Frequently Asked Questions

Housing and food are only billed if you expect to live on campus or have a Baylor meal plan. If you do not plan to live on campus or use Baylor dining services, you can subtract these amounts from the Net Cost listed in your Award Offer tab in BearWeb. These estimated housing and food are included in your estimated costs to allow for borrowing to cover these expenses if needed.

You will only be billed for housing and food if you expect to live on campus or have a Baylor meal plan.

As we receive additional information from your financial aid applications or enrollment status, your financial aid file can change. Sometimes this additional information changes the dollar amount, and sometimes it just changes other supporting information in your file. Regardless, we are required to notify you if any information in your file changes to ensure students have the most up-to-date financial aid offer.

You might receive a revised financial aid offer notification without a change to the dollar amount if:

• Funding was added, removed or adjusted and your financial aid was recalculated after the first offer, as a result of us receiving updated information. Remember, Financial aid offers are not finalized until all requirements in BearWeb are satisfied.
• Examples of changes made to your file that could initiate a reprocess of your financial aid offer are satisfying outstanding verification requirements or updates to your financial aid applications.
• Conflicting information was resolved and your financial aid was recalculated with the new information.
• You have important messages in BearWeb that may need your attention.

Cost of attendance is a financial aid estimate of a student's total cost of attendance including costs payable to Baylor (billable costs) and costs paid to others (non-billable costs), and it does not show what is owed to the university. 

Costs payable to Baylor are billed by the University and include costs such as: tuition, fees, books from the Follett Access program, on campus housing, and food (Baylor meal plans). These billable costs are estimated and may vary depending on a student's enrollment.

Students will also have costs paid to others (non-billable costs) which are not billed by the University and students must cover from personal resources or financial aid such as: books, supplies, transportation, personal expenses, off campus housing, and meals not from Baylor dining services. 

No, your bill consists only of costs paid to Baylor that are billed by the University, which can include tuition, fees,  books from the Follett Access program, on campus housing, and food (Baylor meal plans). For more information on costs paid to Baylor and costs paid to others, see "What is the difference between Cost of Attendance and my bill?"

Financial aid offers can be viewed in BearWeb under the Financial Aid Dashboard. In the Financial Aid Dashboard, select the award year you want to see, then click on the Award Offer tab.

The Award Offer tab shows your financial aid by term as well as the cost of attendance for the full award year.

You can accept your federal direct loans and/or work-study in BearWeb under the Financial Aid Dashboard. In the Financial Aid Dashboard, select the award year you want to see, then click on the Award Offer tab. You will see options to accept or decline your aid in a drop-down menu next to your loans and/or work-study.

You can see your outstanding requirements in BearWeb under the Financial Aid Dashboard. In the Financial Aid Dashboard, select the award year you want to see, and stay on the Home tab. This tab will show all your unsatisfied (outstanding) requirements, as well as your completed requirements. Read the instructions for each requirement in order to complete it.

You can view your holds following this path in BearWeb: Student Academic Services > Student Records > Check Your Holds. For Cashiers or Financial Aid holds, contact Baylor One Stop at 254-710-2611 or baylor.edu/sfs/contactus.

Private loan eligibility is the amount you are eligible to apply for to bridge the gap between your cost of attendance and total amount of financial aid currently in your financial aid offer. To apply for a private loan, you can do so at the lender of your choice. We encourage students to take some time to explore our preferred lender list to compare rates and terms across lenders to get the loan that best fits your needs. You can also explore federal PLUS loans.

Learn more about how financial aid is impacted by Wintermester courses.

You may be eligible to explore a Special Circumstance appeal for additional consideration. Access our Special Circumstance appeals page to determine if your situation may qualify for consideration, and to submit an appeal form.

Most traditional college students are considered financially dependent on their parents. This means your parents must provide information on the FAFSA. In unusual circumstances, a student who would normally be considered dependent can be considered independent. Read more about this on our Request for Independent Student Status page to determine if you may qualify for this consideration. 

The CSS Profile opens annually on October 1. The priority deadline for November 1 Binding (Early Decision) and November 1 Non-Binding (Early Action) applicants is November 1. The priority deadline for Freshman and Transfer Regular Admission applicants is February 1.

You can access the CSS Profile at cssprofile.collegeboard.org.

Baylor’s CSS Profile school code is: 6032 

If you are an incoming undergraduate student who has been admitted and you wish to be considered for any federal financial aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  To be considered for any Baylor need-based financial aid, you must complete a CSS Profile and FAFSA.  The CSS Profile is a financial aid application administered by the College Scholarship Service (CSS), a division of the College Board. 

Baylor uses the CSS Profile to determine financial need for the university's need-based grant and scholarship programs. The extra information provided by the CSS Profile helps us to more fully understand your family circumstances. Because Baylor's institutional resources are limited, we must take the best measure of a family's ability to pay into account when awarding university funds to students.   

Some of the questions on the CSS Profile are also included on the FAFSA, so please ensure that you answer them correctly on both applications or your financial aid offer will be delayed while we work with you to resolve the conflicting information.

If you are a prospective undergraduate student and you wish to be considered for financial aid, you must complete the CSS Profile.

Otherwise, the CSS Profile is not required to apply to Baylor. 

The CSS Profile asks a variety of questions about your family’s financial situation.  Examples of topics include: “Do you have children enrolled in tuition-charging schools?” or “What is your debt load?” or “What medical expenses do you have?” 

The CSS Profile also includes a text box at the end of the application that allows the user to provide a narrative to the information that was entered.   

Baylor expects both parents to assist in financing a student's education.  If parents are separated, divorced, or never married, both parents (and stepparents if applicable) will complete their individual household CSS Profile application.  For more information, please access https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/profile-for-parents. 

Please note: Each parent will use their own login credentials so neither will be able to view the other’s reported information.

In cases where the noncustodial Profile cannot be completed by the non-custodial parent (due to extenuating circumstances), please contact One Stop for further guidance and information about completing a waiver.

If you have extenuating circumstances that would prevent a non-custodial parent from completing their CSS Profile, please read through the appeal information to determine if you may be eligible for an appeal. Be prepared to provide a brief statement explaining the need for a waiver. Baylor's Financial Aid Office will review your circumstances and determine if an appeal can be granted.  These waivers should be completed by January 15 if your situation qualifies.  Please visit our appeals page for more information and click on CSS Profile Noncustodial Parent Waiver Request.  If your situation does not apply and the waiver is not approved, the non-custodial parent CSS Profile should also be submitted by the final deadline of February 1 to be considered for the most available funds.

It usually takes between 45 minutes to 2 hours to complete the CSS Profile.  To expedite the process, we recommend having all of the necessary documents on-hand when you start to complete the CSS Profile. Recommended documents include: Federal tax returns, W-2’s, records of untaxed income, bank statements, mortgage information, and records of savings, stocks, bonds and trusts. 

The CSS Profile is free for domestic undergraduate students whose family income is $100,000 or less. The fee for domestic students whose family’s income is greater than $100,000 is $25 for the first application sent. Additional reports sent are $16 each. The fee for international students is $25 for the first application and $16 for each additional report sent.

Baylor provides no payment fee waivers for the CSS Profile application.  College Board automatically determines if you qualify for a waived application fee based on your responses within the CSS Profile.   

TCU, Rice, SMU, St. Edwards and Trinity University utilize the CSS Profile. 

No, Baylor does not require the CSS Profile Business Farm Supplement. 

Yes. Non-US Citizens may complete the CSS Profile.  

Once you submit the CSS Profile, you are able to go back in and change limited information.  However, If your family's financial situation changes, and you are not able to make an update in a specific field after you submit the Profile, you may contact Baylor One Stop to receive directions on how to provide updated information. 

Baylor University disburses financial aid up to 10 days prior to the start of a term. In order for your financial aid to disburse on time, make sure all of your requirements are completed in your BearWeb account. 

In order to maintain your eligibility for the academic scholarship, you must meet the scholarship requirements of full-time enrollment of 12 or more hours and a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0 or above. Please note, if you will be graduating early as a result of taking classes in the summer, you may be able to apply one semester of your academic scholarship toward the cost of tuition for the summer term. See our Scholarship Exception Request.

If you have been awarded an outside scholarship that does not appear on your bill, make sure you have reported the scholarship. In addition, you can check with the entity awarding the scholarship to ensure it was sent to Baylor, and designated for the term of the bill. If the scholarship funds have already been sent to Baylor and designated for the term of the bill, please follow up with our Baylor One Stop Office.

If you have been awarded a department scholarship, confirm with the department that they have submitted the scholarship information to Financial Aid. If they have, please email scholarships@baylor.edu to inquire about the status of the award.

If you applied and were approved for a ParentPLUS or GradPLUS loan greater than 1 week ago, please submit a contact us inquiry if you do not see the loan in BearWeb. In addition to the approved application, you must have also submitted a Master Promissory Note and completed entrance counseling for the PLUS loan through studentaid.gov.

If you applied and were approved for a private loan, and your lender initiated the certification process more than 10 business days ago, please submit a contact us inquiry.

No, if you change your enrollment status (i.e. go from full-time to half-time) you will need to submit a contact us inquiry to ensure that your financial aid offer is packaged correctly and disburses in a timely manner.

If you completed the FAFSA and had eligibility for the direct unsubsidized and subsidized loan, you must accept all or the portion of the loan you are requesting through BearWeb at bearweb.baylor.edu. In addition, you must complete the Master Promissory Note and entrance counseling for these loans at studentaid.gov. If you have completed all of these steps greater than 3 business days ago, please submit a contact us inquiry form.

Bills are based on the number of hours a student is currently registered for. If you are registered for less than 12 hours (12+ hours is full-time status), only those registered hours will be reflected on your bill. However, if you then register for additional hours and become full-time, your bill will be adjusted.

Students can receive financial aid up to the cost of attendance for half-time enrollment and greater. To determine cost of attendance for different enrollment statuses, access the cost of attendance information. Each enrollment status does have a different total limit. To be eligible for aid, you must be classified at a minimum of half-time enrollment.

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No. Your financial aid eligibility is determined based on courses you are currently enrolled in.

Did you complete your FAFSA? If not, complete your FAFSA for the term you're applying for at fafsa.gov. This will determine eligibility for any federal aid. Did you apply for a private loan? If not, and you need additional funds, find out more about private loans.

Here are a few helpful tips if your estimated aid is not currently reflected in your bill:

• Make sure you are enrolled in 12+ hours
• Confirm you have accepted your aid in BearWeb
• If accepting Federal Loans, the Master Promissory Note and Loan Entrance Counseling must be complete for aid to show
• Be sure you have submitted all Verification Documents listed in your BearWeb account
• If you are a Texas resident, complete the Texas Residency Form

You can see the application of financial aid through the E-Bill system.

You can explore private loans to supplement your financial aid offer. Look at our preferred lender list to compare rates and terms to find a loan that fits your needs. You can also explore outside scholarships.

The FAFSA must be completed and processed prior to the end of the specific term. The last day the current academic year FAFSA is available on fafsa.gov, is June 30.

Immediately. Ideally, this process should be completed and finished prior to the start of the term. If you are using loans to pay for your educational costs, the certification period and loan set-up can take up to 3 weeks for processing. If using federal financial aid and you are selected for verification, it can take up to 3-4 weeks to complete the process.

Tuition Remission is applied manually each term. If you have an approved application through the HR system for the term in question, the Tuition Remission should be applied to your bill prior to the bill due date. If you do not see it by the bill due date, and you have an approved application, you can contact us.
 

Visit baylor.edu/its/weduo and follow the instructions. You'll need to do this in order to access all of your information in BearWeb. When you log in to DUO, you'll use your Bear ID (example: first_last3) and password.
 

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The Parent BU Financial Aid PIN is only sent to parents of students who are dependents based on their FAFSA responses. It is emailed to the Parent email address provided on the FAFSA.

If you are an independent student, you will not need a parent PIN.

If you are a dependent, the parent listed on your latest FAFSA should have received a notification with their Parent BU Parent PIN at their email address and mailing address on the FAFSA. If your parent cannot locate their PIN, your parent should contact our office to request a PIN reset. If your parent on the FAFSA needs to change the email address on the FAFSA, please have your parent contact our office.

 

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To access your requirements, visit bearweb.baylor.edu and follow these steps: Student Financial Services > Financial Aid > NEW Financial Aid Dashboard > Select Award Year > Home. Be sure to select the correct aid year that has the unsatisfied requirements.

Once you click on the name of the requirements, you will be redirected to the Conflicting Information and Verification (CIV) workbook where you can complete and electronically sign the form using your student PIN and your parent's PIN, if applicable.

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You can monitor the status of the documents through BearWeb. Once we receive your document, the status should reflect "received, not yet processed" within 24 business hours.

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Documents are processed in the order received and it may take a few weeks. We make every effort to complete processing as soon as possible.

The Entrance Counseling requirement is not updated immediately after completion; the requirement should be updated by June 15. If you have already completed entrance counseling and listed Baylor to receive confirmation, you may disregard these requirement messages.

The Student BU Financial Aid PIN is issued by Baylor and IS NOT the same as your FSA ID. The FSA ID is the username and password you use on the federal student aid website studentaid.gov, and on the myStudentAid mobile app.
 

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If the mailing address provided on the FAFSA is incorrect, you will need to resubmit the FAFSA with the updated information.

OB3 is a federal law that changes how financial aid works beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, which includes student loans, Pell Grant eligibility, and program accountability rules. 

OB3 changes take effect at different times, depending on the type of financial aid. 

• Starting with the 2026–2027 aid year:
  • Some federal loan limits change
  • Loan amounts may be reduced if you are enrolled less than full-time
  • Family-owned small businesses and farms are excluded from FAFSA reporting.
  • Pell Grant eligibility may change if scholarships and grants cover the full cost of attendance, or if the student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) is at least two times the current Pell Grant maximum.
• Beginning July 1, 2026:
  • Graduate PLUS loans are no longer available for new borrowers
  • Some continuing students may qualify for legacy loan provisions
• Important:
  • Financial aid from the 2025–2026 aid year is not affected, even if it disburses after July 1, 2026. 

No. Students who are not using federal aid will not be affected. Some changes apply only to: 

• New borrowers
• Students enrolled less than full-time
• Certain academic programs
• Students receiving high levels of non-federal aid 

Some continuing students may qualify for legacy provisions. 

Legacy provisions allow returning students to temporarily continue borrowing under prior federal loan rules, even though new limits apply starting in 2026-2027. 

A student may qualify if: 

• A Direct Loan is disbursed on or before June 30, 2026.
• The student remains in the same program at the same school. Undergraduates may change majors if they remain at the undergraduate level. Graduate and Professional student’s changing programs may result in losing eligibility.
• There is no withdrawal or break in enrollment. For trimester students, not attending the summer term is considered a break in enrollment.
• The student is within their expected time to complete the program 
  (the shorter of 3 academic years or the remaining program length).
• Legacy eligibility cannot be reinstated once lost.

Legacy eligibility is determined by federal law and is automatically applied if a student qualifies. It cannot be waived or declined. 

• Graduate PLUS is eliminated for new borrowers starting July 1, 2026.
• Students who qualify for legacy provisions may continue using Graduate PLUS for a limited time.
• Graduate PLUS still requires credit approval.
• Graduate PLUS will fall under a Schedule of Reduction based on enrollment status.

• New annual and lifetime caps apply to Parent PLUS for new borrowers.
• Parents who qualify for legacy provisions may continue borrowing under prior limits.
• Parent PLUS loans are not included in the Schedule of Reduction for Loans.
• Parent Plus loans are no longer eligible for Income-Based Repayment Plans.

Beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, all Federal Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Direct Graduate PLUS loans must be reduced based on a student’s enrollment status for those less than full time. See the enrollment status page for more information. 

Schedule of Reduction applies when: 

• The loan is awarded for 2026–2027 or later
• The student is enrolled less than full-time
• The loan is about to be disbursed 

Loans from 2025–2026 or earlier will not be reduced, even if disbursed after July 1, 2026. Additionally, loan reduction is applied at disbursement, not during initial packaging.

No. Loan eligibility is locked at the time of disbursement. If enrollment changes after disbursement, adjustments are made before the next disbursement, not mid-term.

Beginning in 2026-2027, students are not eligible for Pell Grants if non-federal grants and scholarships equal or exceed the cost of attendance. This includes Baylor scholarships. 

Graduate students: Yes, changing degree-level programs may: 

• End legacy loan eligibility
• Change loan limits
• Affect loan eligibility 

Undergraduate Students: No, undergraduate students will not lose legacy eligibility for changing majors, as long as the student remains at the undergraduate level. 

Students should contact One Stop before changing programs. 

Once a student is officially classified as a graduate student (graduate grade level):

• Undergraduate aid eligibility and undergraduate legacy provisions end
• Graduate loan rules apply

Important: This change is based on the student's grade level classification, not the level of coursework being taken. The requirements for this classification vary by program. Students in accelerated programs may take graduate-level courses while still classified as undergraduate.

Yes. For all borrowers, beginning July 1, 2026, OB3 establishes a new standard repayment plan and an income-based repayment plan, and eliminates all other repayment options. Additionally, Parent PLUS loans are no longer eligible for Income-Based Repayment Plans.