Eligibility & Enrollment for Aid

The factors below could lead to a recalculation of your financial aid. They could ultimately lead to a change, reduction, or elimination of federal, state, institutional and/or any other types of financial aid eligibility.

• Not attending, dropping, or withdrawing from courses and/or sub-terms you are registered to attend
• Completely withdrawing from the university
• Failing to properly withdraw from the university
• Enrolling in courses that do not apply to your degree completion plan
• Failing to maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
• Providing incomplete or inaccurate information during the application process
• Receiving additional sources of aid (such as outside grants or private loans)
• Receiving aid above the amount of tuition (which may lower Liberty University scholarships)
• Changing enrollment level (some scholarships require full-time enrollment; Federal Direct Student and PLUS loans require half-time enrollment)
• Changing grade level or academic programs (for example, some majors are not eligible for the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant)
• Changing between Resident and Liberty University Online student status, and vice versa
• Defaulting on a student loan or having an unresolved federal grant or loan overpayment
• Providing false or misleading information
• Receiving federal aid for the same academic year at another institution
• Repeating a course for which you already received a passing grade more than once
• Aid that covers the majority of direct costs (i.e., Dependent Grant in Aid (DGIA), Continuing Education (CE), Private School Affiliation Scholarships, etc.) does not allow for stacking with other Liberty University aid sources such as the Liberty Champion Award or Liberty Book Dollars.

Some students mix undergraduate and graduate courses together in one term. It is important to understand that only the courses in your current degree program will count towards federal aid eligibility – including federal loans.

Example: An undergraduate student enrolls for 9 credit hours of undergraduate courses and 3 credit hours of a graduate course in one term. This student is eligible for federal aid. However, this student may be surprised that they are not eligible as a full-time student. Only the 9 undergraduate credit hours apply to their current degree program. In this case, they will also not be eligible for Liberty institutional aid.

Exception: If a graduate student is required to take a prerequisite course in order to complete a graduate course, the prerequisite course will count in determining aid eligibility.

Students looking to obtain a GED should review testing sites and availability.

To reach certain levels of enrollment, students must be attending a minimum number of credit hours per semester. See the enrollment levels in the chart below as well as in the complete Enrollment Levels and Types policy from the Institutional Effectiveness Policy Directory.

 Credit Hours Per Semester

• Willmington School of Bible (LBI) and Undergraduate
  • Less Than Half Time: 1-5
  • 1/2 Time: 6-8
  • 3/4 Time: 9-11
  • Full Time: 12
• Masters
  • Less Than Half Time: 1-5
  • 1/2 Time: 6*
  • 3/4 Time: 7-8
  • Full Time: 9
• Doctoral/ Juris Doctorate
  • Less Than Half Time: 1-2
  • 1/2 Time: 3
  • 3/4 Time: 4-5
  • Full Time: 6

*For Veterans Benefits (such as the GI Bill®) levels: Please see the VA Training Times & Pay Rates on the Military Affairs web page.

Continuing Education (CE) may be combined with federal, state, and other institutional aid. This combination may not exceed your total charges for tuition and fees.

Liberty University CE and Dependent Grant in Aid (DGIA) educational benefits are not eligible for use for the following programs: Doctor of Osteopathy, School of Law, degree programs offered by the School of Law or JURI courses, A.A. or B.S. in Paralegal Studies, M.B.A.: American Legal Studies, M.B.A.: International Legal Studies, and undergraduate or graduate certificate programs.

Exceptions and Further considerations:

• Federal Pell Grants are excluded from this calculation for resident students only. If all other grants and scholarships equal the total charges for tuition and fees, Federal Pell Grants may be refundable.
• If total federal and state grants exceed tuition and fee charges for a Liberty University Online Student, CE will be reduced or eliminated from the student’s aid package. Similarly, DGIA will be reduced or eliminated if the total federal and state grants exceed the student’s semester tuition charge. DGIA recipients are responsible for paying all fees each semester.
• CE and DGIA are not available to students who have an unresolved defaulted loan in their loan history.
• CE and DGIA recipients must adhere to the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy.
• Employees may only take up to 18 credit hours per academic year. CE and DGIA benefits will only cover the minimum number of hours required to complete the applicable degree.
• CE and DGIA cover no more than the minimum hours required in a program at each degree level, though prerequisites can be covered under CE or DGIA for a graduate program in which the employee is majoring. If a student withdraws from a course(s) and chooses to take it again in a later term or sub-term, the student may be subject to paying for a course(s) without CE or DGIA funding near the end of their degree program out of pocket or with another type of financial aid.
• Similar to the withdrawal information above, if a student repeats a course(s) in a later term or sub-term, the student may be subject to paying for a course(s) without CE or DGIA funding near the end of their degree program out of pocket or with another type of financial aid.
• CE and DGIA are only available to degree-seeking students, unless the student is a dependent in high school taking college level courses in a special student status. The student cannot be enrolled in the Liberty Online Academy. In addition, CE and DGIA may only be applied to Courses within a Student’s Program of Study (CPOS).  For additional details, please review our CPOS Policy.
• Per the LU Employee Handbook, an application for CE must be completed and received by Human Resources a minimum of 3 weeks prior to the Financial Check-In (FCI) date. Late forms will not be processed. The DGIA application should be completed in the HR portal by April 30 annually for the following academic year.

For questions about policies and eligibility for CE and DGIA, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Financial Aid SAP is the process used by the federal government to ensure students are successfully completing their academic program at a good pace. This policy includes four standards that every student must meet in order to continue to receive federal aid.

Minimum Academic Standards:

1. Cumulative GPA: Students must meet the minimum cumulative GPA requirement for their academic program.
2. Completion Rate: Students must complete at least 67% of their registered coursework.
3. Maximum Time Frame: Students must complete their degree before exceeding 150% attempted credit hours.
4. All Unearned Credits: Students enrolled half-time or more must earn at least one passing grade.

Warnings & Suspensions

Students on Financial Aid warning are still eligible for financial aid, but students on Financial Aid suspension are no longer eligible for most financial aid. Students on Financial Aid Suspension can either continue their enrollment without financial aid OR submit an appeal.

Submit an Appeal

View the full appeal policy.

• Step 1: Once you are notified of the Financial Aid SAP suspension, submit an appeal. 
• Step 2: If any appeal supporting documents are requested when you complete the online Financial Aid SAP appeal form, you will be prompted to upload the documents while completing and submitting the form in ASIST (All documents needing signatures must be signed).
• Decision: A decision to approve or deny your appeal will be made by the Financial Aid Committee within one week of the receipt of your Financial Aid SAP appeal form and any required additional documents. The decision will be communicated to you through your Liberty University email account.

Academic help

Consider using the following resources if you are struggling academically:

• Academic Advising (Online students)
• Professional Advising (Residential undergraduate students)
• Academic Support (Online students)
• CASAS – Academic Support (Residential students)
• College Success Tips
• Disability Accommodation Support