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Graduate Financial Aid
We are committed to assisting graduate students in meeting their responsibilities for the cost of education by helping them bridge the gap between their own resources and the cost of attendance.
The office of Student Financial Assistance is committed to supporting you throughout your educational program. Stonehill College offers Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans and Graduate PLUS loans to supplement your ability to pay. We do not offer institutional grants. However, Stonehill College Alumni and employees from business partners may be eligible for reduced tuition rates.
How to Apply
To apply for financial aid as a graduate student, please file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online with the U.S. Department of Education. Allow enough time for Stonehill College to receive it prior to registration in the semester(s) you plan on attending.
*FAFSA Code 002217
If you have already completed the 2024-2025 FAFSA as an undergraduate student, please update the Student Demographics and Dependency Status tabs of your 2024-2025 FAFSA to reflect your enrollment in a graduate program.
Once your FAFSA has been submitted and processed and the U.S. Department of Education has sent you a Student Aid Report (SAR), please read the comment section very carefully. If there is an issue with the application (i.e. missing signature, citizenship confirmation), it will be outlined in this section and these issues must be resolved in order to determine a student’s eligibility.
Cost of Attendance
For full- or part-time enrollment, the tuition for each program is calculated on a per-credit basis. Additional billed fees apply and are listed below.
Billed Fees for All Programs
In addition to tuition, there are fees for each program that will appear on your tuition bill. There are also expenses associated with graduate course work at Stonehill, including books and supplies, transportation and personal expenses, that are not billed. The total estimated indirect costs that do not appear on your tuition bill are $2,400 annually (3 semesters).
Federal Stafford Loans
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans
Graduate and Professional degree students are eligible to borrow Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. Students may borrow up to the cost of attendance minus other financial aid. Interest rates and origination fees for these loans can be found at: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/interest-rates. New rates are determined each academic year and are announced in June. One-third of the total loan for the academic year is applied to your student account in each semester, generally a few weeks after classes begin. Repayment begins six months after graduation or after you drop below half-time enrollment. Please note, however, that this loan accrues interest while you are enrolled and during the grace period, and you are responsible for these interest charges. You may either pay the interest while enrolled or defer it; in the latter case, interest is added to the principal when repayment begins.
First-time recipients of a Stafford Loan must complete loan counseling to learn about rights and responsibilities as borrowers. Counseling may be completed online (www.studentaid.gov). Those without web access can complete loan counseling upon arriving on campus. No loan funds are disbursed until this requirement is met. Failure to complete loan counseling may result in the cancellation of your loan.
Graduate and professional study students have a Direct Stafford Aggregate limit of $138,500, no more than $65,500 of this amount may be in subsidized loans. The graduate aggregate limit includes all federal loans received for undergraduate study.
Federal Direct Student Loans and the Master Promissory Note
New student borrowers must complete the on-line Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Interview at www.studentaid.gov before Federal Direct Student Loan funds will be credited to the student’s tuition account. After the electronic MPN and Entrance Interview notifications have been received by the College from the federal website, the net amount of the loan will be credited to the student’s account.
Stonehill must have positive affirmation from a student that he/she wishes to borrow a loan. Therefore, we will not process a loan, under any circumstances, if the student has not accepted that loan through myHill web portal.
Once a Master Promissory Note has been completed, a Federal Direct Student Loan can be processed for each subsequent year in which a FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA is filed, by accepting the loan on myHill when responding to the annual financial aid notification. Anyone who does not wish to borrow in any given year (or wishes to borrow less than the eligible amount) must indicate this by notifying Student Financial Services by e-mail at finaid@stonehill.edu or by making that change on-line through the College’s web portal, myHill. Declined student loans cannot be replaced with gift aid.
Additional Financing Options
Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loans
Graduate and Professional degree students are eligible to borrow Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. Students may borrow up to the cost of attendance minus other financial aid. Interest rates and origination fees for these loans can be found at: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/interest-rates.
If you receive a Federal Direct PLUS Loan as a graduate or professional student, you don’t have to make any payments while you’re enrolled in school at least half-time, and for an additional six months after you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment. Loan funds are disbursed directly to Stonehill College in equal amounts over each term of enrollment for the academic year.
Eligibility Requirements
- Graduate students are required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.studentaid.gov.
- Student must be accepted in a degree-granting program for at least six credits each term. Please note that federal regulations do not allow Federal PLUS loan applications to be processed for an outstanding balance that is associated with an academic year that has already ended.
- Student must first borrow the maximum allowable through the Federal Direct Student Loan program.
- The applicant does not have an adverse credit history.
- Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Federal Direct PLUS Loans can be found at: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/plus.
Alternative Private Lender
In addition to federal loans, graduate students may also borrow alternative private loans. Students may choose any alternative lender. Stonehill has identified lenders that our students have borrowed from in the past three years and who are still providing alternative loans. This is an historical list only and is not a list of recommended lenders.
The loan comparison tool ELMSelect is a FREE service to assist families in comparing private student loans. ELMSelect provides students and borrowers with current lender information needed to make well-informed decisions. Students are not limited to using lenders on this comparison tool.
Tuition Remission (Employee Benefit)
Employees are encouraged to contact Human Resources for further information.
Stonehill Monthly Affordable Payment (MAP) Plan
Please email studentaccounts@stonehill.edu or call at (508) 565-1394 for information regarding the Monthly Affordable Payment (MAP) Plan.
Graduate Scholarships
The Advancing Special Education (ASE) in Urban Settings Award is awarded to a graduate student committed to working in special education in urban settings. ASE Scholars are selected based on their demonstrated and future commitment to teaching in urban education or settings. Graduate students with demonstrated financial need are given preference. Candidates additionally demonstrate a commitment to the mission and ideology of Stonehill College Graduate Inclusive Education.
Awarding Policies
Changes in Enrollment
Your Offer of Financial Assistance is based upon an assumed enrollment pattern, which is indicated on your award. If there are any changes in expected course load, please notify Student Financial Assistance. Changes in enrollment during the course of the academic year must also be communicated to our office, as this may impact your financial aid eligibility.
Eligibility
To maintain eligibility for Federal Student Aid, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be enrolled in at least 6 credits each term, to be considered half-time*. If you drop below 6 credits, your Financial Aid will be canceled for that term.
- Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Be matriculated in a degree-granting program
- Have received your high school diploma or G.E.D.
- Be registered with the Selective Service, if required
- Not be convicted of a drug related crime in the last year
- Not be in default from previous student loans, and
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
Academic Progress
To receive or continue to receive financial aid funded by the state, the federal government, or the College (including loans, grants, jobs, scholarships), you must make satisfactory academic progress, which requires that you achieve and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 after two academic years of college attendance, and complete a minimum number of the total credits attempted.
Federal Verification Process
Approximately one-third of all financial aid applicants are selected by either the U.S. Department of Education or Stonehill’s Office of Student Financial Services to verify the accuracy of information provided on the FAFSA. You will be notified by email if you have been selected. If you are a new student, your offer of assistance is tentative pending the completion of the verification process. If you are a returning student, you will not receive a financial aid award letter until the verification process is complete.
Should the verified financial information differ significantly from the original information provided on the FAFSA, your aid may have to be adjusted. Please be sure to respond to requests for follow-up documentation in a timely manner to avoid delays in applying your financial aid as a credit to your student account.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
https://stonehill-website.s3.amazonaws.com/files/resources/standards-of-progress-financialaid-graduate-1-2.pdf
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