Your Next Steps

Congratulations, Wildcat! You have completed one milestone in your educational journey and are ready to take the next step as a graduate student at ACU. Setting up financial resources to help you budget for your graduate school can often be a challenge. Our team of financial aid professionals can help guide you through this process.

Use the tools on this page as well as those in your interactive award letter to help navigate your way to understanding financial aid. As an admitted student, these resources will offer valuable insight into exploring your financial aid options.

Review Next Steps

Financial Literacy and Budgeting

As a graduate student, we understand that new priorities have entered your life. You may have welcomed a new full-time job, a new marriage, a new family. Your education is a new priority as well. At ACU, our degrees in both residential graduate programs, as well as online programs, help students find the best program for his or her schedule.

As you review all the options for your degree program, it is important to consider the responsibility in budgeting and planning for the cost of your education. Take a close look at your financial landscape and what is around the next turn. When you plan ahead you are better equipped to plan a successful financial future. The resource below helps calculate your costs and compare them against your financial assistance.

Calculate Your Balance
Malen graduate student looking over his financial aid award on personal laptop

About Federal Direct Loans

All financial aid programs are dependent upon your completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). By completing the FAFSA, all students could be eligible for loan assistance through the federal government such as federal direct loans. Take some time to watch the video resource we have provided to learn more about federal direct loans.

Interested in a guide to walk you through on how to accept your loans? Click on the checklist below to follow the outline on accepting your loans.

Accepting Loans

Fast Facts and Resources

Graduate programs can be unfamiliar and appear different than the structure of your undergraduate program. To give you the answers you seek, we have compiled a list of those frequently asked questions that students like you may have.

Access the various content by clicking on the links below. The information you will discover is information that all graduate students need to know.

FAQs
Female graduate student research private scholarships on desktop computer

About Financial Aid & Payments

At ACU, we want to help you understand what resources you have available to check on the status of your financial aid award and student bill. Whether it is with one of our experts face to face or accessing real-time information through myACU, this video will help you understand the resources that will connect you to answers regarding your financial aid, billing details and payment options.

Depending on the program you are enrolled in, your payment options may be different. Residential graduate classes may last 15 weeks per semester and thus more options are offered for those terms. Online programs are much shorter and a reduced tuition, and thus requirement payment up front.