Frequently Asked Questions

Student Financial Services is located on the 4th floor of the Robinson Building, Room B-401.

Our walk-in office hours are Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m*.  Our hours of operation for phone and email are Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Please visit the Contact Us page for further information.

*Our office is closed for walk-ins from 1:00 – 2:00 PM every day and from 1:00 – 3:00 PM on Wednesday. We are still available by phone and email.

All Student Financial Services (SFS) staff members are trained to assist all Boston University Medical Campus students with their financial aid options. If you visit SFS during our drop-in times, you will meet with our available staff member(s).  Each school has an SFS liaison assigned to manage its student accounts. If you would like to contact the liaison for your school or program, you can reach out by emailing SFS based on your school.

The FAFSA for the next academic year (including Summer, Fall, and the following Spring) is generally available October 1 each year. US Citizens, Permanent Residents and Eligible Non-Citizens are encouraged to complete the FAFSA, using their (and spouse’s if applicable) federal tax returns from the prior-prior tax year (i.e. 2022 taxes for the 2024-2025 FAFSA).

**There have been significant delays with the processing of the 2024-2025 FAFSA. We encourage students to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible but students should be aware that they may not receive an award letter with Federal Direct loans until summer 2024 or until the FAFSA issue with the Department of Education is resolved.

Please visit our How to Apply page for specific instructions.

All applicants must complete the FAFSA to be considered for Federal student loans.

002130

Beginning with the 2024-2025 FAFSA graduate and professional students will not be able to provide parent information on the FAFSA.

For incoming MD students interested in being reviewed for BU need-based scholarships, parental information will need to be provided on the CSS Profile. More information can be found at the Applying for Aid page

Visit StudentAid.gov for FSA ID troubleshooting topics.

Federal aid can be processed at any point during the school year, but if you are using federal funds to pay for tuition, you will need to apply at least one month before the payment deadline. By Federal regulation we cannot process Federal loans once the academic year has ended and there are no exceptions.

Students must have a valid FAFSA on file for the year in which they wish to receive Federal Work Study. Because Federal Work Study is a need-based award with limited funding, we cannot guarantee all students will receive work study funding. We typically release a Federal Work Study application each summer that students must complete to acknowledge their interest in Federal Work Study. Students are notified of Federal Work Study eligibility starting in early August.

International students may apply for credit based loans with a US Citizen, Permanent Resident or Eligible Non-Citizen as a co-signer.  For more details, please visit our both our International Students and Loans page.

Some international students may be considered eligible non-citizens for Federal financial aid purposes. This can include various immigration statuses including Approved Asylum or Approved Refugee. For a definition of “eligible non-citizen” and requirements, please visit the StudentAid.gov website. While we can review any documents to help in determining your financial aid eligibility, we cannot guarantee you will qualify and eligibility is strictly determined by Federal Student Aid.

Visit the BU Global Programs International Students & Scholars Office website.

For students receiving BU-funded loans, you must complete the institutional loan packet you receive to accept, decline or reduce each amount individually.  The packet can be completed electronically but must be submitted through secure email. For all Federal loans you can complete the Loan Adjustment Request form found on our Forms page.

For scholarship/grant-based aid, students generally are not required to accept or acknowledge the award as this is gift aid awarded to a student. *Not all BUMC students receive scholarship or grant-based financial aid.

The annual amount available is calculated based on your school (or discipline) and enrollment term. The Federal Student Loans page provides specific loan amounts.

It’s part of the Truth In Lending Clarification Act, HR 4002.

Yes, but the amount that can be increased is limited and we cannot guarantee all of your costs will be included as part of a cost of attendance increase. Review the Cost of Attendance Increase page for more information. First year medical students are already provided a technology expense as part of their standard cost of attendance to purchase a new computer and tablet. The increase request form is generally available in in late September/October each academic year.

Students are strongly encouraged to limit expenses as much as possible due to this limited increase. As housing costs tend to be the largest expense for BU students we encourage you to start by visiting the Office of Housing Resources site.

We’d love to! Visit our Financial Wellness page to get started and keep an eye out for our events. Our staff are also trained to assist students with financial wellness and debt management and students are welcome to visit our office on a walk-in basis.

More information regarding the Federal Graduate PLUS loan as well as other credit-based loan options can be found on our Loans page.

Please do not send or have third party checks sent to our office. Our office is not responsible for student account payments and SFS is not responsible for lost or misplaced checks sent to our office in error. Student Accounting Services has a secure lockbox in New York for which all personal and third-party checks should be sent:

Boston University
P.O. Box 23656
New York, NY 10087-3656

Complete a direct deposit request in the MyBU Student Portal by visiting My Bill & Aid, Student Account Inquiry, and then Request a Refund.  You will need to complete a new request each time you have a credit on your account you wish to receive. Student Accounting Services has also provided information on how to set up your direct deposit account when requesting a refund.

For some programs that begin before Federal loans can be received by the University, SFS can issue an advance of the credit on your account balance. Credit Advances are only considered if:

• You are officially registered for the current semester
• You have sufficient loans approved for disbursement to repay the advance
• Classes have begun for your current semester

If you believe you may qualify for a credit advance you can submit a refund request through the MyBU Student Portal. Due to University and Federal regulations we cannot guarantee that all credit advances will be approved.

Per federal regulations, SFS cannot process refunds until the first day of classes each semester.  Students start receiving approved refunds after the first day of classes, generally within 1 week.

Federal loans are generally split evenly between the fall and spring semester. Federal loans (both the Direct Unsubsidized and Direct PLUS) have origination fees which is the amount the Department of Education charges to originate any Federal loan. Students are still responsible for repaying the total loan amount borrowed, including the cost of the origination fee.

• Please visit the Entrance Counseling page for details regarding Entrance Counseling for both Federal and institutional loans.
• Students with Federal student loans must complete the Master Promissory Note
• Students with institutional “BU” loan will receive a packet of information from SFS that must be completed. This generally includes a promissory note, loan disclosure, and other information. All pages must be reviewed, signed, and returned securely to SFS.

Most loans will be automatically deferred (if you are enrolled at least half-time) when the Boston University Registrar updates your enrollment status through the National Clearinghouse. However, it is your responsibility to make sure each loan is deferred.  If it was not done automatically, you must file a deferment form with each “holder” of your loan.  The lenders will have these forms and the Registrar will complete them.

Federal Student Aid, National Health Services Corps, and Military HPSP

• Interest rates range between 3-7 percent and are based on student need.
• No monthly payments are due, nor does interest accrue during enrollment or residency.
• One year grace period.

No. Those are your bi-annual interest statements. You do not need to pay the interest while you are in school, but they will send you a form every semester. If you are able, we encourage students to consider making payments on accrued interest to reduce the overall amount of debt when you graduate. You can find more information on repayment plants on StudentAid.gov.

While SFS can’t tell you which exact credit-based loan to apply for, we provided some considerations to help you determine which credit-based loan to consider, be it through a private lending agency, or the federal Graduate Loan. Additionally, BU partnered with Credible.com to assist BUMC students in comparing and contrasting some private credit-based loan programs.

Registration costs for boards are included as part of the standard cost of attendance for DMD IV and AS II students. If your actual costs exceed what has been budgeted, or you are a postdoctoral student required to complete board exams, you may submit a Cost of Attendance Increase Request.

Dental students are not eligible to receive Federal Work Study.

BU offers merit-based scholarships to a select number of DMD students. These scholarships are determined by Admissions. All applicants are automatically considered and will be notified if they received a scholarship in their admissions letter. Scholarships for postdoctoral students are determined by each department, and availability may vary year to year. There are no BU scholarships for incoming Advanced Standing students. We encourage students to research outside scholarships – click here for more information and resources.

Residency and relocation loans are offered by several private education lenders and can be utilized to help pay for travel costs associated with residency interviews, and relocation-related expenses. Residency and relocation loans do not require school certification and funding is sent directly to the student rather than the University. For more information Residency and Relocation loans please visit our Residency and Relocation Loan page.

All applicants are automatically considered for the Dean’s Scholarship during the admission process – there is no application process.  Applicants are notified by the Dean at the time of or soon after their admission offer. Applicants not initially offered a Dean’s scholarship may not request reconsideration given strict guidelines for the scholarship. Applicants offered a Dean’s scholarship are still eligible to apply for the need-base scholarship – without the Dean’s scholarship being considered in the need-based analysis.

SFS does not consider either funding sources when performing need-based analysis. Applicants may still be eligible for need-based aid based on the financial aid applications and documents submitted.

• 2024-2025 FAFSA (for the 2024-2025 academic year)
• CSS Profile with parent information
• Your (and spouse if applicable) completed 2022 federal tax return & W-2 forms
• Your completed parental* federal tax return & W-2 forms
• No state tax documentation is required and will be shredded if submitted

*Parental data is not required if you were born on or before January 1, 1994. 

Much of the need-based financial aid available to medical students is funded through generous donations from alumni and others who have a vested interest in the financial and academic success of our medical students. A portion of your scholarship may be replaced, dollar for dollar, by these donor-funded scholarships. Your total financial aid award will never be reduced if you receive a donor-funded award.

Generally, medical students are not eligible for Federal Work Study due to time restrictions with the program. Some second-year students are eligible to receive Federal Work Study when hired as a tutor through Student Affairs. Students who are interested in being a tutor and receiving Federal Work Study should contact the Student Affairs office.

Residency and relocation loans are offered by several private education lenders and can be utilized to help pay for travel costs associated with residency interviews, and relocation-related expenses. Residency and relocation loans do not require school certification and funding is sent directly to the student rather than the University. For more information Residency and Relocation loans please visit our Residency and Relocation Loan page.

We encourage new students to submit a FAFSA by April 1. Continuing students should submit a FAFSA by June 1. Requests for federal loans must be completed approximately one month prior to the last day of the semester for which you are applying for aid.

BU offers merit-based scholarships to a select number of GMS students. These scholarships are determined by the Admissions team and individual programs. All applicants are automatically considered and will be notified if they received a scholarship in their admissions letter. We encourage students to research outside scholarships – click here for more information and resources.

If you take six or more credits throughout the entire summer or are Certified Full-Time for the entire summer enrollment period, you may be eligible for federal aid. The summer loan request form is available on our Forms page each April.

Students who utilize Federal loans must be registered at least half-time (6 credits) to remain eligible for Federal aid. Oftentimes, GMS students who are completing research or a thesis are not registered for 6 credits and cannot request Federal student loans. In many of these cases students are still academically engaged on a full-time basis, even if the enrolled credit hours do not reflect their academic work. GMS allows students to request a Certified Full-Time status under these circumstances so that you may continue to receive Federal student loans. For more information on the certified full-time process and for the form(s) you must complete please visit our GMS Applying for Aid page.

We encourage new students to submit FAFSA by April 1. Continuing students should submit their FAFSA by June 1. Requests for federal loans must be completed approximately one month prior to the last day of the semester for which you are applying for aid.

Please contact the department providing your scholarship for further details if needed or if you are unsure of the amount of your scholarship funding.  Late fees (if any) are always removed if the funding is posted to your account after the billing due date has passed and no remaining balance is due. There is no application process to receive your merit-based scholarship.

All scholarship offers are determined by the Admissions office at the time of admission and amounts are final.

SPH tuition-based scholarships for MS and MPH students are guaranteed for the total credits required to complete your program (34 or 48). If you are required to repeat a course you will not have sufficient merit scholarship funds for repeat courses and would need to find alternative payments for coursework. SPH merit-based scholarship cannot be extended beyond the 34/48 available credits under any circumstances.

If you take six or more credits throughout the entire summer, you are eligible for federal aid. The summer loan request form is available on our Forms page each April.