Financial Aid and Scholarships
The Graduate School of Social Work awards annual scholarships and graduate assistantships for students based on academic merit.Dean’s Scholarship
Awards students, up to $3,600, that have excelled in their academic studies and who have demonstrated in their volunteer activities and social service work experience a commitment to the field of social work.
Graduate Assistantship
GSSW awards annually a limited number of Graduate Assistantships (GA) to students who have demonstrated a high level of academic performance and commitment to gaining new knowledge in the field of social work. GA recipients will work with GSSW faculty and/or administrators on special research and/or administrative projects. Awards are based on the number of hours worked per week.
Lake County Scholarship
GSSW awards a limited number of scholarships for new students starting the part-time MSW program at Dominican’s Grayslake, Illinois site.
Summer Tuition Course Waiver
GSSW awards a limited number of tuition course waivers for new students starting the MSW program in summer session II.
Download Scholarship and Graduate Assistantship Applications
Loans
Dominican University participates in the Federal Stafford Loan programs. Eligibility for this federal loan is based on a review of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available in the Financial Aid Office. Graduate students must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for federal loans.
The university also participates in the Federal Family Education Loan Program, which enables students enrolled at least half-time to borrow directly from private financial institutions.
Interest-subsidized Federal Stafford Loans up to the annual limit of $8,500 are available to graduate students who demonstrate need on the FAFSA. Repayment of principal and interest is deferred until after the borrower graduates or enrolls less than half-time.
Students who do not demonstrate need may borrow up to $8,500 annually under the unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan Program. The variable interest rate is set each July. Students are required to pay interest on the loan while enrolled in classes. All graduate students may borrow an additional $12,000 annually under the unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan Program. Therefore, Federal Stafford Loans for graduate students are limited to a maximum of $20,500 per year in any combination of subsidized and unsubsidized loans.
Definitions of full-time and half-time enrollments are important in determining both loan and deferment eligibility. To be considered full-time, a graduate student must be enrolled for nine credit hours per semester (three courses at three semester hours each). To be considered halftime, a student must be enrolled for at least one-half of the credit hours required for full-time attendance per semester (4.5 semester hours).
Applications for financial assistance of all types and information about interest rates and deferments for all loan programs are available from the financial aid office.
Additional Financial Aid Resources
The US Department of Education offers access through the World Wide Web to these federal publications:
The Student Guide: Financial Aid from the US Department of Education
http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/index.html
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) sponsors FinAid, the Financial Aid Information page, on the World Wide Web, http://www.finaid.org. The FinAid page is the most comprehensive free resource for student financial aid information on the Web. Features on the FinAid Page offerings include access to four databases of private sector scholarships, fellowships, grants and loans that you may search free of charge, several financial aid calculators, including those on loan repayment and estimated financial contribution, and a savings plan designer.
Scholarship websites:
www.fastweb.com
www.collegezone.com
www.collegeanswer.com
www.supercollege.com
www.brokescholar.com
"My MSW from Dominican gives me the credibility and validation to tell my story and to reach more people."
Revie Sorey
MSW ’05
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Apply to DU
A pdf version of the GSSW application form is available to download, complete and return.
Download an Application
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