidized Loan to complete a Master Promissory Note prior to receiving the first distribution of the loan. No Federal student loan can be disbursed until this requirement is met. A student accepting a loan awards for the first time at PBA can complete the Master Promissory Note requirement by going to https://studentaid.gov/.

Informed Borrowing Confirmation

An active confirmation process requires a student or parent to take action to accept a loan made under an MPN before the school can disburse any loan funds. All MPN confirmation processes will now require student and parent borrowers to view how much they currently owe in federal student loans, and to acknowledge that they have seen this amount before a school can make a first disbursement of the first Direct Loan that a student or parent borrower receives for each new award year. This can be completed each year by going to https://studentaid.gov/.

Other Programs

Veterans Benefits

Veterans may qualify for educational assistance according to their length of military service. Widows and children of veterans who died or were disabled as a result of service, connected injury or disease may also be eligible for educational benefits. Information may be obtained from the Veterans Administration or from PBA’s Office of the Registrar. Veterans receiving benefits under chapter 31 and 33 have their tuition and fees paid directly to the school by the government.  Veterans enrolled under all other chapters receive their allowances directly from the government and pay tuition and fees as required by all students.

WARNING: Students who drop or withdraw from a course may not be paid for the course unless the circumstances for having to drop the course are considered to be mitigating circumstances by the Veterans Administration (i.e., circumstances beyond the control of the student).

Vocational Rehabilitation

Physically disabled students may be approved to receive financial assistance to attend college for the purpose of vocational rehabilitation. Those who wish to consult with a representative regarding vocational rehabilitation should contact their local district office of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

Note: The Student Accounts Office coordinates the process.

Satisfactory Academic Progress and Eligibility for Financial Assistance

Any student who receives financial assistance at PBA of any type (federal, state, institutional, or outside scholarships/grants) must demonstrate, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the ability to do satisfactory academic work and to progress measurably toward a degree. At the end of each semester, the Financial Aid Office evaluates the academic progress of each student receiving financial assistance. This evaluation determines a student’s eligibility to receive financial assistance in the next semester. In addition, at the end of both the fall and spring semesters, the Office of the Registrar reviews the qualitative academic progress of all degree-seeking students to determine the eligibility for continued enrollment at PBA. Undergraduate students enrolled in any of PBA’s non-traditional programs, or graduate students or pharmacy students should note the refund policy stated in those sections of the Catalog.

The satisfactory academic progress standards applicable to students receiving federal assistance are equal to those standards applicable to students receiving only institutional assistance. On the other hand, the standards applicable to students receiving state awards are prescribed both by the individual states funding those awards and by the institution. Graduate level students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale to be in good standing. Graduate students in the MDiv, MA in Christian Studies, MAcc, and MBA programs are exempt from the 3.0 GPA minimum and must maintain a 2.5 GPA. Additional GPA requirements for graduate programs are as follows:

• Dual-Degree Programs: Students in any of the following programs will have their GPA calculated by program and should ensure that each GPA requirement is met.
  • Master of Divinity (2.5 GPA) and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (3.0 GPA)
  • MA in Christian Studies (2.5 GPA) and International Development (3.0 GPA)
  • MBA (2.5 GPA) and Global Development (3.0 GPA)
• Joint Programs
  • MDiv and MBA | 2.5 GPA
  • Doctor of Pharmacy (2.0 GPA) and MBA (2.5 GPA)

A course withdrawal, a course repetition, a course incomplete, and/or academic bankruptcy are counted in the total credit hours attempted. 

Note: The Doctor of Pharmacy program requires a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale to be in good standing. 

Warning Period

Subsequent to a determination at the end of the spring semester that satisfactory academic progress has not been made on institutional aid, students will be placed automatically on warning for a period of one academic year. If at the end of the warning period the student still does not meet the minimum academic requirements set forth in this policy, eligibility to receive institutional financial assistance of any type is suspended. Students receive notification in writing from the Financial Aid Office.

Subsequent to a determination at the end of each semester that satisfactory academic progress has not been made on federal aid, students will be placed automatically on warning for a period of one semester. If at the end of the warning period the student still does not meet the minimum academic requirements set forth in this policy, eligibility to receive federal financial assistance of any type is suspended. Students receive notification in writing from the Financial Aid Office.

A student whose eligibility has been suspended will regain eligibility at the end of any Satisfactory Academic Progress review after which they meet the above criteria.

Note: State Satisfactory Academic Progress are subject to state Satisfactory Academic Progress regulations. All appeals need to be submitted to the state thought the Financial Aid Office with documented circumstance for appeal.  

Appeal of Financial Assistance Suspension

A student whose eligibility has been suspended for failure to meet the criteria above because of special circumstances may submit a written appeal to the Financial Aid Office. Special circumstances would be events like becoming very ill or severely injured, a relative dies, becomes very ill or severely injured a documental mental illness, divorce or family abuse, a work conflict or having to drop due to a PBA error or other similar events. The appeal process includes the following steps

1. The student submits a letter of appeal to the Office of Financial Aid detailing the mitigating circumstances and providing supporting documentation of the circumstances. Students can receive an appeal application through the Financial Aid Office by email (finaid@pba.edu) or in person.
2. The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee will review the appeal and determine if the appeal should be approved.
3. If the appeal is approved the Office of Financial Aid may limit the approval to a single semester or place other conditions on the approval.

Note: Approval of an appeal does not override GPA or earned credit hour requirements for eligibility specific to certain state, institutional or other awards.

Enrollment Status Requirements

To receive institutional and most forms of state assistance, students must enroll full-time. There are program specific scholarships that have a specific enrollment that must be met each semester. For more information contact your school. At least half-time enrollment is required for Direct loans. For financial assistance purposes, PBA has established the following enrollment categories for graduate students:

Note: The Doctor of Pharmacy program considers full-time enrollment as 12 credit hours. Half-time is 6-8 hours, and less than half-time is 1-5 credit hours.

Return of Title IV Funds Policy

For a student who receives federal student financial assistance (Title IV funds, including PLUS loan) or who is entitled to receive a late disbursement of federal aid and who withdraws from the college or otherwise fails to complete the period of enrollment for which he or she was charged, the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) refund and repayment requirements apply.

Important Note: Under the SFA refund and repayment policy, the terms “refund” and “repayment” have very specific meanings. “Refund” refers to that unearned portion institutional charges that must be returned to financial assistance program(s) for a student who received Title IV funds. “Repayment” refers to that unearned portion of financial aid funds (excluding federal work-study and Direct Loan proceeds) disbursed as cash to a student receiving Title IV funds that the student must pay back.

Refunds of allowable institutional charges and repayments of funds disbursed to cover non-institutional charges will be calculated in accordance with federal regulations and according to the particular status of the individual student, as follows:

1. A Return of Title IV Refund must be made if a student withdraws from all of his classes on or before the 60% point in time of the enrollment period for which the student was charged, since PBA has neither applicable state nor accrediting agency refund policies to consider in determining which calculation provides the largest refund. Allowable institutional charges are refunded to Title IV programs based on the Return of Title IV Refund percentage of the enrollment period that remains. Starting July 1, 2011, evening and graduate students in module courses must complete at least 60% of the semester even if they complete a course prior to the day that marks the 60% point of the semester.
2. Determine the Title IV Refund percentage of the enrollment period that remains by dividing the remaining weeks in the period for which the student is enrolled/charged by the number of weeks in the enrollment period.
3. Calculate unpaid charges by subtracting from the total allowable institutional charges the total aid paid to institutional costs and the scheduled cash payments from the student.

Repayment Calculation

Should a repayment calculation result in an overpayment to the student, the student’s account will be charged accordingly within 45 days of the determined withdrawal date, and the repayment owed will be distributed as follows:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
2. Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan
3. Federal Perkins Loan Program
4. Federal Direct PLUS Loan
5. Federal Pell Grant
6. Federal SEOG
7. Federal TEACH Grant
8. Other private or institutional sources of aid

Example: Student receives a Federal Pell Grant for $2,000 and a Federal Direct Stafford Loan for $1,930 for the semester. Student attends three weeks into the term. This represents only 20 percent of attendance of the term. Therefore, a Return of Title IV Calculation must be computed. Student would lose $1,930 for their Federal Direct Stafford Loan and $1,214 of their Federal Pell Grant. The student will owe this amount to the university as charges would not be adjusted after the third week of classes.

Note: In the event that a student does owe an overpayment of Title IV funds, PBA will be responsible for notifying the student, for billing the student, and for collecting the overpayment. Furthermore, immediately upon discovery of the overpayment, PBA will flag the student’s record to indicate that the student is ineligible for further Title IV funds until the overpayment has been repaid.