Jana Parks

Director of Financial Aid

Constant Hall

785.594.4595

jana.parks@bakerU.edu

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Financial aid is based on your individual financial need. Your financial need is calculated using a formula set by the U.S. Department of Education on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid website.

To be eligible for financial aid, you must have completed three academic years of full-time study, which is defined as 90 credit hours. If admitted to the program with less than 90 credits, you are not eligible for Title IV aid until reaching 90 earned credits.

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Once the form is completed, please print off the FAFSA confirmation page and keep it for your records.

2. Complete Baker’s financial aid application.

3. Complete the Title IV authorization form.

4. Complete the entrance counseling and loan application online. When completing the entrance counseling, choose the state “Kansas,” and your school is “Baker University SPGS-Overland Park.” When completing the loan application sign-on using your Student Aid ID (formerly FSA ID). On the left side of the page click on “Complete MPN.” Your state will be “Kansas,” and the school is “Baker University, Baldwin City, KS.”

5. Submit additional documents as requested. You will be notified if additional documentation is required to complete your financial aid application. You can expedite your application by submitting all requested documentation within 10 business days of notification.

6. Accept or decline your award(s). You will be issued an aid offer one to two weeks after beginning your program. You need to either accept or decline the funds available to you and return the form to our Financial Aid Office by the indicated due date via email, fax, or U.S. mail.

Scholarships

Kansas Nurse Educator Service Scholarship

This scholarship is a fantastic opportunity for MSN students on the Nursing Education track. If you live in Kansas and plan to teach in a nursing school in Kansas, this scholarship will cover 70% of your tuition. Recipients agree to teach in a Kansas school of nursing for one calendar year for each year of assistance after earning their graduate degree.

For more information, contact Marlene Eicher, assistant dean of graduate programs: meicher@stormontvail.org.

Outside Scholarships: Baker’s quarterly Outside Scholarship Newsletter lists many scholarship opportunities.

Loans

Federal Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loans are not based on need. The interest rate is fixed, and Interest accrues while you are in school. You have the option of paying the interest while you’re in school or having it added to the principle when you go into repayment. A FAFSA is required annually.

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans have a fixed interest rate, which accrues after funds are disbursed. They can be deferred as long as you are enrolled at least half time. The interest is added to the principle. A FAFSA is required annually.

Alternative Loans: A variety of alternative private credit-based student loans are available. Information about these loans is available from Baker’s Financial Aid Office.

We recommend that you exhaust all federal student loan eligibility before applying for a private credit loan. Private credit loans can help bridge the gap between the actual cost of your education and the amount the government allows you to borrow. Private loans are credit based and lenders will review your history of borrowing money and paying it back; therefore, they can be denied.

Here is a list of lenders that Baker University has worked with: elmselect.com. Enter Baker University.

All freshmen must have a credit-worthy coborrower, and upperclassmen with weak credit history may be required to have a coborrower. Repayment begins six months after you graduate, leave school, or drop to less than half-time enrollment. The minimum monthly payment is typically $50, and flexible repayment options are available.

Financial Aid Policies

Withdrawals and Refunds

Current federal regulations require the Return of Title IV Funds Policy to be used for all students who receive any type of federal aid when calculating the aid a student can retain after withdrawing. This policy relates to Federal Pell, SEOG, and TEACH Grants as well as all federal loans.

These regulations govern the return of aid disbursed for a student who completely withdraws from a term or payment period. During the first 60% of the payment period, a student “earns” aid in direct proportion to the length of time he or she remains enrolled. The percentage of time that the student remains enrolled determines the percentage of disbursable aid for that period. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 61% point of the payment period earns all aid for the period.

Students who plan to withdraw must submit written notification of withdrawal from a course or the program. Institutional charges and financial aid are adjusted once the withdrawal date is determined. For students receiving financial aid, the refund must first be repaid to the Title IV programs in accordance with existing regulations in effect on the date of withdrawal and with respect to various types of aid. It is possible that the student who withdraws may still have an outstanding balance due to the University. The withdrawal date is determined as follows:

Official withdrawals: the later date of when the student began the institution’s withdrawal process OR officially notified the institution of intent to withdraw.
Unofficial withdrawals: If the student has to leave without notification because of circumstances beyond the student’s control, the institution will use the documented last date of participation in an academic activity.

The percentage of the period that the student remained enrolled is calculated based on number of countable days the student was enrolled. This calculation is determined by dividing the number of days enrolled by the total days in the enrollment period. Calendar days are used, including weekends.

Distribution of Unearned Aid

If a student has not earned all of the federal aid received to date at the point of withdrawal, funds are repaid in the following order:

Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan
Federal Grad PLUS Loan
Federal Parent PLUS Loan
Federal PELL Grant
Federal SEOG Grant
Federal Teach Grant

Unearned aid must be returned as soon as possible but no later than 45 days after determining the student has withdrawn.

Post-Withdrawal Disbursement

A student that is determined to have received less Title IV aid than earned will be offered a post-withdrawal disbursement for the amount of earned aid that was not received. Any post-withdrawal disbursement made must meet required conditions for late disbursement.

Disbursement of Title IV Grant Funds

Post-withdrawal grant disbursements will be credited to a student’s account for outstanding allowable current semester charges or refunded to the student if their balance is zero. The school is permitted to credit any Title IV grant funds to the student’s account without the student’s permission. The school will post any credit applying to current charges to the student’s account. If the student has no current allowable charges, the disbursement must be made no later than 45 days of the school’s determination the student withdrew.

Disbursement of Title IV Loan Funds

Post-withdrawal loan disbursements will be credited to a student’s account for outstanding allowable current semester charges or paid directly to the student or parent for a Direct Parent PLUS Loan. Prior to making any disbursement, the student/parent must be notified in writing within 30 days of the school’s determination the student withdrew. The letter must identify the type and amount of the funds. If loan funds are available, the school must explain the student/parent has the option to accept/decline all or part of the loan. The letter must also inform the student/parent a response must be received within 14 days of the date of notice. If the school does not receive a response, no further disbursement is made. If the request is denied due to a late response, the school will send the student/parent notification.

Credit Balance due to Return of Funds Calculation

The school must determine the correct Title IV credit balance, considering the results from both the Return to Title IV calculation and the institutional refund calculation. If after the Return to Title IV funds and the institutional refund calculations are applied to the student’s account and a credit balance results, the credit balance will be disbursed as soon as possible but no later than 14 days after the date of the Return to Title IV calculation is performed.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

This process is separate from the academic Satisfactory Academic Progress. Federal regulations require institutions to monitor both quantitative and qualitative progress towards a degree.

Quantitative – student must be able to complete the degree program within 150% of the reported program length. In addition, the student must successfully complete 67% of the attempted hours in each payment period.
- All transfer hours accepted by Baker University are considered when reviewing attempted hours.
- All hours earned when not receiving financial aid count.
- Undergraduate students who earn grades of F, I, W, WP, WF, NC, or AU will have the courses counted as attempted hours, but not completed hours.
- Graduate students who earn grades of D, F, I, W, WP, WF, NC, or AU will have the courses counted as attempted hours, but not completed hours.
- Repeating a course counts as attempted credit hours each time the course is repeated.
Qualitative – student must maintain the minimum cumulative GPA for their specific program.
- Minimum GPA for undergraduate students is 2.0.
- Minimum GPA for graduate students is determined by degree, see Graduation Requirements section.

Graduate student’s academic progress will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid after each payment period.

Graduate Students: Federal regulations allow an institution that monitors SAP every payment period to place a student on “Warning” for one more payment period if the student can reach minimum SAP standards by the end of the next payment period. The student can receive Title IV aid during this “Warning” payment period. If a student is not maintaining SAP after the “Warning” payment period has ended, the student loses Title IV eligibility. Students who are placed on Financial Aid Warning will receive written notification from the Financial Aid Office of their status. Such students will be offered the opportunity to appeal the Financial Aid Advisory Committee for reinstatement of Title IV aid.

Appeals can be made in some circumstances, such as medical problems, illness, death of a family member, relocation, or employment changes.
Appeal must be in writing.
Student must explain why he/she failed to make SAP, and what has changed to allow the student to make SAP by the end of the next payment period.
Appeals are reviewed by the Financial Aid Advisory Committee. The student is informed of the decision within one week. Decision notifications are sent to the student’s Baker email.
If appeal is approved, the student has one more payment period of Title IV aid eligibility. If the student is not successful in meeting SAP standards, the student will no longer be eligible for Title IV aid of any kind, including grants and loans.
In order to regain Title IV eligibility, the student must meet minimum SAP standards. The student may appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility after completing a payment period and meeting GPA minimum standards.

Students might be filing two petitions, one to the Office of Registrar and a separate one to Financial Aid. The two petitions will not be evaluated by the same committee. It is possible for a student to be on Financial Aid Suspension and still be allowed to enroll at the University at the student’s expense.

Office of Financial Aid Code of Conduct

In compliance with federal law and to promote confidence in the operation of our office, Baker University and the Office of Financial Aid have adopted the following principles to provide guidance to officers, employees, and agents of the university relative to the administration of financial aid resources.

The Office of Financial Aid prohibits all individuals who have responsibilities with regard to the administration of financial aid resources from soliciting or accepting any gift, gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, or other items of value from entities involved in making, holding, consolidating, or processing student loans.
The Office of Financial Aid prohibits all individuals who have responsibilities with regard to the administration of financial aid resources from accepting any fee, payment or other financial benefit as compensation for any type of consulting or other service contract with a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans.
The Office of Financial aid will exercise care and due diligence in selecting lenders for a lender list (in the event that a list is created and utilized). The Office of Financial Aid will enter into no revenue-sharing agreement with any lender.
The Office of Financial Aid will make available the criteria and process used to select lenders for a lender list (in the event that a lender list is utilized) and will disclose any business relationships with lenders.
The Office of Financial Aid will process loans for all lenders of choice, and will advise students and parent borrowers that they have the right and ability to select a lender of their choice independent of any lender list developed and maintained by the Office of Financial Aid.
The Office of Financial Aid will not assign a lender to a first-time borrower or delay certification of a loan because of a borrower’s choice of lender (or guarantor).
The Office of Financial Aid will provide no funds for private loans, including opportunity pool loan (in exchange for a specified number of federal loans, specified federal loan volume, or a preferred lender arrangement for federal loans).
In order to prevent a potential conflict of interest or the perception of a conflict of interest, the Office of Financial Aid requires all individuals with responsibilities with regard to the administration of financial aid resources to advise supervision about any request for service on an advisory board, commission, or group established by a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors prior to the acceptance of any such position.
The Office of Financial Aid will provide comprehensive financial aid counseling for students, prospective students, families, and the community.
The Office of Financial Aid will continuously strive to provide the highest quality service to its constituents and it will continuously evaluate its services to students and families. The Office of Financial Aid will also conduct regular reviews and audits to provide assurance as to compliance with this Code of Conduct.
The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships has adopted the NASFAA Statement of Ethical Principles.

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