Financial Aid Updates and Information

1. New Students & Students Exceeding Time Limits

The following regulations apply to you if you have never borrowed federal funds at Wesley for your current program, OR if you have exceeded your degree’s Estimated Time to Completion (ETTC) based on full-time limits: MA (1.5 years), MTS (2 years), MDiv (3 years).

2. Continuing (“Legacy”) Master’s Students

If you have previously borrowed federal student loans at Wesley for your current active program, you fall under legacy conditions:

• Annual Unsubsidized Loan Limit: Direct Unsubsidized Loans remain capped at $20,500.
• Aggregate Borrowing Limit:  Unsubsidized and Subsidized Loan limit is $138,500 (including undergraduate loans).
• Lifetime Limit: $257,500 which includes amounts forgiven, repaid, canceled, or otherwise discharged. However, any amount of loan funds that have been returned by the institution, or the borrower, will not count against the lifetime loan limit. Excludes Parent PLUS Loans.
• Full-Time Status: If you remain continuously enrolled in the same program of study at the time that you were enrolled as of June 30th, you can continue to borrow and your Direct Unsubsidized Loan limit remains unchanged and you can borrow up to $20,500 annually. However, if a Direct Loan was not made for your program of study prior to July 1, 2026, your funding limits will now be prorated using your exact enrollment metrics (see Proration formula below)*.
• Less-Than-Full-Time Status: If you remain continuously enrolled in the same program of study at the time that you were enrolled as of June 30th, you can continue to borrow and are not subject to the new loan limits up to three academic years or the remainder of your expected time to credential in your program of study (whichever comes first). However, if a Direct Loan was not made for your program of study prior to July 1, your funding limits will now be prorated using your exact enrollment metrics as follows*:

*Proration Formula for New and Continuing Students:

Example: If you register for 5 credits out of a 9-credit full-time baseline (55.5% status), your prorated loan limit for the year would be roughly $20,500 × 0.56 = $11,480. However, this is not a complete example. Prorated amounts are based on the number of credits enrolled (or anticipated for the full academic year). The Office of Financial aid can assist you with calculating your anticipated loan request. However, you may view the chart below to see an example of the proration calculation for reference:

• For students enrolled less-than full-time during the academic year, this is an example of how your annual loan limit is reduced:

  New Loan disbursement example after proration:	Total AY credits = 20	Total full-time credits for masters =  24 (6 credits summer, 9 credits fall & spring)	20 ÷ 24 = 0.8333333333333333 X $20,500 (maximum loan) = $17,083
  	Summer = 6	Fall = 7	Spring = 7
  Equal Disbursement based on # of credits enrolled for the academic year	$5,694	$5,694	$5,695
  	($17,083÷ 3)	($17,083/3)	($17,083/3)
  Proportional Disbursement by semester (based on # of credits enrolled for the academic year)	$5,125	$5,979	$5,979
  	(6 credits ÷ 20 credits = .3 x $17,083)	(7 credits ÷  20 credits = .3 x $17,083)	(7 credits ÷  20 credits = .3 x $17,083)

Continuing “legacy” students may apply for Grad PLUS loans, but this is  capped at three (3) academic years or your program’s published completion timeline, whichever comes first.

3. Regulations for Dual Degree Track Students

Under federal code 34 CFR 685.203, limits shift depending on whether your dual program leans heavily toward a standard graduate or professional designation:

• MDiv / MA Options: Professional Status ($50,000 annual / $200,000 aggregate) applies only if more than 50% of your total dual degree credits count toward your MDiv. Otherwise, standard graduate limits apply.
• Standard Graduate Limits ($20,500 annual / $100,000 aggregate) apply universally to: MTS/MPA, MTS/MPP, MTS/MA (International Development), MTS/MA (Peace & Conflict Resolution), MA/MTS, and MDiv/MTS (unless the MDiv strictly comprises more than 50% of the combined degree curriculum).

1. New DMin Students

Applies to incoming students who have not previously borrowed federal funding from Wesley toward this specific doctorate.