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GOING TO GARRETT: Financial Aid
Keeping Seminary Affordable Financial Aid can often be a stressful topic for students. At Garrett-Evangelical we seek to help you through that stress and make sure you are making the best decisions for yourself, both now and in the future. We strongly encourage you to be proactive this summer so that you are ready to go this fall semester. Here are a few steps to consider:
Make a budget, and stick to it. Having a budget helps you strategize and prioritize. Before you arrive for orientation, build a monthly budget to make sure you don’t over spend on eating out or under spend on graduate school necessities like lots and lots of books. Cut up those credit cards now. They have much higher interest rates (14%) than student loans (5.4%). It’s much better to use a student loan than to keep using your credit card. Consider getting a job. Graduate school is demanding, but a job is feasible for most students. Having employment is a great way to continue gaining valuable work-related skills, while also making money to cover food and other monthly miscellaneous expenses. Talk to your home church(es) about supporting you financially. Many congregations already have scholarships available, and if not, ask for a special collection or get permission to fundraise at the church. Finally, plan to graduate on time, if possible. The number one way to limit student debt accumulation during a degree program is to graduate on time. Deferring graduation for an extra semester or even a year means more living expenses and the loss of a full-time income. Keep this in mind when registering for courses and meeting with your advisors.