Financial Aid Financing the Training for Ministry A decision to enroll at Martin Luther College involves not only a willingness to serve one’s Lord in an area of Christian ministry but also a commitment of time and money. To help students reach that goal of Christian ministry, Martin Luther College maintains a comprehensive financial aid program consisting of grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study.
A Family Responsibility The financial aid philosophy of both the federal government and Martin Luther College is that paying for a college education is primarily the responsibility of the student and his or her family. However, because student and family resources are not equal, MLC’s financial aid program exists to help students.
Synod Subsidy The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod provides a subsidy for the operating costs of Martin Luther College which reduces the cost of education for each student and is a way the WELS supports its ministerial education students. Martin Luther College’s tuition figure reflects this reduction; it does not appear on the student’s financial statement or financial aid letter.
Need-Based Financial Aid Much financial aid may be described as need-based; that is, a student’s family financial resources are considered. Need-based financial aid requires a need analysis (see Application Deadlines). Allowances are made for family income, assets, size, for other family members in college, and for special expenses and circumstances. The need analysis may not be a perfect measure of a family’s ability to meet costs, but it does serve to compare student and family resources and helps to distribute financial aid equitably. Need as it relates to financial aid does not necessarily mean needy. Many students qualify for some form of needbased aid, and in the 2020-21 academic year, approximately 95% of the students at Martin Luther College received some form of financial aid. Unless a student applies for financial aid, no need-based aid can be awarded.
Merit Based Financial Aid The college provides scholarship opportunities to incoming freshmen entering fall semester who graduated from high school the previous spring. Cumulative GPA or ACT score determine eligibility. Continuing students earn merit scholarships based on cumulative GPA from the previous year. See MLC’s Financial Aid section of the MLC website for specific information.
Grant and Scholarship Sources • • • • •
Martin Luther College trust fund income and reserves Synod special and budgetary funds for financial aid Federal Pell Grant Federal Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grant Minnesota State Grant Program for Minnesota students
Loan Sources • • • •
Federal Direct (Stafford) Loan Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) Martin Luther College special loan funds Student and Parent Alternative Loan Sources
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Financial Aid
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2021-22 Undergraduate Catalog
