Financial aid

All admitted students are eligible to apply for AMBS need-based financial aid.

Need-based financial aid is distributed according to demonstrated financial need, with higher amounts of aid given to students with greater need. It is granted on a year-to-year basis, with reapplication and review each year.

Students should expect to use a portion of their savings to pay the costs of their study. However, home equity and retirement savings will not decrease a student’s eligibility for need-based financial aid.

Note: Need-based financial aid is still available for incoming students.

Full-time students

All full-time admitted students are eligible for AMBS need-based financial aid of up to 50 percent of tuition.

Full-time admitted students may also receive dollar-for-dollar matching grants of up to $2,000 per academic year from their congregation or regional church/conference ($1,000 per term; maximum of two terms). AMBS financial aid, including matching grants, will not exceed the cost of a student’s tuition for the semester. Find out more by downloading and completing a Church Partnership Form.

Please see also our Scholarships page for more information.

Part-time students

Admitted students taking fewer than nine credit hours per semester receive half the amount of need-based financial aid they would receive if they were full-time students. They should download and complete a Church Partnership Form to determine whether they are eligible to receive a 25-percent matching grant of up to $500 per academic year from their congregation or regional church/conference ($250 per term; maximum of two terms).

“At pace” students

MDiv Connect students

MDiv Connect students taking at least 12 credit hours within one academic year will be deemed “at pace” and considered to be full time for AMBS need-based financial aid purposes. (During their first year of study — when the two-credit-hour orientation course is required — 11 credit hours will meet this requirement.) Students will be required to enroll for the whole academic year at the beginning of Semester One (following consultation with their academic advisor). Intended-pace financial aid for MDiv Connect students can be applied for a maximum of six academic years.

If at any point during an academic year, an MDiv Connect student lowers his or her registration below 12 credit hours for the year, his or her financial aid award amount will be adjusted to the lesser part-time rate for all classes beginning that term and continuing through the rest of that academic year as well as the following academic year. If, during that second academic year, the student resumes being “at pace,” the part-time rate will still apply, but he or she will be eligible to receive the full-time financial aid rate for the following academic year (provided he or she stays “at pace”).

MA: Theology and Global Anabaptism students

MA: Theology and Global Anabaptism students taking the intended course load of 12 credit hours per academic year will be deemed “at pace” and considered to be full time for AMBS need-based financial aid purposes. (During their first year of study — when the two-credit-hour orientation course is required — 11 credit hours will meet this requirement.) Students will be required to enroll for all coursework for the academic year at the beginning of the first term in which they are enrolling. Intended-pace financial aid for MATGA students can be applied for a maximum of four academic years.

If at any point during an academic year, a MATGA student lowers his or her registration below 12 credit hours for the year, his or her financial aid award amount will be adjusted to the lesser part-time rate for all classes beginning that term and continuing through the rest of that academic year as well as the following academic year. If, during that second academic year, the student resumes being “at pace,” the part-time rate will still apply, but he or she will be eligible to receive the full-time financial aid rate for the following academic year (provided he or she stays “at pace”).

Intensive Term courses

Students will receive the same percentage of aid for Intensive Term courses that they received during the previous semester.

Student responsibilities

Apply for need-based financial aid each year for the following academic year by using the Financial Aid Application. (Note: Prospective students have until April 15 to apply for financial aid. If they are admitted after April 15, their Financial Aid Application is due 30 days after their admission date. Returning students must turn in their financial aid applications by April 15 each year for the following academic year.)
Maintain a satisfactory academic standard (minimum grade-point average [GPA] of 2.50) to continue to receive need-based financial aid.
Write notes or letters of appreciation to the donors of the funds when requested to do so. AMBS financial aid comes from a variety of sources, including gifts from churches and individual donors. Acknowledging their generosity helps ensure good relations with our supporters and builds goodwill toward the seminary.

Effects of financial aid on U.S. Income Tax

The U.S. Internal Revenue Code states that individuals who are candidates for a degree may exclude scholarship income from their gross income. This is true as long as the amount excluded does not exceed the cost of tuition, fees, books and supplies required for the student's course of study. Any payment for which services are required is taxable. This could include student assistantships and on-campus jobs. (Ref: TITLE 26, Subtitle A, CHAPTER 1, Subchapter B, PART III, Sec. 117). Students should consult their tax advisor for details.

CARES Act

$6,219 of funds for students and $6,219 of funds for the institution from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act were received and used by AMBS for student aid and technology in 2020. Less than 10 students received the student funds.

(AMBS is required by the U.S. Department of Education to post this information on our website.)

From the U.S. Department of Education: In preparing the 30-day Fund Report, institutions should use data suppression and other methodologies to comply with and protect the personally identifiable information from student education records, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99). For example, the Department does not expect institutions to report information about a group of 10 or fewer students. For example, if the total number of eligible students, the total of number of students who received Emergency Financial Aid Grants, or the difference between the two numbers is less than 10, then the institution should not display the number of students or the amount of Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students on publicly available website(s) controlled by the institution.

AMBS’s 30-day DOE report

AMBS’s 45-day DOE report — final

AMBS’s 30-day student report

AMBS’s 45-day student report — final

AMBS’s Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for CARES Act 18004(a)(1) (October 2020)

AMBS’s Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for CARES Act 18004(a)(3) (October 2020)

AMBS’s Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for CARES Act 18004(a)(1) and (a)(3) (September 2020)

AMBS’s Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for CARES Act 18004(a)(3) (December 2020)

AMBS’s Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for CARES Act 18004(a)(1) (October 2020)

AMBS’s Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for CARES Act (March 2021)

AMBS’s Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting for CARES Act (June 2021)

AMBS CARES Act Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students (June 2021)