Catholic School Grants

Students who want to attend Catholic postsecondary and tertiary educational institutions may be concerned that they will not be given the same level of financial aid that they would get from non-denominational schools. Their fears are, however, not justified as the average Catholic school provides just as must financial assistance as any other type of school.

Grants offered by Catholic Universities and Colleges

Grants are gift monies given to a student by either a federal or state institution, a education institution, a philanthropic organization or some kind of private entity like a memorial trust, private individual or private sector business. Such gift monies do not have to be repaid by the student, and the grant program would usually specify what the money was to be used for. Typical uses would include tuition fees and funding special research projects.

As with scholarships, those students who wish to apply for one or more grants would have to be eligible for the specific programs and would have to prove their eligibility by complying with one or more requirements. Students may have to file proof of their academic achievements, letters of recommendation as well as the federal document that’s known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Further requirements could relate to where the student lives, whether they are enrolled for full-time or part-time study, whether they are handicapped and whether they can play sport on the intercollegiate level.

This list of Catholic school grant programs is not exhaustive, and students who are interested in applying for admission to such programs should undertake further research in order to locate the specific grant that is exactly right for them.

Representative Grants offered by Catholic Universities and Colleges

Grants available through Mount Marty College (South Dakota)

At least two levels of institutional grants are offered by Mount Marty College, a private co-ed Roman Catholic Benedictine liberal arts college. The college can be contacted directly by writing to their campus should any further information be required about any of their courses or grant programs and their address is 1105 West 8th Street, Yankton, SD 57078 (tel: 800-658-4552 and website: Mtmc.Edu. Their programs include:

1. The Mount Marty Grant: here students are required to complete a FAFSA form and must be full-time Yankton campus students who require financial assistance. Students can receive any amount up to $4,000, and the priority submissions date is March 1st of any given school year; and
2. The Athletic Grants: only full-time students who participate in intercollegiate sports can apply for these grants, and, in order to be eligible, they must file the admission form and also obtain a recommendation from the college’s departmental coach for their particular sport.

Grants available through Belmont Abbey College (North Carolina)

The College offers at least two institutional grant programs, and further information regarding all relevant courses and grants can be obtained directly from this private liberal-arts college. Their campus is situated at 100 Belmont-Mount Holly Road, Belmont, NC, 28012 (tel: 888-222-0110 and website). The programs are:

1. The Abbey Opportunity Grant: awards of between $4,000 and $12,000 every year – or $16,000 and $48,000 for every four year degree program – are made in terms of this grant. In order to be eligible for this program, students must be enrolled for full time study and must maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.50; and
2. The Abbey Catholic School Residential Assistance Grant: here the total grant value is $2,000 per year or $8,000 over four years. Eligibility requirements include that a student must have graduated from a Catholic high school in the twelve months prior to applying for the grant and that at least one letter of recommendation must be filed together with the application form.

Aquinas College Grant: Aquinas College (Tennessee)

The Aquinas College Scholarship Committee decides exactly to whom this grant will be awarded, and factors taken into account during the selection process include a student’s American College Test (ACT) / Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores and a student’s cumulative GPA. In order to be eligible for this program:

1. Students must file three sealed letters of recommendation;
2. Students must complete the college’s admission form and must file it before the March 1st deadline; and
3. Students must complete the FAFSA form.

The college will be able to provide prospective students with further information and they can be contacted through their campus at 4210 Harding Road, Nashville, TN 37205 (tel: 615-297-7545 and website).

Grants available through Nazareth College (New York)

The grants that are administered and funded through Nazareth College are available only to undergraduate students, and more information can be obtained from the Nazareth College campus, which is situated at 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618 (tel: 585-389-2525 and website). The available grant programs can be summarized as follows:

1. The Purple and Gold Grants: these variable amount grants are only available to full-time students and are distributed only after all other awards are made. Students must be able to demonstrate financial need in order to be eligible for these programs, which are renewable for eight semesters; and
2. The Nazareth Family Grants: in terms of this program, $1,000 will be awarded per year to any student who is pursuing full-time studies at the college and who has at least one sibling also enrolled for full-time studies at the college, provided that applicant student maintains a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00.

Grants available through The Ohio Dominican University (Ohio)

ODU offers several grant packages to its students, including grants based on athletic ability, and they can be contacted directly in order to obtain further information on any relevant program at 1216 Sunbury Road, Columbus, OH 43219 (tel: 1-800-955-OHIO and website). Their grant programs include:

1. The Ohio Dominican University Grants: these programs can effect payment of anything between $400 and $7,500 per academic year, and students have to be enrolled full time and also demonstrate financial need;
2. The Athletic Grants: here students have to audition, and whether or not they will be found eligible also depends on a coach’s recommendation; and
3. The Ohio College Opportunity Grants: here students must be Ohio residents to apply, and awards range from $564 to $2,256. A further requirement is that a student has to complete a FAFSA form.

Grants available through Marian University (Wisconsin)

Marian University administers several grants including federal and state grants, and two of the more unusual grant programs that Marian students can apply for are the BIA Grant and The Hearing and Visually Handicapped Student Grant Program. Marian University can be contacted directly for further information regarding these and other grant programs that they offer. Their contact details are: 45 S National Avenue, Fond du Lac, WI 54935 (tel: 1-800-2-MARIAN and website). The programs can be summarized as follows:

1. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Grants: these programs are available for those students who are at least 25% Native American and who are engaged in undergraduate or graduate study; and
2. The Hearing and Visually Handicapped Student Grant Program: in order to apply for these grants, students must have either a severe or profound visual or hearing handicap and must also be able to demonstrate financial need. This grant can be renewed for as many as ten semesters.

Grants available through the University of St. Francis (Illinois)

At least two grants are available for students of this university and further information about all courses, grants and scholarships offered here can be obtained directly from them. They can be reached at 500 Wilcox Street, Joliet, IL 60435 (tel: 1-800-735-7500 and website). The grant programs in question are:

1. The USF Grant: this program has been designed specifically for freshmen and transferring students, will fund up to half of any student’s tuition costs and is awarded based on a student’s financial need as detailed on his or her FAFSA form; and
2. The Alverno Grant Fund: here eligibility is dependent upon a student’s participating in the university’s Assisi Experience and afterwards publicizing his or her participation.

Advanced Study Grants: Boston College (Massachusetts)

Boston College has set up a series of study grants aimed at funding a student’s participation in summer projects outside of the college that will increase his or her skills base as it relates to their degree majors. Both first and second year students can apply for this program, and preference will be given to those applications that combine two or more projects. Approximately 25% of all applications are successful and the awards can range from $500 to $2,000. The college is available to provide further information concerning these programs and can be reached at care of The Office of Student Services, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (tel: 1-800-294-0294 and website).

Grants available through Duquesne University (Pennsylvania)

Duquesne University offers at least two grant programs to its students, with one being specific to students enrolled in the School of Law. All information concerning any program that they offer can be obtained directly from their office at 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA (tel: 412-396-6000 and website). The two programs are:

1. The Duquesne Grant: students must complete a University Aid application in order to be eligible for this grant program. They must also be able to show financial need and maintain a GPA of at least 2.00 in order for the grant to be both awarded and renewed; and
2. The School of Law Work-Study Grants-in-Aid: here a student undertakes to work for the university for a certain number of hours per week as, for instance, a research assistant, in exchange for a specific amount that will be put towards their tuition fees.

Grants available through Seton Hall University (New Jersey)

The grant programs at Seton Hall University (SHU) can be divided into those administered and funded by the school and those administered by the school but funded by outside sources. Several programs are available through SHU, who can be contacted in order to obtain further information. Their campus address is 400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ (tel: 973-761-9000 and website). Representative programs include:

1. Charley Wootan Grant Program: this program is outside funded, and here undergraduate students will be awarded anything between $1,000 and $4,245. Eligibility requirements include demonstrating financial need and either enrolling or planning to enroll for a two or four year degree program;
2. Fulbright Grant: this is also an outside funded program and has been established specifically for seniors or graduate students who wish to teach abroad. Over 1,200 of these grants are awarded every year, and the ability to speak another language will be seen as an asset. A 3.60 GPA is required;
3. American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grants in Cancer Control: this is another outside funded grant and is only available for students engaged in post-graduate study on a master’s or doctoral level. These awards are available to fund only extremely specific types of study into areas like cancer control research, behavioral research and psychosocial research;
4. Seton Hall Grants: these are both administered and funded by SHU, and both initial awards and renewals are based on factors like financial need and academic performance. Here applicants must be full-time students and they must also complete a FAFSA form; and
5. Athletic Grants: these are also administered and funded by SHU and are only available to those students who compete on SHU Pirate Intercollegiate NCAA teams. Individual sports’ athletic coaches and the SHU Athletic Director will have the final word regarding who these grants are awarded to.

Grants available through the University of Detroit Mercy (Michigan)

There are a number of grant programs that are administered and funded through the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) and a few of them are described below. UDM can be contacted in order to obtain full details of all available programs and their campus is situated at 4001 W McNichols Road, Detroit, MI (tel: 1-800-635-5020 and website).

The grant programs in question, all of which are renewable, include:

• The UDM Grant: here students must be enrolled full-time and must also maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00;
• The Alumni Grant: same terms and conditions as the UDM Grant;
• The Insignis Room Grant: same terms and conditions as the UDM Grant and a student must also live in a dormitory on-campus; and
• The MI Resident Room Grant: same terms and conditions as The Insignis Room Grant.

Grants available through the Catholic University of America (Washington DC)

Several grant programs are offered through CUA, including the CUA Need Based Grant and the CUA Family Grant that are available for both undergraduate and graduate students. Further details in respect of all available programs can be obtained directly from CUA at 620 Michigan Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20064 (tel: 202-319-5000 and website).

CUA Need Based Grant

The amount awarded in terms of this grant is calculated as the difference between the total tuition fees payable and the sum of a student’s Expected Family Contribution and all other aid amounts that they will receive. This award is not subject to automatic renewal, although it can continue for up to 8 semesters, and students must apply anew each year and must also remain continuously enrolled in one of the university’s four year degree programs. The requirements that a student should comply with before being deemed eligible for this program include:

1. Students must demonstrate that they need financial assistance in order to complete their study program; and
2. Students must complete and file a FAFSA form along with their applications.

CUA Family Grant

In terms of this program, an amount of $2,000 per year is awarded to the eldest of two or more siblings enrolled at the university. Available only in the spring and fall semesters, this grant has the following eligibility requirements:

• Students must be the eldest of two or more siblings enrolled at CUA for their first undergraduate degrees;
• All siblings must be enrolled for full-time study at CUA and all must still be dependent on their families; and
• Students must complete and submit Family Grant Applications for each continued year of study.

The Carlow Grant: Carlow University (Pennsylvania)

The amount that is awarded to successful applicants in terms of this program varies depending on factors like the applicant’s academic record, the amount and type of any other kind of financial aid that the applicant may have received and the amount of available funding. Eligibility requirements include:

• Applicants must be enrolled in a four year degree program through the university; and
• Applicants must show extreme financial need.

Students who have received any form of corporate discount are not eligible to apply for this grant. Further information regarding this program can be obtained directly from Carlow University and their financial aid department can be contacted at 3333 Fifth Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 15213 (tel: 1-800-333-2275 and website).

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