Financial Aid

Scholarships are available to new students enrolling in the Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Master of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology programs. New students enrolling in USAHS post-professional programs also may be eligible for grants. Be sure to review the eligibility requirements for the scholarships or grants available in your program of interest. Scholarship funds are applied to tuition and fees only. See all scholarships and grants here.

Many organizations and professional associations offer scholarships or grants for graduate students.  These include:

• Local or community-based organizations
• Federal and state agencies
• Professional associations
• Religious organizations
• Employers
• Libraries
• Private organizations or major companies

Taking some time to explore these opportunities could identify several for which you might be qualified.

Many websites are available on which you can search for available scholarships that match your criteria and program of study. Use the filters offered on the following sites to find some of your best matches.

• Sallie Mae® Graduate School Scholarship Search
• Fastweb
• Big Future
• Scholly
• Scholarship Owl

Tips for Scholarship Application Success

• Start early! Knowing what scholarships and grants you’ve been awarded will make finalizing your financial plan easier.
• Be organized.
• Follow all instructions.
• Be honest.
• Include strong recommendations.
• Create a lasting impression with your personal essay.
• Proofread! Remember that neatness, spelling, and grammar counts.
• Ask family and friends for feedback.
• Meet deadlines.

USAHS is eligible for most VA education benefits:

• Chapter 30 – Montgomery GI Bill (Active Duty)
• Chapter 31 – Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits
• Chapter 33 – Post-9/11 GI Bill^® and Yellow Ribbon
• Chapter 35 – Survivors and Dependents Assistance
• Chapter 1606 – Reserve GI Bill

Submit your Certificate of Eligibility to [email protected].

For questions about Veteran’s Education Benefits eligibility, call the VA at 888-GIBill1 (888-442-4551), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT.

St. Augustine, FL, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Occupational Therapy degree programs are approved by the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer in the Financial Aid Office on the St. Augustine, Florida, campus.

San Marcos, CA, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Occupational Therapy degree programs are approved by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer in the Financial Aid Office on the San Marcos, California, campus.

Austin, TX, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Master of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology degree programs are approved by the Texas Veteran Commission for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer on the Austin, Texas, campus.

Dallas, TX, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Flex Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology degree programs are approved by the Texas Veteran Commission for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer on the Dallas, Texas, campus.

Miami, FL, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy and Master of Occupational Therapy degree programs are approved by the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer in the Financial Aid Office on the Miami, Florida, campus.

Post Professional Programs – The Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Doctor of Education, Master of Health Administration, Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees and the Post-Graduate Nursing Certificate  programs are currently approved by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer in the Financial Aid Office on the San Marcos, CA, campus.

Yellow Ribbon GI Education Program

USAHS participates in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Program for campus-based entry-level degree programs. Yellow Ribbon is a scholarship designed to help students supplement the cost of tuition and fees that exceeds the amount allotted in the Post 9/11 GI Bill® yearly cap. The program is a provision of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.

Individuals entitled to the maximum benefit level, based on service requirements, may receive this funding. Others who may be eligible include:

• Individuals who served at least 36 months of active duty after September 10, 2001
• Service members who were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability and served 30 continuous days after September 10, 2001
• A dependent eligible for Transfer of Entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill^® at 100% level

Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis up to:

• San Marcos, CA, Campus: (8) students at $5,000 and (4) students at $2,500
• Augustine, FL, Campus: (8) students at $5,000 and (4) students at $2,500
• Austin, TX, Campus: (8) students at $5,000 and (4) students at $2,500
• Miami, FL, Campus: (8) students at $5,000 and (4) students at $2,500

The recipients of Yellow Ribbon can receive up to $10,000 (up to $5,000 from USAHS and up to $5,000 to be matched by the VA) for tuition and fees per academic year.

For Post 9/11 GI Bill^® (Ch 33) students and VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch 31) students, our tuition policy complies with 38 USC 3679 which means Post 9/11 and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment students will not be charged or otherwise penalized due to a delay in VA tuition and fee payments. For eligibility consideration, a Post 9/11 GI Bill^® student must submit a VA Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and a Vocational Rehabilitation Student must provide a VAF 28-1905 form. Please see 38 USC 3679(e) for complete details.

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 https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.

For questions regarding eligibility, yellow ribbon benefits, and the application process, contact the USAHS certifying officer at [email protected].

Military Tuition Assistance

Active-duty military personnel may be authorized to receive Federal Tuition Assistance (TA). TA can pay up to $250 per credit hour for eligible student tuition expenses. All Active-Duty Service Members (including Guard and Reserve) must contact their Education Service Officer (ESO) or Education Counselor within your branch of service for a list of qualifications or apply online directly to your branch. Remember, you must contact your ESO prior to enrolling in USAHS to learn more. Please visit the Military One Source, official site of the Department of Defense, for further details on the TA programs and eligibility requirements.

• AirForce
• Army
• Marines
• Navy

Return of Tuition Assistance: Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded.  When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded. To comply with Department of Defense policy, USAHS will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least 60% of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military service branch. In instances when a service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, the educational institution will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.

Graduate education is a valuable investment in your future. The costs associated with a high-quality education may be challenging, but our goal is to assist you with preparing a plan and securing the necessary resources to fund your education. Those resources can include self-payment plans, scholarships and grants, veterans and/or military benefits, federal or private loans, and employer benefits. Determining the funding sources for which you are eligible is an important first step.

Many students utilize loans to fund all or part of their graduate education. Federal loans that may be available to you through the US Department of Education include:

• Unsubsidized Stafford Loan: This is a federal loan for which eligibility is not based on financial need. Interest on this type of loan accrues while you are in school but it may be deferred for 6 months after graduation. You may obtain up to $20,500 a year from the unsubsidized Stafford loan. You must fill out a FAFSA form to apply.

• Direct (Grad) Plus Loan: This is a federal loan that requires a student to have a satisfactory credit history. Interest accrues while you are in school but it may be deferred for 6 months after graduation. You may obtain up to cost of attendance from the Direct Plus loan.

Private financial institutions offer a variety of products to help graduate students fund their education. Visit ELMSelect to learn more about private lending options and for the most recent listing of lenders. USAHS does not have a preferred lender arrangement. You can choose to use any lender, including a lender not listed on the ELMSelect site.

Follow these steps to apply for financial aid:

• Incoming Students: Submit your 2024–2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov. Enter USAHS’ school code: G31713
• Complete and submit the Entrance Counseling form for Graduate/Professional Students on the Federal Student Aid website by logging in to https://studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling. Select our school to be notified.
• Sign a Graduate/Professional Student Master Promissory Note for unsubsidized loans for USAHS at https://studentaid.gov/mpn. Enter school code: G31713.
• If you are applying for a GAP loan, we encourage you to look at all your options (Private versus Direct (Grad) Plus) and let the Financial Aid office know your preference; these loans must be packaged at the same time as federal student loans.

You must submit your completed forms six (6) to eight (8) weeks before the trimester begins to ensure a timely disbursement.

The maximum loan amount for the Direct Unsubsidized Loan is $20,500 per award year (less the federal origination fee) for eligible students. The total loan amount is split equally over three (3) trimesters (one award year).

Private loan options and Federal Direct (Grad) Plus loans are available to cover the GAP and your living expenses.  Any portion of tuition/fees that you plan to pay out of pocket will be due no later than the first day of classes.

Additional steps required to receive the Direct (Grad) PLUS Loan include:

• Make sure you have completed a FAFSA for the current award year
• Complete these three steps on this site:
  • Direct (Grad) PLUS loan request
  • Direct (Grad) PLUS entrance counseling
  • Direct (Grad) PLUS master promissory note

There are no known federal grants available for graduate students.

During the meeting you will provide additional data that is required to process your loan application but was not gathered by the FAFSA form. You will be directed to sign your promissory note. Your loan can not be processed if you do not complete this step.

An MPN is a Master Promissory Note. This note acknowledges your responsibility to repay all loans incurred during your education. Once an MPN has been signed, you should not have to sign another one during the course of your program.

Entrance counseling explains the obligations you agree to meet as a condition of receiving a Federal Loan. Topics include:

• Understand Your Loans
• Manage Your Spending
• Plan to Repay
• Avoid Default
• Make Finances a Priority

Federal loans will be disbursed to the University in three (3) equal amounts, once at the beginning of each trimester. The balance of your tuition is due at registration; incoming students are not required to pay at that time if they have a government and/or Sallie Mae loan pending. When the University receives the loan disbursement, the Bursar will apply tuition and fees and credit any loans pending on your behalf. After this is done, if you have a credit balance on your account, the remaining funds will be refunded back to you. You will be given instructions on how to select a refund preference with BankMobile. For more information about BankMobile, visit this link or contact the Bursar’s Office at [email protected].

That depends on when you log into your account. Scholarships and grant amounts are posted to student accounts after the add/drop date for the term.  When you have met all admissions requirements and scholarship/grant requirements, these amounts will be posted to your account after the add/drop period.

• Consider this timing for starting the financial aid process, depending on your start date:
  • If you are entering in the Fall term, begin the financial aid application process in June.
  • If you are entering in the Spring term, begin the process by October 1.
  • If you are entering in the Summer term, begin the process by February 1.
• Write down your usernames and passwords and store them in a safe place.