Graduate students may be offered two types of financial aid: grants and loans.
When creating the award package, students are automatically considered for both grants and loans.
Grants are considered gift aid. The amount of gift aid a student can receive depends on their financial need, enrollment status, and various other factors. If a student is eligible for gift aid, it will be included as part of her/his financial aid award package.
Loans are considered self-help aid. Students who accept loans must agree to the repayment and enrollment status terms specified for the loan.
Students are automatically considered for all types of financial aid.
Student Financial Services will determine what aid students are eligible for and award accordingly. Regardless of the type of financial aid included in the award package, the total amount of financial aid cannot exceed the student's Cost of Attendance (COA). Any outside resources (ex: outside scholarships, employer tuition reimbursement, and private/alternative educational loans) that a student receives must be included in the financial aid calculation.
Concordia Partnership Grant
Eligible Programs: MBA, MED, MPH, Ed.D.
Award Amount: $50 per credit hour
Students must meet all of the following requirements:
- work as a full-time, paid employee of a Concordia University Texas Employer Partner
- complete the Employer Partnership Program (EPP) Certification of Employment each year
Christian educator discount
Eligible Programs: MED
For information on this discount contact your admissions counselor.
Students must meet all of the following requirements:
- currently be teaching at a private, Bible-based Christian K-12 school
- complete the Christian School Certification of Employment form each year
- current students must maintain good standing and accumulative 3.0 GPA
TEACH Grant
Eligible Programs: MED with a concentration in Advanced Literacy or Culturally Responsive Special Education
Award Amount: Up to $4,000 per year (based on enrollment & sequestration)
Aggregate Limit: $8,000
Students must meet all of the following requirements:
- be a current teacher or if working on first teacher certification, must have a minimum 3.25 undergraduate GPA
- agree to teach in a low-income school in a high-need field for four years after the student completes her/his graduate program (previous teaching experience will not be considered)
- complete the TEACH counseling and Agreement to Serve (ATS)
- Special note: If a student fails to meet or maintain all eligibility requirements for the TEACH Grant, the Department of Education will convert the TEACH Grant to a direct unsubsidized loan and will calculate the interest based on the date the TEACH Grant was disbursed to the student.
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan
The direct unsubsidized loan is not a need-based loan. Interest does accrue while students are enrolled, during the six-month grace period and during repayment. The interest rate for loans disbursed on or After July 1, 2024, and Before July 1, 2025 is 8.08% and the lender is the Department of Education.
Eligible Programs: MBA, MED, MPH, Ed.D.
Award Amount: up to $20,500 per year (cannot exceed COA)
Aggregate Limit: $138,500
Students must meet all of the following requirements:
- be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- if the student is male, he must be registered with the Selective Service
- must not be in default on a federal student loan
- must not owe an overpayment for a federal grant
- must not have reached or exceeded the annual or aggregate loan limits
- be enrolled at half-time status
- complete Loan Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note the first award year you accept federal direct student loans
- complete Loan Exit Counseling if student graduates, leaves college or drops below half-time enrollment
Alternative (Private) Loans
Alternative loans are administered and processed by private lending institutions (such
as banks, credit unions, and state-based or state-affiliated organizations, etc.)
to be used for educational costs. These loans help bridge the gap between the financial
aid available from federal, state and/or institutional resources and the total cost
of your education. Alternative loans should be used for circumstances where you have
exhausted all other options in regards to financing your education.
Because these are non-federal loans, each lender sets its own eligibility criteria,
interest rates, processing fees, and repayment terms. Generally, students must meet
fairly high credit standards to qualify on their own, so many students will need a
credit-worthy cosigner in order to qualify.
Selecting a lender is the most important choice you will make before you begin applying
for an alternative loan. The choice of lender is entirely yours so your selection
should be made after careful research of which lender suits your needs and offers
the lowest rates possible. Carefully compare all loan terms and conditions and read
all of the eligibility requirements for a loan before you apply in order to ensure
you meet the criteria. Call the lender if you have questions about which program might
be the best for you before you begin the application process.
Concordia University Texas does not maintain a preferred lender list. As such, we
cannot recommend specific lenders to students. We do, however, recognize that you
have many choices when considering a private loan, so we have provided a historical
listing of private lenders used by CTX students during the last three years at ELMSelect. Students may select any lender and are NOT restricted to the lenders shown on the
historical listing. Please note that a lender's inclusion in this list is not meant
as an endorsement by the university, nor is it meant to limit your selection of a
private educational loan.
For additional information regarding Alternative Loans, please review our Alternative Loans publication.