Financial Aid

Cooperative Program

Southern Baptists support theological education by giving to the Cooperative Program. As a result, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary students pay lower tuition-based fees as compared to fees in non-SBC evangelical seminaries.

Federal and State Loan Deferments

The seminary does not participate in any federally funded loan or grant programs such as Stafford loans or Pell grants. We do accept educational or Signature loans from various lenders. Contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@nobts.edu or 504.816.8276 to get more information about student loans.

Enrolled students do qualify for deferment of payment of existing federally guaranteed student loans and should contact their lender for specific information as well as the Registrar’s Office for enrollment verification.

Financial Aid Office

The Financial Aid Office is located in the Fred Luter Jr. Student Center, and can be contacted at 504.816.8276 or financialaid@nobts.edu.

Grants

Applications are available for scholarships to assist with current tuition costs during the Fall and Spring semesters. Awards are made on a need basis and vary in amount. Application does not insure that an award will be made. In order to be awarded a grant, each applicant must have a zero balance on his/her student account.

New Student Scholarships are available to brand new students on the New Orleans campus. An application should be completed online at www. nobts.edu/financialaid by June 15th for the Fall semester and November 1st for the Spring semester.

Current Student Scholarships are also available to main campus and extension center students. The scholarship application is available April 1-30 for the Fall semester awards and September 1-30 for the Spring semester awards. All applicants must apply online at the NOBTS website, www.nobts.edu.

Main campus NOBTS students must maintain full-time status (9 semester hours for Graduates; active enrollment for Doctoral students) through the academic period covered by the grant award. Extension center students must maintain enrollment in at least two courses per semester through the academic period covered by the grant award. Full-time status for Financial Aid purposes only includes hours from on-campus, Saturday, or Hybrid classes. Internet courses, independent studies, intensives, and Accelerated MDiv credit hours DO NOT count toward full-time status.

Miscellaneous Scholarships

The Financial Aid Office maintains a Web page, which contains descriptions of various non-seminary sources for financial assistance. Included in the information will be qualifications, contact persons, and phone numbers or addresses. State Baptist conventions and foundations are listed on the Web page.

Any church, organization, or donor may contribute funds for a particular student by including written instructions with their donation. For information on the deductibility of the gift for tax purposes, please contact the NOBTS Office of Institutional Advancement at 504.816.8224. Additional options for making a gift are also available.

Emergency Aid

The seminary maintains an active program of assistance for students who are experiencing short-term financial emergencies. Students seeking such assistance may contact the Financial Aid Office to set up a one-on-one meeting with the Director.

A monthly Payment Plan program provides students with a low cost plan for budgeting expenses. It is not a loan program; therefore, the student has no debt, there are no interest charges assessed, and there is no credit check. The only fee to budget payments through the Payment Plan is a nonrefundable enrollment fee per semester paid to the Business Office at the same time as the down payment.

How to enroll with the Payment Plan: Once students determine the amount needed to budget (only tuition and fees may be included), they enroll online through the Finances tab in their SelfServe student account. Problems accessing SelfServe should be directed to the ITC Help Desk at 504.816.8180.

The Payment Plan must be completed by the Final Day for Tuition Payment set by the Registrar’s Office; otherwise, the NOBTS Business Office will assess a late payment fee. The monthly payments are automatically deducted from a student’s checking account, savings account, or credit card.

Payment Schedule: When the plan is established, the enrollment fee and an immediate down payment of 20% of the total amount will be budgeted. This will be followed by 4 monthly payments of 20% (Feb. - May for Spring semester and Sept. - Dec. for Fall semester). These monthly payments can be scheduled between the 1st and 10th of each month. A separate Payment Plan is available for students during the Summer. Students are responsible for notifying the seminary of any changes they would like made to the original plan. In the event there are consistent problems with any student’s plan, the NOBTS Financial Aid Office reserves the right to terminate the plan and restrict usage to the monthly payment system. Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Financial Counseling

The Dean of Students Office is aware of the unique pressures associated with college or seminary life in the area of personal finance and family relationships. The Director of Financial Aid is available to meet with current students and students approved for admission to discuss budgeting, provide financial counseling, or offer encouragement in other areas of student family life.

Awards

A “Celebration of Excellence,” the annual awards assembly, occurs near the end of the spring semester each year. The purpose of the assembly is to recognize and honor outstanding senior students in the graduating class of the academic year in the various degree programs.

Students are chosen by an Awards Committee composed of the Provost, the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Dean of Leavell College, the five divisional chairpersons, the Registrar, and the Dean of Students. The committee gives major consideration to evidences of an uncommon measure of excellence in personal and spiritual qualities, academic and scholarly achievement, and capacity for Christian ministry.

The awards consist of appropriate plaques for all recipients, books for most, and one monetary award.

Veteran Education Benefits

Complaint Policy for Students Receiving VA Education Benefits. Any complaint against the school should be routed through the VA GI Bill Feedback System by going to the following link: http://www.benefits.va.gov/GIBILL/Feedback.asp. The VA will then follow up through the appropriate channels to investigate the complaint and resolve it satisfactorily.