Financial Assistance
A limited number of fellowships, assistantships, and tuition scholarships are available each year in various program areas. Fellowships usually involve remission of tuition and academic fees for two academic terms or, in some circumstances, for the entire year. Some may include stipends.
Upon admission, students should apply for graduate fellowships and assistantships available through the graduate program to which they have been accepted.
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Graduate Awards
Recipients of graduate fellowships and assistantships must remain full-time students, in good standing in their major program, during the period of the award. Duties and responsibilities of award recipients are defined by the dean and are limited to teaching, research, and/or other activities related to the scholarship. Failure to fulfill the obligations of an assistantship or fellowship may result in immediate termination of the award. Approximately 20 hours per week should be devoted to these duties. For further information on the availability of and guidelines for these awards, contact the dean of the college to which the application will be made.
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Financial Aid
Federal Financial Aid
Federal financial assistance is available to US citizens or eligible non-citizens enrolled at least half-time (4.5 credits per term) in programs leading to a graduate degree and for some certificate programs. This assistance can include Federal Work-Study and Federal Direct Loans.
Federal Student Loans
The Direct Unsubsidized Loan provides funds, not based on financial need, up to $20,500 per academic year. The student is responsible for the interest on the unsubsidized amount while in school; however, principal and interest payments can be postponed. The interest rate is fixed for each individual loan but the interest changes annually for new loans. For loans disbursed between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023 the interest will be fixed at 6.54 percent, with repayment terms of 10 to 25 years. Repayment begins six months after a student graduates, drops to less than half-time enrollment, or leaves school.
The Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan is a credit-based loan available to graduate and professional students who are enrolled at least half-time. The maximum that may be borrowed may not exceed the cost of attendance minus any financial aid for which the student is eligible. The interest rate is fixed for each individual loan but the interest changes annually for new loans. For loans disbursed between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023 the interest will be fixed at 7.54 percent, with repayment terms of 10 to 25 years Students may qualify to defer their loan payments while they attend school on at least a half-time basis. Interest continues to accumulate on Grad PLUS loans during this deferment period.
A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is required for each academic year the student wants to be considered for work-study or private loans. The FAFSA can be completed online at www.studentaid.gov
Private Educational Loans
Many banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, and other commercial lending institutions have special loan programs for students or parents of students attending college. University of Detroit Mercy processes private loans through ELM Select. ELM Select provides students and parents an easy way to search for private loans from many lenders and programs.
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Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) is a term used to describe a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a degree or certificate. SAP is required to receive all federal and state financial aid. Federal regulations require the Financial Aid Office to apply reasonable standards for measuring whether a student is making progress toward a degree. This is to ensure that students receiving funds are successfully progressing through their program of study. If you do not meet the minimum requirements, you could lose your eligibility for financial aid.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
Student academic progress is measured at the end of each semester against the following qualitative and quantitative standards: cumulative grade point average (GPA), completion rate (pace), maximum time frame and meeting the academic standards of your school or college (e.g., the College of Engineering & Science, the School of Architecture, etc.).
Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA): 2.0 Dental (DDS) programs, 2.2 Law (JD) programs, and 3.0 for graduate programs. At any time that it becomes mathematically impossible for the student to meet the GPA requirement by the time the student would complete enough credit hours to graduate, the student becomes ineligible for federal aid.
Completion Percentage (Pace): At least 67 percent of all credit hours attempted must have successfully passing grades that can be applied to the degree. The 67 percent completion rate maintains a pace of progression toward the degree or certificate that ensures completion of the academic credential within the maximum time frame allowed. The pace of progress is calculated by dividing cumulative hours that you have successfully completed by the cumulative hours you have attempted. This includes hours attempted for which you do not receive credit, such as repeated courses that do not count toward your degree and classes taken prior to restarting your degree program.
Note: Credit hours transferred from other schools that are accepted toward completion of a student’s Detroit Mercy program count as hours attempted and hours completed. However, transfer credit hours are not included in the calculation of a student’s grade point average. Please refer to the Grades and Credits section of this policy for a list of attempted credit hours.
Maximum Time Frame: Students must complete a degree or certificate program in no more than 150 percent of the published length of the program in credit hours. Examples:
Master’s degrees that require 36 credit hours: Attempted credit hours may not exceed 54 (36 credits x 150 percent = 54 credits).
Professional and other degrees that require completion within a specific number of years from the start date: Students must complete the degree in no more than the maximum number of calendar years from the date he/she began the program, AND students must complete at least 67 percent of credit hours attempted during any given semester, AND attempted credit hours may not exceed 150 percent of the required credit hours for the student’s program of study.
Note: If at any point it becomes mathematically impossible for the student to meet degree completion and/or grade point requirements prior to the maximum time frame, the student immediately becomes ineligible for future federal (and/or) state financial aid.
For the number of credit hours that specific programs require for completion, consult with an academic advisor or refer to the University of Detroit Mercy Course Catalog.
Both Pace and Maximum Time Frame are measured in credit hours only, except in the case of programs that have a maximum calendar year requirement, regardless of attendance level (such as full-time or part-time).
Procedures
Each aid recipient's record will be evaluated at the end of each semester to determine that the student is meeting the standards described above. Students with classes that require more than one semester to receive a grade will be evaluated both on a semester basis for any classes graded at the end of the term, and at the completion of the class for multi-semester classes. If the student has reached the maximum number of scheduled hours or maximum years without earning a degree or it is mathematically impossible for the student to do so in the remaining number of hours or time frame, the student must be excluded from further participation in federal financial aid programs.
Financial Aid Warning
Students will receive a "financial aid warning" letter the first time they have experienced academic difficulty, which results in not meeting the SAP standards. The letter will remind them of the minimum academic requirements for their aid programs and strongly urge them to take advantage of the academic services that are available to students at Detroit Mercy. Students will be required to meet with their academic advisor to discuss strategies for a successful semester and return the letter, endorsed by the academic advisor and the student. Students will be eligible to receive federal aid during this warning semester. These students are notified that their records will be checked again at the end of the semester and that further action will be taken if the student does not meet SAP standards at that time. Students will be sent a financial aid suspension letter if, at the end of the warning semester, they are not meeting SAP standards. Students can only receive aid for one semester under this "warning" status.
Students whose classes meet for two or more terms before a grade is given do not qualify for a warning semester. Students in this category have their aid suspended at the end of the second semester of two-term classes during which they have not made SAP and must appeal for SAP probation to receive consideration for any further financial aid (see below).
Financial Aid Probation
Financial aid probation status will be assigned to students who have failed to meet SAP standards and have successfully appealed to have their aid eligibility reinstated.
Students who are not meeting SAP standards after a semester with a warning status or who attend multi-term classes may appeal to have their aid eligibility reinstated. If the appeal is approved, the student will be offered a financial aid probation contract. The contract will outline the academic requirements the student must meet in order to receive aid for the following semester. This contract must be approved by an academic advisor in the student’s college or school and can be modified by the advisor to include any steps required by the college or school for the student to maintain good academic standing with that college or school. If the student on financial aid probation meets the terms of the probation, he/she will be permitted to continue to participate in the federal student aid programs for a subsequent semester. Students who have been placed on probation shall be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress for the purposes of receiving financial aid as long as the student continues to meet the academic requirements outlined in their probationary contract which may extend to one or more semesters.
The Scholarship and Financial Aid Office will review the records of students who are on financial aid probation at the end of each semester to determine continued eligibility. If the student does not meet the terms of the probation, the student will forfeit eligibility for all federal financial aid programs.
Federal regulations require that these standards apply to all students, even to first-time aid applicants who have previously enrolled at University of Detroit Mercy, or to those who have not been formally placed on probation.
Loss of eligibility due to lack of satisfactory progress
A student who has lost eligibility to participate in federal or state student aid programs for reasons of academic progress can regain that eligibility by enrolling at his/her own expense and demonstrating that he/she is capable of completing a semester without any failures, incompletes, or withdrawals and showing the ability to complete their degree requirements in a more regular fashion and by submitting an appeal for reinstatement. The mere passage of time will not ordinarily restore eligibility to a student who has lost eligibility for failure to make satisfactory progress.
Students who have been academically dismissed from the University but who are subsequently given permission to re-enroll are not automatically eligible to continue to participate in federal, state, or institutional aid programs. Admissions decisions are totally separate from funding decisions.
SAP Appeal
Submit a typed letter requesting reinstatement of financial aid eligibility to the associate director of Scholarship and Financial Aid.
The SAP appeal must include:
- An explanation of your overall situation, including your entire academic history at Detroit Mercy, detailing the circumstances that contributed to your inability to meet the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.
- An explanation of circumstances that contributed to your most recent unsuccessful semester.
- Demonstrate what you have done to correct the problems that have hindered your success.
- Attach supporting documents, such as obituaries, medical notices, tutoring contracts, etc.
Students should not assume that a SAP appeal will be approved and accepts responsibility for paying his/her tuition and fees if the appeal is denied.
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Grades and Credits
Attempted credit hours include the following whether or not paid for with financial aid:
- Earned Hours (A-D)
- Pass (P)
- Satisfactory (S)
- No Record (NR)
- No Pass (NP)
- Unsatisfactory (U)
- Withdrawal (W)
- Failure (F)
- No Record Failure (XF)
- Final Grade Postponed - Law School Only (X)
- Incomplete (I)
- Incomplete/Failing (I/F)
- Numerical grades (0.0 - 4.0)
- Transfer Credit
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Repeated Courses
Federal regulation limits the number of times a student may repeat a course and receive financial aid for that course.
- A student may receive aid when repeating a course that was previously failed, regardless of the number of times the course was attempted and failed.
- A student may receive aid to repeat a previously passed course one additional time.
- Once a student has completed any course twice with a passing grade, he/she is no longer eligible to receive aid for that course.
- This rule applies whether or not the student received aid for the earlier enrollments in the course.
Note: Federal regulations specify that students may not receive aid for repeating courses previously passed if the student is required to retake those courses as part of a structured program. For example, a student who fails a course in a semester and is required by the college or department to repeat all the courses taken in that semester before moving on in the program would not be eligible to receive aid for the passed courses, only for the failed one(s). That may mean that the student would not be eligible for any aid for the semester, depending upon the number of previously passed courses being repeated.
With the exception of the School of Law, if a student repeats a course, credit hours for each registration in the course will be added to his/her attempted credit hours total. Repeat courses will be counted in the GPA for graduate and professional students, however, only the most recent grade will be counted in the GPA for undergraduate students.
For the School of Law, if a student repeats a course, credit hours for each registration in the course will be added to his/her attempted credit hours total. Both the credits and the grades for the repeated courses will be included in the calculation of the student’s cumulative GPA, and the student’s graduation credit hour requirements will be increased by the number of credit hours repeated. If a student is dismissed and then re-admitted as a new start, courses repeated from prior to the dismissal are counted for purposes of the 67 percent completion rate, but the calendar year limit begins again and the total credit hour requirement for completion is the one effective at the time the student re-enters the school.
Withdrawal from Courses: If a student withdraws from a course after the drop/add period, the course credit hours will be added to his/her attempted credit hours total.
Remedial Courses: Credit hours for each remedial course a student takes are included in the calculation of his/her attempted credit hours total and are included in the GPA calculations but are not counted towards degree requirements.
Incomplete Courses: Credit hours for incomplete courses are included in the calculation of a student’s attempted credit hours total but not in the calculation of his/her GPA.
Audit Courses: Credit hours are not earned for audited courses; therefore, they are not included in the calculation of a student’s attempted credit hours total or GPA.
Pass/Fail Courses: Credit hours for pass/fail courses are included in the calculation of a student’s attempted credit hours total but not in the calculation of his/her GPA.
Undergraduate Courses at the Graduate Level: Undergraduate courses taken by graduate students do not earn graduate credit, and therefore, they are not included in the calculation of the students’ GPA, or included in the calculation of the student’s attempted credit hours total.
Change Majors Courses: For students who change majors, the credit hours taken under all majors will be included in the calculation of the attempted credit hours total, the GPA calculation, and the maximum time frame for degree completion.
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Return of Title IV Funds/Institutional Refund Policy
Students who withdraw within 60 percent of the beginning of the term or reduce their class load may have their financial aid reduced. Refer to the refund policy cited in the Tuition Refund Policy section of this catalog. The return of funds to financial aid programs is based upon federally-mandated formulae. Return of funds to financial aid programs are allocated in this order:
- Unsubsidized Federal Loans
- Subsidized Federal Loans
- Federal PLUS loans
- Federal Pell Grant
- ACG/SMART Grants
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
- Other federal Title IV assistance
- Other federal, state, private, or institutional financial aid programs
- A refund to a student is determined by the formula
This allocation order is mandated by the federal government and would change if the present priorities are changed
A student’s withdrawal date is the date the student began the institution’s withdrawal process or officially notified the institution of intent to withdraw, or the midpoint of the period for a student who leaves without notifying the institution; or the student’s last date of attendance at a documented academically related activity.
The student’s responsibilities in regard to the return of Title IV funds include returning to the Title IV programs any funds that were disbursed directly to the student and which the student was determined to be ineligible for (via the Return of Title IV Funds calculation), within 45 days after notice from the University of an overpayment of a grant.
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Veterans Benefits
Detroit Mercy is recognized by the Michigan Department of Education to offer education and training for veterans. Eligibility for all benefits is determined solely by the Veterans Administration (VA). For more information contact the Office of the Registrar, or the Detroit Regional Office of the Veterans Administration.
All veterans receiving benefits must comply with the satisfactory academic progress policy. Specifically, all veterans receiving benefits must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 for undergraduate and dental, 2.2 for law, and 3.0 for graduate programs.
A veteran who allows his/her cumulative GPA to fall below these levels will be placed on probation. A veteran is allowed two semesters to bring his/her GPA above these levels. If the veteran fails to do so, the VA will be notified of unsatisfactory progress and enrollment will not be certified. Certification may resume once the cumulative GPA rises above the previously stated levels.
If a veteran receives a failing grade in or officially withdraws from any class(es), the veteran is obligated to report in writing to the Registrar's Office the last date of attendance for such class(es). If the veteran fails to notify the Registrar's Office in writing, the University will report the last date of attendance to the VA as the first day of class.
Veterans will not be certified for courses taken on an audit basis or those that do not fulfill degree requirements in the program the student is enrolled in. At the time a recipient of VA benefits first requests certification for the Veteran's Administration, the Registrar will provide materials on current procedures. The student should review these materials carefully. In some cases, actions permitted by Detroit Mercy may result in a reduction or termination of the student's benefits by the Veterans Administration under their regulations. Because academic advisors or deans may not be familiar with such regulations, the student is advised to consult the Office of the Registrar when registering, withdrawing, adding or discontinuing attendance.
In order to comply with Section 103 of PL 115-407 of the Colmery Act the University of Detroit Mercy permits any covered individual to attend or participate in the course of education during the period beginning on the date on which the individual provides to the educational institution a certificate of eligibility for entitlement to educational assistance under chapter 31 or 33 (a "certificate of eligibility" can also include a "Statement of Benefits" obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) website – eBenefits, or a VAF 28-1905 form for chapter 31 authorization purposes) and ending on the earlier of the following dates:
- The date on which payment from VA is made to the institution.
- 90 days after the date the institution certified tuition and fees following the receipt of the certificate of eligibility.
University of Detroit Mercy will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a covered individual borrow additional funds, on any covered individual because of the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement funding from VA under chapter 31 or 33.
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 website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill