The financing of professional and graduate education in the United States is viewed primarily as the responsibility of the student. There are very few federal or state grant and scholarship programs designed for graduate students. Bastyr University is very conscious of the cost of financing an education. The primary job of the financial aid team is to work with students to help them plan for, and obtain, the resources needed to make a Bastyr education a reality.
Financial Aid Policies
Financial Aid Applications
REQUIRED for 2021-22 School Year (begins July 1, 2021)
Deadline for both required applications is March 1, 2021
OPTIONAL for Incoming Students for 2021-2022 School Year
REQUIRED for current 2020-2021 School Year
Honors Entrance Scholarship
All applicants who have submitted their application and official transcripts for completed credits, before the Priority Application Deadline with an overall GPA of 3.0 are automatically enrolled for scholarship consideration. Applicants for graduate programs are eligible for a one-year, non-renewable scholarship. Applicants for undergraduate programs are eligible for a one-year scholarship, renewable in the second year if an overall GPA of 3.0 is maintained. View Priority Application Deadlines.
Free Scholarship Search Guides
- Secrets to Winning a Scholarship: Helpful tips on winning scholarships, created by the publisher of FinAid.org.
- studentaid.ed.gov: Access America for students is the student gateway to the U.S. government. This site includes a multitude of financial aid resources and links, including scholarships and grants.
Links for free scholarship search
CARES Act 2020
On April 9, 2020, Bastyr University applied (and subsequently was approved) for funding under the CARES Act. We have signed and returned to the Department of Education (ED) the Certification and Agreement document to finalize this funding.
Bastyr University has been approved to receive $527,497.00 in funding through the CARES Act. We will use at least 50% of these funds as Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students who are eligible for federal financial aid. The other 50% of grant will be used to reimburse COVID related expenses incurred by Bastyr. Bastyr currently has roughly 800 students who are eligible for federal financial aid. We are in the midst of determining how many of these students have need of the emergency funding.
As of 10/20/2020, the following applications have been received and processed:
| Applications Received |
366 |
| Applications Responded to |
366 |
| Number of Loans Awarded |
137 |
| Amount of Loans Disbursed |
$786,173 |
| Number of Federal CARES Act Grants Awarded |
343 |
| Amount of Federal CARES Act Grants Disbursed |
$352,791 |
| Number of Institutionally Funded Grants Awarded |
16 |
| Amount of Institutionally Funded Grants Disbursed |
$12,731 |
| Number of Work Study Increases Awarded |
1 |
| Amount of Work Study Increased |
$400 |
Disclosure of Institutional HEERF funding (.pdf)
PLEASE NOTE: All student grant funding has been exhausted. We are still accepting requests for loan increased due to increased technology or living expenses due to the national emergency.
We will accept applications until funding is exhausted. This web page will be updated at least every 45 days with statistics regarding how many student have received grants, and the total dollar amount of the grant that has been disbursed to students. The process to apply for these funds is to send an email to finaid@bastyr.edu stating the amount of emergency funding needed, and a brief description of what the funds are needed for. This application procedure was sent via email to all students on April 9, 2020, and twice again at the beginning of the summer quarter for summer applications, and at the end of the summer quarter for fall awards. It was also sent to all employees with a request to direct any student expressing financial worries to email the Financial Aid Office.
Upon receipt of a request, the request is logged in a master spreadsheet and a complete review of the student’s financial aid file is made by the Director of Financial Aid. The steps for the review include, but are not limited to:
- Determine if the request meets the CARES Act requirements. If not, the student is emailed.
- If the student request meets the CARES Act requirements, determine, based on priorities listed below, how much the student is eligible for in grant funds.
- If the student’s request was not fully met with grant funds, determine if the student wants a loan increase. If so, increase COA and loan up to $5000.
- If a student’s request is not met with initial grant eligibility and/or loan increase (generally undergraduates and students not eligible for the PLUS loan), award up to an additional $1,000 emergency grant.
- Notify the student via email
Once all initial requests are processed, data will be used to determine how many and in what amounts grants can be given equitably.
Priority will be given to:
- Students whose graduation is delayed due to the national emergency
- Students graduating in fall 2020
- Undergraduates
- Students ineligible for Graduate PLUS loans
- Students who have documented additional need due to job loss, etc.
Any questions about receiving emergency funding, or how the federal emergency grants are being disbursed should be directed to Danette Grace Wells, Director of Financial Aid at dwells@bastyr.edu or 425-602-3083.
