Financial Aid & Scholarships

It’s important to distinguish between Gift Aid and Self-Help Aid. Not sure what programs you qualify for? Our Financial Planning process will assist you in exploring all opportunities that are available to you!

Gift Aid:

Does not need to be repaid, but carry various requirements for eligibility

• Institutional Scholarship: Your scholarship award from JPCatholic.
• If you live in California, additional institutional scholarships may be available to you. Learn more about JPCatholic's Stay In-State Scholarship Programs.
• Federal Student Aid: Pell Grants (see if you qualify by submitting the FAFSA), and FSEOG (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunities Grant).
• State Grants: If you live in California and meet academic and financial requirements, you may qualify for a Cal Grant.
• Private Scholarships & Grants: Many organizations offer scholarship funds with a variety of eligibility requirements. JPCatholic can assist you in identifying opportunities you qualify for.

Self-Help Aid:

Includes employment and loans (money that must be repaid)

• Part-time Employment: This might include a Federal Work Study position on-campus, another job on campus, or a job at another business. Our Career Services department is committed to helping students identify and succeed in local part-time job opportunities.
• Stafford (Federal) Loans: See if you qualify by submitting the FAFSA. Stafford loans may be Subsidized or Unsubsidized.
• PLUS Loans: If approved, parents are eligible to borrow up to the students full cost of attendance (minus all other aid received).
• Private Loans: If there is still a gap in funding after other forms of Gift Aid and Self-Help Aid, you might consider student loans from private lenders.

For all these types of aid, be sure to read more about eligibility requirements and renewal terms by visiting their respective pages. If you have any confusion regarding financial aid, we encourage you to contact the Financial Aid Office or schedule a Financial Planning Consultation.

JPCatholic’s scholarship application process is short, simple, and offers you a quick turnaround on receiving an award. Our personalized review process will consider both merit and your family’s financial circumstances in determining your Institutional Scholarship amount.

More specific instructions are provided upon acceptance, but you can preview the process below:

1. Apply for Admission to JPCatholic

   Our online application form takes about 10 minutes to complete, and you can submit supplemental items like transcripts later on. Once your admissions file is complete, you can normally expect to hear an admissions response within 1–2 weeks.

   See Full Application Requirements

2. Upon Acceptance, submit your FAFSA

   You can also get a head start on this by including John Paul the Great Catholic University as a recipient whenever you fill out your FAFSA. Our school code is 041937.

   Not filling out the FAFSA? For families who can’t or wish not to submit the FAFSA, that’s no problem! We have an alternate, internal form you can use to submit the same type of information directly to JPCatholic.

   Submit FAFSA

3. (Optional) Submit Merit Items

   We’ll give you an opportunity to bolster the merit consideration for your scholarship award by submitting items not yet reflected in your admissions file. These may include items such as portfolio work or reference letters.

4. Receive your Scholarship Award

   You can normally expect to receive an award offer within 1–2 weeks of completing your financial aid application. Once you receive your award, we encourage you to schedule a Financial Planning call to receive personalized counseling and budgeting tools.

Eligible students attending JPCatholic should provide their Certificate of Eligibility to the Financial Aid Office. Find more information on the process by clicking below.

International Students are also invited to apply for Institutional Aid from JPCatholic. In place of the FAFSA, we will ask you to submit our alternate, internal form you can use to submit the same type of information directly to JPCatholic.

Please note that additional requirements apply to international students for admissions and enrollment.

Whether you are just exploring JPCatholic for the first time, or you’ve already been accepted, we invite you to schedule a Financial Planning Consultation with one of our representatives.

• Explore what financial aid opportunities are available to you
• Receive more clarity on JPCatholic’s financial aid process
• Discuss your questions or concerns

The student has the responsibility of completing all applications for aid in a timely manner, and complying with any requests from the University for additional information. If an application is incomplete, it will not be processed; the student may or may not be contacted more than once to request the outstanding information.

Students are responsible for maintaining current contact information with the University. They will receive many required notices via the email they provide, so it is crucial that students update JPCatholic of any change in their contact information.

The student has a right to accurate information and disclosures. They have the responsibility to review, on a periodic basis, the University Catalog, Student Handbook, and other documents provided to be aware of the University policies. A general disclosure notice with all consumer information is sent out once a year via email (paper copies are available upon request), and it is the student’s responsibility to read and understand the information provided.

• Institutional Scholarships: A student has a right to review their award letter; a copy can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office. The student has the responsibility of understanding their renewal requirements.
• Federal Financial Aid (Pell Grant, Direct Loans, FSEOG, and Work Study): Students have the right to disclosures about their aid. They have the responsibility of completing all applications in a timely manner, maintaining SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress), providing information about all outside aid, and abiding by all provided policies.
• Private Scholarships: Rights and responsibilities are designated by the scholarship fund.
• Private Education Loans: Students have the right to disclosures about their aid (provided by the lenders in the approval process) and notification of disbursement. They have the responsibility of completing all applications in a timely manner, providing information about all outside aid, and abiding by all provided policies.
• Veterans Affairs Benefits: The student has the responsibility of reviewing the University Catalog and Veterans Information Bulletin and understanding all policies relating to Veterans.