Financial Aid FAQs

Q: When applying for financial aid at Life West, do I need to include my parent’s income and assets?
You need to provide only your income (and your spouse, if applicable). Chiropractic students at Life West are considered independent since they are enrolled in a graduate/professional degree program.

Q: I have been working the past year, will that affect my eligibility?
That is not a problem as the federal loans for graduate students are available to students of all income and asset levels.

Q: Can I also borrow for living expenses?
Chiropractic education requires a very intense course of study and most students choose not to work full time while going to school. The student loan budget includes tuition, books, and a standard cost of living expense.

Q: Do you have scholarships?
Life West has a number of institutional scholarships, which are available to both incoming and current students. Detailed information and applications are available here.

Life West also recommends you look into outside scholarships (not funded by the school) for options. The criterion varies for each scholarship, with a high percentage only available only to chiropractic students. We recommend the following websites to research scholarships opportunities, such as www.fastweb.org or www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov. A variety of free scholarship websites are available therefore we do not recommend paying to search (www.finaid.org/finaid/scams.html).

Q: Do you participate in Veteran Benefit programs for veterans?

Currently, only the Hayward campus is approved for Veterans Benefits. The college is pursuing the application process for the Bellevue campus (time unknown), Educational benefits are available to veterans attending Life West (Hayward campus) through the various assistance programs provided by the federal government. Students are eligible to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill ®, Montgomery GI Bill (Ch30 and Ch1606), Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance Program (Ch32), Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Ch34) and the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E, Ch31). Detailed information, eligibility criteria and updates on the various chapters may be found at www.GIBILL.va.gov.

The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010
All payment and maximum amounts listed below are applicable to veterans eligible for the full benefit (100% eligibility tier). If you are not eligible for the full benefit, the amounts will be prorated based on your eligibility percentage. This program caps payment at $27,120 (as of 8/1/23) for a 12 month period for private education. In addition, the Post-9/11 Act provides a monthly housing allowance of approximately $3,585 (please visit https://www.va.gov/gi-bill-comparison-tool to calculate your MHA) and a $1,000 annual book allowance per academic year.

Yellow Ribbon Program
At Life West, tuition for a 12 month period would exceed the private education cap; therefore, we recommend that eligible veterans participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. This specialized program allows the VA and educational institutions to enter into agreements to help cover the cost of tuition above the cap for private colleges. Life West participates with unlimited veterans and unlimited matching; thereby, covering tuition not already provided for by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. The college contributes funds above the annual cap for private colleges and the VA matches the contribution.

This program is available to veterans (or designated transferees) who qualify for the maximum benefit rate under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Examples included: served an aggregate of 36 months of active duty service, released for a service connected disability after 30 continuous days, Fry Scholars, Purple Heart recipient on or after 9/11/21. For a complete list visit: https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/post-9-11/yellow-ribbon-program/

*GI bill ® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/