Financial Aid
STH Financial Aid Application
This application is required each academic year for all School of Theology students who receive Federal Aid and/or STH financial aid (including tuition scholarships, named fellowships, Dean’s fellowships/scholarships, PhD fellowships, and stipends).
Please note: Completion of the STH financial aid application process does not guarantee aid. Only admitted and confirmed incoming students and returning students need to complete the STH Financial Aid Application.
FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid
The FAFSA is required each academic year for School of Theology students applying for federal aid (federal unsubsidized loan or federal work-study).
The Title IV code to submit your FAFSA to Boston University School of Theology is 002130 and the FAFSA requires approximately 5-7 business days to transmit to Boston University. Also, as a graduate student, only your own financial information is to be included on the FAFSA. Do not include your parent(s)/guardian(s) data.
You are strongly encouraged to use the IRS Data Retrieval tool if you are presented with the option to do so. The IRS data retrieval tool will allow you to import your tax information directly from the IRS to improve the accuracy of your FAFSA data.
For students who will not be filing a tax return (e.g. those who had no income) and are therefore ineligible to use IRS Data Retrieval, a separate income verification form is used for those who wish to borrow federal aid.
You may review the flowcharts below to determine what additional steps you may need to complete to receive your financial aid in the upcoming academic year.
Financial Aid Requirement Flowcharts
Please use the appropriate flowchart below to determine what additional steps you may need to complete to receive your financial aid in the upcoming academic year.
Tax Links
When completing your 2019 tax return, please be sure to consult the following information from the IRS on what is taxable income for students. Information for international students from the IRS can be found here. General tax information from the IRS for students is here. If you have questions on what is taxable income for you, please consult a tax professional. BU policy bars financial aid coordinators from tax advising.
Links to Scholarships and Outside Awards
Scholarships, grants, and loans are available from a number of denominational, humanitarian, and other agencies. The School of Theology is aware of some outside scholarships for qualified students and assumes that students will apply for any and all outside funds for which they are eligible. In addition, students are expected to indicate on the STH Financial Aid application any awards for which they are applying and to notify the School of Theology in writing of any outside awards received. These awards must be factored into the student’s financial aid package. Outside awards may reduce the student’s eligibility to borrow federal funds or receive work-study.
