Financial Aid Brochure (fall cover)

YOUR PERSONALIZED FINANCIAL AID AWARD

Your Financial Aid Awards in Detail

Many awards, including loans, require additional paperwork and processing. Adjustment of your awards may be necessary if other awards, scholarships, or Veteran’s benefits are received, if you are selected for verification, if you fail to maintain academic progress, or your enrollment status is less than full-time. In addition, Bluefield College reserves the right to adjust institutional funds in the event gift aid exceeds direct costs.

The awards listed above will be applied toward our total cost of attendance at Bluefield College. In order for BC to finalize this tentative financial aid offer, all required financial aid documents must be received by the Office of Financial Aid as quickly as possible. A personalized cost estimate based on your housing, meal plan and course load preferences may be requested by calling financial aid at 800.872.0176.

BC Student’s Average Cost per Year for 2017-2018

Tuition (12-17 hours)

$24,520 $9,024 NONE

Room & Board

General Student Fee

Total

$33,544

Need More Explanation?

What’s Next?

■ Scholarships and grants are FREE! Loans must be repaid.

■ Visit MyBC.bluefield.edu to submit your deposit (if you haven’t already) ■ Deposit by May 1 st and receive priority housing & priority registration. That means get the best place to live and the best classes! ■ Log into the BC financial aid status portal to find required forms and view/accept your awards and document status. See back page for instructions. ■ Submit your final official high school transcript to the Office of Admission, showing your graduation date or a GED (not required for transfer students with 12 or more credits).

■ If your award includes a Bluefield grant or other need-based aid, all or some of the dollar amount may be adjusted at a later date if you receive additional federal, state or institution grant aid. ■ The Parent PLUS loan listed is an estimate and requires credit approval . Visit studentloans.gov to learn more and/or apply.

Learn more about financial aid at bluefield.edu/fin-aid

Definitions

Academic Scholarships are renewable by maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. May qualify for up to eight consecutive semesters.

BC Need-Based Grants are awarded to students who demonstrate financial need as determined by the FAFSA. Award amounts vary and may change as resources increase or decrease. Subsidized Direct Loans are based on financial need. You won’t be charged interest before you begin repayment, because the Federal government “subsidizes” the interest during these times.

Unsubsidized Direct Loans are not awarded based on financial need. Any eligible student can take out unsubsidized direct loans. The student will be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed to the time the loan is repaid in full. Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans require students to complete loan documents, and will automatically be processed for the entire amount for which a student is eligible (unless BC is notified otherwise). Parent PLUS Loan eligibility is dependent upon a modest credit check and approval by the Department of Education. If a parent is denied a PLUS loan due to credit, the student may be eligible for $4,000 in additional unsubsidized loan. Tuition Assistance Grant (Virginia residents only) The Tuition Assistant Grant (TAG) is a grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia, available to all full-time Virginia residents attending private colleges in Virginia. The 2018- 2019 award is estimated to be $3,300 by the Commonwealth of Virginia. We request the form be turned in by June 1, so that your financial aid documents will be in order when the preliminary billing is done. However, the state’s priority deadline is July 31, 2018 . Tobacco Region Scholarship/Loan Forgiveness Program (SW Virginia residents only) The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (Tobacco Commission) established a program in 2002 to offer assistance with a Bachelor’s degree and therefore strengthen the economies of Southwest (SW) and Southside (SS) Virginia through education and training of its citizens. For the 2017-2018 academic year, new recipients will be applying for a loan with terms offered to earn forgiveness after graduation. To learn more visit www.ticscholarshiploan.org

Institutional Scholarships are listed at bluefield.edu/fin-aid Notify your admissions counselor if you think you may qualify.

Students may also qualify for Federal work study jobs . Contact Financial Aid Office for details.

Worth the Investment

Christian Universities Online ranked BC among the 50 Most Beautiful Christian Colleges and Universities in the U.S. and among the Top 50 Christian Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt in 2016 . Bluefield College has been selected for the third year in a row as one of the top colleges in Virginia in Virginia Living magazine’s “State of Education 2017” issue.

Over 90% of faculty and staff donate to the BC Scholarship Program.

A word about financial health

Now that you know how much money you are eligible to borrow toward your education, we recommend assessing how much you will actually need to cover the cost of your education. Bluefield College cares about your future and wants to help prepare you with the necessary tools and knowledge needed to utilize a student loan. Before taking out a loan, consider other options to pay for school such as outside scholarships, tuition reimbursement, savings plans, payment plans, summer job funds…etc. There are a multitude of ways to cover the cost of education to reduce or eliminate your loan debt. Sometimes it can be necessary to borrow funds to help cover the cost of school. Loans are funds that must be paid back after you graduate or cease half time enrollment. Loans generally accrue interest which means you may owe more after you graduate than what you initially borrowed. There are two different types of federal student loans; subsidized and unsubsidized. Subsidized loans are need based loans and do not accrue interest while in you are in school at least half time or in a deferment period. Unsubsidized loans will start accruing interest as soon as the funds disburse. It is essential that you are mindful of your current student loan debt and borrow conservatively to ensure successful repayment. Amount borrowed to finance your education: Subsidized loans = $ Unsubsidized loans = $ Total $ Bluefield’s online financial aid portal, MyBC , offers student and their families the ability to manage their aid package. It is important that you log in to your MyBC account online, where you can view missing documents, preliminary awards, and eventually pending charges (closer to the start of the semester). We ask that students submit all required paperwork to BC Central no later than June 1, 2018 to ensure all processing may be completed in time for early billing statements, a smooth move-in, and the start of classes. If you plan to accept any of the federal direct student loans awarded, you must first complete the Master Promissory Note (MPN) and entrance counseling at studentloans.gov And good news, upon receiving these two loan documents our Financial Aid office will take care of the rest. If you are not interested in utilizing loans or wish to reduce the amount you would like to receive, we will need a Financial Aid Change Form completed. This form can be located on your MYBC or at http:// www.bluefield.edu/admissions-and-aid/bc-central/financial-aid/ forms-and-resources/ . Contact your admissions counselor or the BC Central Financial Aid office if you have questions. If you plan to take out loans: BC Financial Aid Status Portal *information provided by the National Student Loan Database System. This amount does not include the loans listed on your award package. All BC students are given the benefit of utilizing iGrad . iGrad provides training/information on smart borrowing and other helpful financial literacy tips! www.igrad.com Bluefield helps you be a smart borrower

Regardless of need or financial standing, Bluefield’s affordable monthly payment plans are available to all students and families. There is no approval process, and the only required cost is a $35 per semester enrollment fee. Affordable Monthly Payment Plans

How to Enroll

To determine your monthly payment and enroll simply call 276.326.4215 or email bcentral@bluefield.edu.

Plan a Campus Visit

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit our beautiful mountain campus in Bluefield, VA, there’s still time! We have upcoming structured visit events and plenty of spaces available for daily visits throughout the week and Saturdays. For more information on upcoming visit events, visit bluefield.edu/visit. You can also take our online virtual tour at any point by visiting bluefield. edu/tour

Upcoming visit events include:

Open Houses

Night on the Hill

April 7

April 15

Questions? Call 800.872.0175 Our financial aid team is ready to serve you. After submitting your deposit, you will receive access to a BC email account that we will use to communicate all financial aid information.

Office of Financial Aid toll free 800.872.0175 276.326.4215 fax 276.326.4356

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O N L I N E Bluefield.edu | 3000 College Ave | Bluefield, VA 24605

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