Financial Aid

Scholarships are available to new students enrolling in the Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Master of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology programs. New students enrolling in USAHS post-professional programs also may be eligible for grants. Be sure to review the eligibility requirements for the scholarships or grants available in your program of interest. Scholarship funds are applied to tuition and fees only. See all scholarships and grants here.

Many organizations and professional associations offer scholarships or grants for graduate students.  These include:

• Local or community-based organizations
• Federal and state agencies
• Professional associations
• Religious organizations
• Employers
• Libraries
• Private organizations or major companies

Taking some time to explore these opportunities could identify several for which you might be qualified.

Many websites are available on which you can search for available scholarships that match your criteria and program of study. Use the filters offered on the following sites to find some of your best matches.

• Sallie Mae® Graduate School Scholarship Search
• Fastweb
• Big Future
• Scholly
• Scholarship Owl

Tips for Scholarship Application Success

• Start early! Knowing what scholarships and grants you’ve been awarded will make finalizing your financial plan easier.
• Be organized.
• Follow all instructions.
• Be honest.
• Include strong recommendations.
• Create a lasting impression with your personal essay.
• Proofread! Remember that neatness, spelling, and grammar counts.
• Ask family and friends for feedback.
• Meet deadlines.

USAHS is eligible for most VA education benefits:

• Chapter 30 – Montgomery GI Bill^® (Active Duty)
• Chapter 31 – Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits
• Chapter 33 – Post-9/11 GI Bill^® and Yellow Ribbon
• Chapter 35 – Survivors and Dependents Assistance
• Chapter 1606 – Reserve GI Bill^®

Submit your Certificate of Eligibility to [email protected].

For questions about Veteran’s Education Benefits eligibility, call the VA at 888-GIBill1 (888-442-4551), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT.

St. Augustine, FL, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Occupational Therapy degree programs are approved by the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer in the Financial Aid Office on the St. Augustine, Florida, campus.

San Marcos, CA, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Occupational Therapy degree programs are approved by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer in the Financial Aid Office on the San Marcos, California, campus.

Austin, TX, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Master of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology degree programs are approved by the Texas Veteran Commission for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer on the Austin, Texas, campus.

Dallas, TX, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Flex Doctor of Occupational Therapy, and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology degree programs are approved by the Texas Veteran Commission for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer on the Dallas, Texas, campus.

Miami, FL, Campus – The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Occupational Therapy and Master of Occupational Therapy degree programs are approved by the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer in the Financial Aid Office on the Miami, Florida, campus.

Post Professional Programs – The Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Doctor of Education, Master of Health Administration, Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees and the Post-Graduate Nursing Certificate  programs are currently approved by the California State Approving Agency for Veterans Education for training of veterans and other eligible persons. Questions regarding benefits, enrollment certification, etc., should be directed to the certifying officer in the Financial Aid Office on the San Marcos, CA, campus.

Yellow Ribbon GI Education Program

USAHS participates in the Yellow Ribbon Education Program in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The program assists eligible students whose tuition and fees exceed the annual maximum benefit payable under the Post-9/11 GI Bill^®.
Eligible students must qualify for the 100% benefit level under the Post-9/11 GI Bill^® and meet all applicable VA requirements. Yellow Ribbon awards are limited and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

For each Veterans Education Benefits year, USAHS offers the following Yellow Ribbon allocations at each campus:

If a Yellow Ribbon recipient withdraws, reduces enrollment, becomes ineligible, or otherwise no longer requires the full award, available Yellow Ribbon funding may be reallocated to another eligible student. Reallocations are made first to eligible students on the waitlist in the order all documents [Certificate of Eligibility (COE), DD214, Joint Service Transcripts (JSTs) and all post-secondary transcripts] were received. If no eligible students remain at a campus, available funding may be reallocated to another USAHS campus with unmet demand in accordance with institutional policy and VA requirements.

Award availability, participation limits, and funding levels are subject to annual approval by the VA and USAHS and may change without prior notice.

GI Bill^® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.

For questions regarding eligibility, yellow ribbon benefits, and the application process, contact the USAHS certifying officer at [email protected].

Military Tuition Assistance

Active-duty military personnel may be authorized to receive Federal Tuition Assistance (TA). TA can pay up to $250 per credit hour for eligible student tuition expenses. All Active-Duty Service Members (including Guard and Reserve) must contact their Education Service Officer (ESO) or Education Counselor within your branch of service for a list of qualifications or apply online directly to your branch. Remember, you must contact your ESO prior to enrolling in USAHS to learn more. Please visit the Military One Source, official site of the Department of Defense, for further details on the TA programs and eligibility requirements.

• AirForce
• Army
• Marines
• Navy

Return of Tuition Assistance: Military Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded.  When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded. To comply with Department of Defense policy, USAHS will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least 60% of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending. These funds are returned to the military service branch. In instances when a service member stops attending due to a military service obligation, the educational institution will work with the affected service member to identify solutions that will not result in student debt for the returned portion.

Graduate education is a valuable investment in your future. The costs associated with a high-quality education may be challenging, but our goal is to assist you with preparing a plan and securing the necessary resources to fund your education. Those resources can include self-payment plans, scholarships and grants, veterans and/or military benefits, federal or private loans, and employer benefits. Determining the funding sources for which you are eligible is an important first step.

Many students utilize loans to fund all or part of their graduate education. Federal loans that may be available to you through the US Department of Education include:

• Direct Unsubsidized Loan: This is a federal loan for which eligibility is not based on financial need. Interest on this type of loan accrues while you are in school but it may be deferred for 6 months after graduation. You may obtain up to $20,500 per academic aid award year (graduate degree) or $50,000 per academic aid award year (professional degree) from the Direct Unsubsidized loan. You must fill out a FAFSA form to apply.*
• Direct (Grad) PLUS Loan: This is a federal loan that requires a student to have a satisfactory credit history. Interest accrues while you are in school but it may be deferred for 6 months after graduation. You may obtain up to cost of attendance from the Direct PLUS loan. Current/legacy students who started before July 1, 2026 may continue borrowing under the existing Grad PLUS program for a limited period based on their “expected time to credential” or time to graduation, provided they remain continuously enrolled in the same program and do not have a break in enrollment after June 30, 2026. Students starting on or after July 1, 2026 are no longer eligible to receive Grad PLUS loans. Click here for more information.

*The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has enacted a number of changes to the federal student loan program that went into effect on July 1st, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  In late June, a federal court ruling temporarily blocked the USDE’s regulatory definition of professional degree academic programs. As part of the new regulations, loan limits are determined based on this definition. In response, the USDE issued new guidance that provided an “interim” list of certain academic programs approved as “professional degree” programs for federal student loan purposes. This interim list includes MOT, OTD, DPT, MS-SLP, MSN, and DNP programs. Students should be advised that litigation regarding this definition is ongoing and, as such, the regulations remain subject to change. Please visit the Federal Financial Aid Changes and USAHS Student Financial Aid Update page for additional details.

Private financial institutions offer a variety of products to help graduate students fund their education. Visit ELMSelect to learn more about private lending options and for the most recent listing of lenders. USAHS does not have a preferred lender arrangement. You can choose to use any lender, including a lender not listed on the ELMSelect site.

Follow these steps to apply for financial aid:

• Incoming Students: Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Fall 2026 students should submit the 2026-2027 FAFSA. The FAFSA can be found at https://studentaid.gov. Enter USAHS’ school code: G31713
• Complete and submit the Entrance Counseling form for Graduate/Professional Students on the Federal Student Aid website by logging in to https://studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling. Select our school to be notified.
• Sign a Graduate/Professional Student Master Promissory Note for unsubsidized loans for USAHS at https://studentaid.gov/mpn. Enter school code: G31713.
• If you are applying for a private loan, we encourage you to look at all your options and let the Financial Aid office know your preference; these loans must be packaged at the same time as federal student loans.

Please submit completed forms six (6) to eight (8) weeks before the trimester begins to ensure a timely disbursement.

The maximum loan amount for the Direct Unsubsidized Loan is $20,500 per academic aid award year (graduate degree) or $50,000 per academic aid award year (professional degree), less the federal origination fee, for eligible students.*

Private loan options are available to cover remaining funding needs. Any portion of tuition/fees that you plan to pay out of pocket will be due no later than the first day of classes.

Note: Current/legacy students who started before July 1, 2026 may continue borrowing under the existing Grad PLUS program for a limited period based on their “expected time to credential” or time to graduation, provided they remain continuously enrolled in the same program and do not have a break in enrollment after June 30, 2026. Students starting on or after July 1, 2026 are no longer eligible to receive Grad PLUS loans.  Click here for more information.

*The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has enacted a number of changes to the federal student loan program that went into effect on July 1st, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  In late June, a federal court ruling temporarily blocked the USDE’s regulatory definition of professional degree academic programs. As part of the new regulations, loan limits are determined based on this definition. In response, the USDE issued new guidance that provided an “interim” list of certain academic programs approved as “professional degree” programs for federal student loan purposes. This interim list includes MOT, OTD, DPT, MS-SLP, MSN, and DNP programs. Students should be advised that litigation regarding this definition is ongoing and, as such, the regulations remain subject to change. Please visit the Federal Financial Aid Changes and USAHS Student Financial Aid Update page for additional details.

Additional steps (for qualifying current/legacy borrowers) required to receive the Direct (Grad) PLUS Loan include:

• Make sure you have completed a FAFSA for the current award year
• Complete these three steps on this site:
  • Direct (Grad) PLUS loan request
  • Direct (Grad) PLUS entrance counseling
  • Direct (Grad) PLUS master promissory note

Note: Current/legacy students who started before July 1, 2026 may continue borrowing under the existing Grad PLUS program for a limited period based on their “expected time to credential” or time to graduation, provided they remain continuously enrolled in the same program and do not have a break in enrollment after June 30, 2026. Students starting on or after July 1, 2026 are no longer eligible to receive Grad PLUS loans. Click here for more information.

There are no known federal grants available for graduate students.

During the meeting you will provide additional data that is required to process your loan application but was not gathered by the FAFSA form. You will be directed to sign your promissory note. Your loan can not be processed if you do not complete this step.

An MPN is a Master Promissory Note. This note acknowledges your responsibility to repay all loans incurred during your education. Once an MPN has been signed, you should not have to sign another one during the course of your program.

Entrance counseling explains the obligations you agree to meet as a condition of receiving a Federal Loan. Topics include:

• Understand Your Loans
• Manage Your Spending
• Plan to Repay
• Avoid Default
• Make Finances a Priority

The balance of your tuition is due at registration; incoming students are not required to pay at that time if they have a government and/or Sallie Mae loan pending. When the University receives the loan disbursement, the Bursar will apply tuition and fees and credit any loans pending on your behalf. After this is done, if you have a credit balance on your account, the remaining funds will be refunded back to you. You will be given instructions on how to select a refund preference with BankMobile. For more information about BankMobile, visit this link or contact the Bursar’s Office at [email protected].

That depends on when you log into your account. Scholarships and grant amounts are posted to student accounts after the add/drop date for the term.  When you have met all admissions requirements and scholarship/grant requirements, these amounts will be posted to your account after the add/drop period.

• Consider this timing for starting the financial aid process, depending on your start date:
  • If you are entering in the Fall term, begin the financial aid application process in June.
  • If you are entering in the Spring term, begin the process by October 1.
  • If you are entering in the Summer term, begin the process by February 1.
• Write down your usernames and passwords and store them in a safe place.