Undergraduate Financial Aid
Undergraduate Financial Aid
The Stephens Promise
The Stephens Promise is our commitment to making college affordable for students who might otherwise rely on loans.
The program provides grants (not loans) to current, new, and transfer undergraduate students who meet the criteria.
Get Started
1. Apply to Stephens College
Before apply for financial aid, submit your application to Stephens College. You’ll need your college application to apply for FAFSA. FAFSA asks you to list at least one college or career/trade school to receive your information.
2. Estimate Your Costs
Use our net price calculator before you complete your FAFSA application. It will estimate the amount of aid you’re eligible to receive at Stephens College.
3. Submit Your FAFSA
To apply for grants, scholarships, work study and loans, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (called “the FAFSA”). This application is used by the federal government to determine certain kinds of eligibility. Stephens College also uses it as a first step toward determining other awards you may get.
Stephens’ federal school code is 002512.
4. Search for Scholarships
Guess what? You are automatically considered for institutional tuition scholarships. Hooray! But we do encourage students to apply for outside scholarships if eligible.
5. Check Your Financial Aid Status
You can check your application’s status at fafsa.gov, even if you didn’t submit it online.
Tuition & Fees
The Office of Financial Aid is always here to help you understand your options for affording your tuition.
Special and Unusual Circumstances
The Office of Financial Aid understands that students and their families may at times experience unique situations, and, as much as possible, we are here to help! You may pursue a financial aid adjustment based on two categories of unique situations:
Institutional Merit and Athletic Scholarships
Frequently Asked Questions
About Financial Aid
Am I eligible for financial aid?
Nearly all Stephens students receive some form of financial aid. Even if you think you aren’t eligible, you might be. The criteria are simple:
- Be accepted and/or enrolled at Stephens in a degree-seeking program.
- Make Satisfactory Academic Progress according to the Stephens SAP policy.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and meet FAFSA eligibility guidelines.
In addition to meeting these federal requirements, recipients of state-funded aid programs must be Missouri residents.
What are the various types of financial aid available?
Financial aid comes in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, work study, and student employment and is available through Stephens College, the State of Missouri, and the federal government. Merit-based financial aid takes into account your academic credentials (i.e. SAT I and ACT scores, and grade point average). Need-based aid takes into account your financial need, which is the difference between the cost of a Stephens education and your Student Aid Index (SAI), as determined by the FAFSA. Various factors affect the SAI, including the size of your family and your family’s income.
How do I apply for financial aid?
To determine the amount of financial aid you are eligible to receive, you must first file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.ed.gov after Oct. 1 using your last filed income tax returns. In addition, please note that the priority deadline for work study and the Access Missouri Grant is Feb. 1.
Although you don’t have to be accepted at Stephens College before applying for financial aid, you do have to be admitted to Stephens before any financial aid can be awarded.
It will be necessary for you to file a FAFSA each year you are a student at Stephens in order to reapply for financial aid. Even if you are certain you won’t qualify for need-based assistance, it’s a good idea to file the FAFSA so that you may be able to qualify for aid if your financial situation changes.
If you are a graduate or continuing studies student, call us at (800) 876-7207 or email finaid@stephens.edu.
See More FAQs
What if my FAFSA is selected for verification?
To make this process as easy as possible, we have established a partnership with Inceptia to expedite the federal verification process. The Verification Gateway from Inceptia is an online portal to guide students and parents through verification.
If your FAFSA application is selected for verification by the U.S Department of Education, you will receive an email from VGCS@inceptia.org, or postcard from Inceptia, containing Stephens College’s unique website link to start the verification process.
We encourage you to begin the verification process within 7 days of receiving notification from Verification Gateway to ensure you receive your financial aid in time for payments. Failure to complete the verification process could result in the delay or denial of your financial aid.
Follow these steps to complete your verification.
- Access our school’s unique website link in the email from VGCS@inceptia.org or listed below.
- Create your account* and choose preferences for text messages and e-signatures.
- Complete your Task List.
- Confirm your signature and review your information.
- Sign your account.
*If you are a dependent student, your parent also needs to create their own account and complete each of these steps.
Stephens College Verification Gateway Links and Deadlines
2023-2024 Federal Verification: https://stephens.verificationgateway.org
Deadline for submitting these documents is 9-13-24
2024-2025 Federal Verification: https://stephens.verificationgateway.org
Deadline for submitting these documents is 8-1-25
If you have questions about the verification process, please contact Inceptia, Monday through Friday 8 am – 7 pm Central at 833.932.1877 or VGCS@inceptia.org.
How do I apply for outside scholarships, and how do they affect my financial aid award?
Outside scholarships can be found through various sources: parents’ employers, large and small corporations, high schools and community resources. These do not affect your financial aid package unless you would exceed the total cost of attendance.
See our list of Outside Scholarships & Resources for help getting started.
You must notify Stephens of all outside scholarship aid received so that the aid may be applied toward meeting your financial need at Stephens. If a reduction in the amount of aid awarded is necessary by federal law, the Office of Financial Aid will first try to reduce self-help aid. Rarely is gift aid reduced as a result of outside scholarships received.
What is the difference between gift aid and self-help aid?
Gift aid includes scholarships, awards and grants that do not have to be repaid. Self-help aid includes loans, which need to be repaid, and student employment for which the student earns funds to be used for education costs.
What grade point average do I need to maintain?
Students need to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to receive any financial aid. Merit scholarships require students to maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA.
Does Stephens participate in tuition exchange programs?
Yes. Stephens participates in two exchange programs. Students who are dependents of employees of other colleges in the exchange programs might be able to attend Stephens at discounted tuition rates. Learn more about the Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program and about the Tuition Exchange.
Still have questions?
Office of Financial Aid
(573) 876-7106, Ext. 4106
(573) 876-2320
finaid@stephens.eduLela Raney Wood Hall 216, Campus Box 2124