Increasing opportunities for students to have access to and succeed in higher education by helping students and their families seek, obtain, and make the best use of all financial resources.

OFFICE OF Financial Aid

How to apply for Financial Aid

  • Apply for financial aid HERE.

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  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Financial aid Requirements

To maintain Financial Aid, students must meet ABU and their specific program requirements. Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and Practices, also known as SAP, is a set of standards students are required to maintain if they receive financial aid. These standards require students to make progress toward a certificate, degree, or transfer program during all periods of enrollment, including periods when a student did not receive financial aid. This will be evaluated at the end of each term.  

Minimum cumulative GPA earned:

 Undergraduate:

1.0 for 0-31 completed hours at ABU 

1.5 for 32-63 completed hours at ABU 

2.0 for 64+ completed hours at ABU 

Graduate 

3.0 for all terms of enrollment at ABU 

minimum cumulative pace of program of progression:

A student must successfully complete at least 67% of the credit hours attempted. Pace Formula = cumulative credit hours successfully completed divided by cumulative credit hours attempted. The cumulative measurement includes the total of both the successfully and unsuccessfully completed courses at UTA and all accepted transfer credit hours. 

Financial aid Dispursement

Financial aid disbursement is when financial aid funds are applied to any outstanding tuition balance on a student’s account. Aid will be disbursed 30 days after the first day of class. Students will receive an email in their student.abu.edu email account letting them know more details about their disbursement. If students still have a balance remaining with ABU after financial aid funds have been applied to their account, they will be put on a payment plan that will be available in their student portal.   

Types of Aid

PELL GRANT

A Pell grant is a federal grant awarded to you based on your Student Aid Index, which is calculated from the FAFSA. 

Award amounts range between $740 to $7,395, the maximum of two full-time semesters per academic year. Most recipients may enroll in at least one credit hour. 

Pell grants are considered an entitlement program. Therefore, you are required to have a fully processed application by your last date of enrollment to receive this aid program. 

Federal law limits the amount you may receive over your lifetime to the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. Since the maximum amount of Pell Grant funding you can receive each year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600% or 12 full-time semesters. 

For more information regarding Pell Grant lifetime limits, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website. 

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a grant that is awarded to an undergraduate student who demonstrates exceptional financial need to help pay for their education.

Awards can range from $100–$200 a semester, and do not need to be repaid. 

Loans

A loan is money students can borrow and must pay back with interest. Loans can help families meet the costs of higher education expenses. By completing the FAFSA, students are considered for all types of financial aid, including federal and state student loans. The William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (DL) is a federal loan program which helps eligible students borrow from the U.S. Department of Education to cover the cost of higher education. 

Junior/Senior (64+ credit hours):

Dependent $7,500 (no more than $5,500 subsidized). Independent $12,500 (no more than $5,500 subsidized). 

Sophomore (32-63 credit hours):

Dependent $6,500 (no more than $4,500 subsidized). Independent ($10,500 (no more than $4,500 subsidized).

Freshman (0-31 credit hours):

Dependent $5,500 (no more than $3,500 subsidized). Independent $9,500 (no more than $3,500 subsidized). 

Financial aid FAQs

  • The 2025-2026 priority date to qualify for maximum institutional funding at ABU is May 1, 2025. There is no deadline for submission to qualify for federal student loans or the Federal Pell Grant.

  • Yes, you must apply each year to ensure that the most recent information is being used to determine your financial aid eligibility. 

  • Once we have processed your offer, we will send a financial aid notification to your ABU email account directing you to log on to your Student Portal to accept or decline your offers. 

Veteran administration benefits

If you believe you are eligible for Veterans Administration benefits, you should file your claim as soon as possible to receive your VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE).  

Students must request benefits every year for which they want to use them. It is recommended to register early for courses in a student’s degree plan and then submit their request for benefits shortly after their registration. Please use the form below to request certification: 

FILE A CLAIM
Certification for Federal VA Benefits

VA Benefits FAQs

  • Portrait of a smiling woman with curly hair, wearing a dark green top, standing against a textured blue background.

    Stephanie Castillo

    DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL AID

    CONTACT
  • Portrait of a smiling woman with short gray hair wearing a dark blazer and a floral blouse, standing against a blue background.

    KIM MARVIN

    DIRECTOR OF STUDENT BILLINGS

    CONTACT