VIU Tuition Waiver
At this time, VIU does not offer Federal Student Aid (FSA). However, VIU tuition waivers are available to qualified students. Waivers are not loans, they do not need to be repaid by the student. Waivers are limited to the availability of funds and will be awarded annually to any student based on moral/spiritual character, financial need, ministry, and GPA. Waivers are valid for one calendar year (January through December), expiring on December 31 of each year. Each year the student must re-apply for benefits and submit updated financial information. If approved for benefits, the student must enroll in at least 9 units per year to be eligible to apply for waiver benefits for the following year. Mandatory enrollments are prorated based on time of year your waiver application is submitted. In addition, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) must be maintained in order to retain benefits. If the student’s GPA falls below 3.0 during a calendar year, all waiver/scholarship benefits will be forfeited. The following policies and procedures are in place to ensure fair, accurate and timely awards of waivers:
Checks and Balances. The VIU Financial Aid Committee has been established to authorize the distribution of waivers to qualified students. The authorizer (VIU Financial Aid Committee) shall not be of the same office as the disburser of funds. This authorizing Financial Aid Committee shall be comprised of the President and the Academic Dean, and the Disburser shall be a designated member of the Business/Accounting Office.
Office Procedure. The student should complete and submit a Tuition Waiver Application Form to the Business Office/Registrar for consideration. The Business Office/Registrar will forward the application to the Financial Aid Committee for evaluation and authorization. The Committee’s decision shall not be longer than three (3) weeks from the time of submittal. The Financial Aid Committee will vote to approve or deny the application. This decision will be forwarded to the Registrar and a copy of award will be placed in the students file.
The Registrar will then notify the student of the Committee’s decision and amount of award (usually listed as a percent of tuition waived, e.g. 30%, or in the case of funds being authorized it will be listed as a dollar figure, e.g. $2000) in writing, this letter will also be placed in the student’s file. The student may receive the award when he/she enrolls in a respective course(s).
The Registrar will note the amount of award applied to the tuition on the enrollment form which is then forwarded to the Business Office for processing. The Financial Aid Committee will forward a second copy of the award to the Business Office to be recorded for budget tracking purposes and confirmation of the Registrar’s data recorded on the student’s enrollment form.
Priority of Disbursement. All awarded waivers shall be credited to student tuition at the time of enrollment in a timely manner to ensure that the student will have immediate access to credit awarded for immediate use.
Student Application Process. VIU does not accept federal student loans or other federal aid programs. VIU operates on a no-debt policy and encourages students to approach their tuition in like manner. Inquire at the Business Office for availability of VIU institutional scholarships/waivers. They are available to degree/certificate students who have usually completed a minimum of nine (9) graduate units of coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or better, ministry worker, missionary, or who have current financial hardship. Scholarship/waiver applications may be requested from the Business Office and returned to the Financial Aid Committee (at the Business Office) for evaluation. Each scholarship award is based on financial need, Christian character, GPA, ministry involvement, and academic status. Awards are distributed prior to the registration period. Students who receive tuition waivers and scholarships shall not be required to repay the funds or its value to the institution. All Financial Aid Committee decisions are final. VIU tuition waivers do not have to be repaid by the student. Award recipients whose semester GPA falls below 3.0 in a calendar year (January—December) or do not complete at least 9 units per award year are considered lacking Satisfactory Academic Progress, meaning the award may be revoked.
VIU Tuition Waiver Award Schedule
Full-time Pastors/Missionary/Ministry/Veterans—30% Flat Waiver
Part-time Ministry Workers—10% Flat Waiver
Non-professional Ministry and Need Based—Up to 30%
Ministry workers need a letter from their ministry verifying the full-time nature of your employment (senior pastors must submit their verification letter with at least one other Elder/Business Manager signature), copy of your ordination certificate (if your certificate is not readily available you may complete up to nine (9) units by submitting a signed letter from the ordaining body. Registration into further courses requires an ordination certificate), and two paystubs reflecting full-time employment (32+ hours per week).
Pay As-You-Go Program
In VIU’s quest for affordable education, qualified students may choose to pay for their tuition using this incremental program that allows students to break up the cost of tuition into four (4) scheduled payments each semester the student registers for courses.
To initiate this program, complete the Tuition Waiver Form and check the Pay As-You-Go box. Once approved, at the time of registration for courses the student will pay the equivalent of one unit of tuition (plus any fees), then schedule the three remaining dates of payment that will be due throughout your current semester.
If you are a tuition waiver recipient, you may use Pay As-You-Go program following the same procedures of payment described above. However, instead of scheduling four payments, students will schedule a total of two payments, half the amount due at registration, and the second half due on your scheduled second pay date. The Tuition Waiver Form may be obtained on the VIU website.
VIU Tuition Waivers, VA Benefits, Spousal Waiver, and Tuition Payment Options
Previously, VIU participated in The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) tuition assistance program for veterans, recently we have decided not to continue participating in Title IV (or any other) federal financial aid programs (FSA) or VA tuition assistance. Though we realize student loans can be helpful to some students, we have discovered that participating in these Title IV federal programs could compromise our institutional religious convictions, moral policies, and curriculum, as well as saddle students with heavy FSA debt. VIU’s withdrawal from Title IV programs is due to a change in law implemented August 1, 2021 (38 U.S.C. &3675(b)(4)). Therefore, students will be permitted to continue to receive benefits through the end of their program (if they are currently receiving VA tuition assistance) if they maintain continuous enrollment. Our institution will not enroll new students in the VA programs; however, currently enrolled students may continue receiving VA benefits until their program ends.
Tuition Waivers
In our effort to limit (or eliminate) student debt for all students, VIU institutional tuition waivers are available to qualified students to assist them in funding their education and keeping their debts low. Waivers are not loans; they do not need to be repaid by the student. Waivers are limited to the availability of funds. They will be awarded annually to cover student tuition based on moral/spiritual character, financial need, pastor/missionaries, para-church ministry involvement, military service, and GPA. Waivers are valid for one calendar year (January through December), expiring on December 31 of each year. Each year the student must re-apply for benefits and submit updated financial information. If approved for benefits, the student must enroll in at least 9 units per year to be eligible to apply for waiver benefits for the following year. Mandatory enrollments are prorated based on time of year your waiver application is submitted. In addition, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) must be maintained in order to retain benefits. If the student’s GPA falls below 3.0 during a calendar year, all waiver/scholarship benefits will be forfeited. The following policies and procedures are in place to ensure fair, accurate and timely awards of waivers:
Checks and Balances. The VIU Financial Aid Committee has been established to authorize the distribution of waivers to qualified students. The authorizer (VIU Financial Aid Committee) shall not be of the same office as the disburser of funds. This authorizing Financial Aid Committee shall be comprised of the President and the Chief Academic Officer, and the Disburser shall be a designated member of the Business/Accounting Office.
Office Procedure. The student should complete and submit a Tuition Waiver Application Form to the Business Office/Registrar for consideration. The Business Office/Registrar will forward the application to the Financial Aid Committee for evaluation and authorization. The Committee’s decision shall not be longer than three (3) weeks from the time of submittal. The Financial Aid Committee will vote to approve or deny the application. This decision will be forwarded to the Registrar and a copy of award will be placed in the students file.
The Registrar will then notify the student of the Committee’s decision and amount of award (usually listed as a percent of tuition waived, e.g. 30%, or in the case of funds being authorized it will be listed as a dollar figure, e.g. $2000) in writing, this letter will also be placed in the student’s file. The student may receive the award when he/she enrolls in a respective course(s). The Registrar will note the amount of award applied to the tuition on the enrollment form which is then forwarded to the Business Office for processing. The Financial Aid Committee will forward a second copy of the award to the Business Office to be recorded for budget tracking purposes and confirmation of the Registrar’s data recorded on the student’s enrollment form.
Priority of Disbursement. All awarded waivers shall be credited to student tuition at the time of enrollment in a timely manner to ensure that the student will have immediate access to credit awarded for immediate use.
Student Application Process. VIU does not accept federal student loans or other federal aid programs. VIU operates on a no-debt policy and encourages students to approach their tuition in like manner. Inquire at the Business Office for availability of VIU institutional scholarships/waivers. They are available to degree/certificate students who have usually completed a minimum of nine (9) graduate units of coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or better, ministry worker, missionary, or who have current financial hardship. Scholarship/waiver applications may be requested from the Business Office and returned to the Financial Aid Committee (at the Business Office) for evaluation. Each scholarship award is based on financial need, Christian character, GPA, ministry involvement, and academic status. Awards are distributed prior to the registration period. Students who receive tuition waivers and scholarships shall not be required to repay the funds or its value to the institution. All Financial Aid Committee decisions are final. VIU tuition waivers do not have to be repaid by the student. Award recipients whose semester GPA falls below 3.0 in a calendar year (January—December) or do not complete at least 9 units per award year are considered lacking Satisfactory Academic Progress, meaning the award may be revoked.
VIU Tuition Waiver Award Schedule
- Full-time Pastors/Missionary/Ministry/Veterans/Law Enforcement—30% Flat Waiver
- Part-time Ministry Workers—10% Flat Waiver
- Non-professional Ministry and Need Based—Up to 30% Waiver
- Advance Full Program tuition payment Waiver (Archaeology programs only—40% Waiver
- *All unpaid tuition balances will be assessed a $50.00 late fee (see Student Handbook).
Ministry workers need a letter from their ministry verifying the full-time nature of your employment (senior pastors/missionaries must submit their verification letter with at least one other Elder/Business Manager signature), copy of your ordination certificate (if your certificate is not readily available you may complete up to nine (9) units by submitting a signed letter from the ordaining body. Registration into further courses requires an ordination certificate), and two paystubs reflecting full-time employment (32+ hours per week).
Pay As-You-Go Program
In VIU’s quest for affordable education, qualified students may choose to pay for their tuition using this incremental program that allows students to break up the cost of tuition into four (4) scheduled payments each semester the student registers for courses.
To initiate this program, complete the Tuition Waiver Form and check the Pay As-You-Go box. Once approved, at the time of registration for courses, the student will pay the equivalent of one unit of tuition (plus any fees). Then, schedule the three remaining payment dates that will be due throughout the current semester.
If you are a tuition waiver recipient, you may use Pay As-You-Go program following the same procedures of payment described above. However, instead of scheduling four payments, students will schedule a total of two payments, half the amount due at registration, and the second half due on your scheduled second pay date. The Tuition Waiver Form may be obtained on the VIU website.
Spousal Tuition Waiver
If spouses of VIU students wish to register for academic credit courses, they may do so at a 50% tuition discount. Each spouse may attend the identical number of courses the full-paying student has attended (or is currently attending) at the discounted tuition rate. The tuition discount does not apply to administrative, technology, or registration fees. If your spouse does not wish to earn academic credit they may “sit-in” on all courses the VIU student is attending for credit at no charge. All other fees and policies remain the same.