Financial Aid at Southeastern

Southeastern’s institutional aid includes all of its various in-house funds. Private scholarships include funds that may be available to Southeastern students from external entities. Financial aid through the Government is available from state and federal programs. Students should also pursue and apply for as many other private scholarships, for which they may be eligible. See below for further information.

The Cooperative Program

By God’s grace and the generosity of commissioning churches within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Southeastern is able to provide a substantial amount of financial aid funding to its students who are members of SBC churches. This amount is equivalent to 50% of what a student would normally pay for tuition and fees.

Government Financial Aid

Southeastern accepts both the Federal Pell Grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid, and the Need-Based Scholarship from the state of North Carolina. If you’re interested in applying for these financial aids, here’s how you do it:

  1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) and select Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as your chosen institution (School Code: G02963).
  2. After submitting the FAFSA®, the Department of Education will evaluate your eligibility and inform Southeastern directly.

To retain this financial aid, you need to:

  1. Maintain satisfactory academic progress, ensuring your eligibility status.
  2. Submit all requested documents for government verification. If you don’t provide the required documents, you may lose your financial aid.

The FAFSA® opens each year on October 1 for the next academic year. To increase your chances of getting financial aid, it’s a good idea to submit your FAFSA® as soon as possible.

Additionally, if you’re seeking institutional aid, you must:

  • Complete both the FAFSA® and Southeastern’s Institutional Financial Aid Application.
  • Make sure to submit both applications by March 20th, 2024 for priority consideration for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.

Please note: Southeastern does not participate in any federally subsidized student loan programs.

Professional Judgment

Professional Judgment is a process that can help students who have recently experienced an unexpected financial hardship (for example, you or your parents losing a job) and may result in having your financial situation re-evaluated. Per federal guidelines, this process is always done on a case-by-case basis and requesting a Professional Judgment does not guarantee that it will be performed or that it will result in an award or increased award.

The Professional Judgment process will require you to complete the following action steps:

  1. Provide a detailed explanation of your circumstances and why you are requesting a Professional Judgment.
  2. Fill out a Professional Judgment form, which will include what documents you will need to submit for review.
  3. Submit all documents through a secure web portal for review.

A Professional Judgment still requires that you make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and meet all College Eligibility Standards to receive any federal, state, or institutional financial aid. You can complete step 1 and request a Professional Judgment by sending an e-mail to our office by clicking “Request Professional Judgment” below!

Institutional Financial Aid

Institutional scholarship awards are committee-recommended and are based on a variety of parameters such as need, merit, donor specifications, consideration of other awarded aid, and the availability of funds. To see the requirements for financial aid, see our eligibility standards for Institutional aid.

  1. In order to be eligible for financial aid at Southeastern, all college students are required to complete both the Institutional Financial Aid Application as well as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®)
  2. Your SEBTS Financial Aid application will not be considered complete until we receive your FAFSA®. At the end of the FAFSA®, you will select Southeastern to receive a copy of your FAFSA®, and we will be sent this information. Our school code is G02963. You do not need to notify us that you have completed the FAFSA®
  3. Southeastern’s Standard Financial Aid Application is open to any prospective or current student in any degree program during the Application Periods listed below. Student’s do not need to be accepted to the institution prior to completing the application. To be eligible for institutional financial aid, both the student’s FAFSA® and Standard Financial Aid Application must be complete by the following deadline:
    1. March 20th, 2024 for priority consideration for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.
    2. October 16th, 2024 for priority consideration for the Spring 2025 Semester.
  4. The Standard Financial Aid Application automatically applies the student for the majority of Southeastern’s scholarships that they are eligible for.
  5. Southeastern also processes a number of Missions-Related Scholarships. These are available to students involved in local and international missions.

External Scholarships

There are a variety of external scholarships that students at Southeastern may be eligible for:

  • State-Specific scholarships are designed for students from certain states.
  • Additional scholarships have a broader reach and are not limited to a student’s state of residence.

We urge students to thoroughly review the requirements for each scholarship and keep track of the deadlines, as they can differ.

Please remember, our scholarship lists may not cover every available opportunity – they represent the scholarships that we’re currently aware of. We encourage students to seek out other scholarship opportunities they might be eligible for.

If you have questions or need more information about any of these scholarships, the awarding organization will be your best resource.

To explore both State-Specific and Additional scholarships, visit our External Scholarships page.

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