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Eligibility for Financial Aid

Most Life West students use federal aid in order to finance their education. You might be wondering how that works. Here are the basics:

In order to be eligible for the Federal Programs at Life West you will need to consider the following:

  • Are you a US citizen or eligible non-citizen?
  • You should be eligible for aid as both a full-time or part-time student
  • You will need to submit to the government a form (FAFSA) in order to demonstrate financial need
  • Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
  • *Part Time Enrollment and Electives

*Federal Financial Aid can only pay for core classes and the two required electives. Federal Aid cannot pay for classes not required for a student’s degree. A student registering for an additional elective beyond the required two will be notified that federal aid cannot pay for the class and a cash payment would be required. The only exception is if a student is already full time and then adding a non-required elective, as he or she is already paying full time tuition for 12 or more credits. In that scenario there is not any additional charge.

Many students wonder how their parent’s finances will affect their eligibility. As a Life West graduate student your will not be using your parent’s income to determine your eligibility. If you are married you will need to use your household income as part of your income reporting.

Definition of Financial Need

Financial need is the difference between a student’s (spouse if applicable) resources and allowable college expenses (student budget). An established needs analysis formula (FAFSA) is used to determine your financial need. This formula is based on tax year data and has budget restrictions. The federal student loan programs are considered non-need based federal aid and therefore do not have income/asset restrictions. The federal work study program is a need-based aid program and eligibility is based on your FAFSA form.

The Life Chiropractic College financial aid office has some discretion in these areas. For example, after careful consideration, a decision could be made that expected year earnings (earnings made during the school year) more accurately reflects a student’s contribution potential (rather than tax year).

In addition, there are provisions along with the budget restrictions to assist students who are married with dependents and have low incomes. If you have day care expenses inform your financial aid advisor.