Financial Aid and Scholarships

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Featured Loans

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Federal Direct Loans

The federal government sets the borrowing limits and interest rates of its federal loans.

  • Federal Direct Loans require acceptance into a degree-seeking program or certificate program. Students taking pre-requisite coursework prior to admission should contact their financial aid coordinator.
  • Most Direct Loans require you to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
  • All Direct Loan borrowers and dependent students of Parent Plus Loan borrowers are required to complete entrance counseling.
  • All Direct Loan borrowers are required to sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) before any loan funds can be disbursed to their UMKC account.
  • All Direct Loan borrowers are required to view how much they currently owe in federal student loans and to acknowledge they have seen the amount before we can process loan funds. This annual requirement applies to all borrowers, even those who accepted a Direct Loan before this requirement.
  • Federal Direct Loan awards have origination fees. Because of these fees, the actual Direct Loan amounts applied to your UMKC account will be lower than those listed on your award notification page. Loan origination fees are subject to change based on the loan’s disbursement date.

 Subsidized Loans

  • Eligibility
    • Undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need
  • Terms
    • Interest is not charged while student is in school at least half-time and during the six months after attendance falls below half-time
    • Repayment of the principal balance begins six months after the student graduates or drops below half-time enrollment
    • Effective July 1, 2013, students with a zero student loan balance will be limited to the amount of Subsidized Direct Loans they can receive during their undergraduate career. Eligibility will be limited to 150% of the length of their degree program. If degree is not received by the end of the 150% time frame, Subsidized Direct Loans will be converted to Unsubsidized Direct Loans.
  • How to apply

Unsubsidized Loans

  • Eligibility
    • Undergraduate, graduate and professional students
    • Do not require demonstrated financial need
  • Terms
    • Interest is charged while student is in school but does not need to be repaid while the student is enrolled at least half-time
    • Repayment of the principal and accumulated interest begins six months after the student graduates or drops below half-time enrollment
  • How to apply

Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

A Direct Graduate PLUS loan is a federal loan that graduate or professional students can use to help pay for college. A Direct Graduate PLUS loan can help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid.

A credit check will be performed during the application process. If you have an adverse credit history, you may still receive a Direct Graduate PLUS Loan through one of these two options:

  • Obtaining an endorser who does not have an adverse credit history. An endorser is someone who agrees to repay the Direct Graduate PLUS Loan if you do not repay it.
    • If you choose to obtain an endorser he or she may complete the process by visiting StudentAid.gov to complete the Endorser Addendum electronically. Your endorser will need:
      • An FSA ID (obtained at StudentAid.gov)
      • Endorser Code or Award ID and Borrower’s Last Name
        • The endorser code will be provided to you in an email and is also available on the StudentAid.gov Web site.
  • Appeal the credit decision by documenting to the satisfaction of the U.S. Department of Education that there are extenuating circumstances relating to your adverse credit history.
    • To request an appeal, visit StudentAid.gov and select “Apply for Aid” and then "Appeal a Credit Decision."

With either option 1 or option 2, you also must also complete credit counseling for PLUS loan borrowers on the StudentAid.gov website.

  • Eligibility
    • Graduate and professional students
    • Does not require financial need
    • Borrower must pass a basic credit check
    • Available to graduate/professional students enrolled at least half-time
    • Repayment will be postponed until 6 months after student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time
  • Terms
    • Borrow up to your cost of attendance minus other financial aid awards
    • Interest is charged while student is in school but does not need to be repaid while the student is enrolled at least half-time
    • Repayment of the principal and accumulated interest begins six months after the student graduates or drops below half-time enrollment
  • How to apply

    In order to received a Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, students must:

    • File the FAFSA annually
    • Accept the DL Grad PLUS loan on Pathway

Parent PLUS

  • Eligibility
    • Parents of dependent undergraduate students
    • Cannot have an adverse credit history
  • Terms
    • May borrow up to the student’s cost of attendance minus other financial aid
    • Annual amounts of the additional unsubsidized Direct Loan funds are $4,000 for freshman- and sophomore-level students and $5,000 for junior- and senior-level students
    • Repayment begins 60 days after the loan is disbursed to the student’s UMKC account, but parent may request that repayment be deferred while the student is enrolled at least half-time
    • Interest is charged while the student is in school
    • Parent Plus borrowers are required to complete PLUS Counseling if the parent does not pass the initial credit check but is approved through a cosigner or appeal with supporting documentation
  • How to apply

Learn more about the Parent PLUS (PDF) 

Perkins Loan

  • The Perkins Loan Extension Act of 2015 phased out the Perkins Loan program in 2017.
  • If you received a Perkins Loan at UMKC and have questions about repayment, please contact Heartland ECSI, our servicer for Perkins Loans.

State Loans

Missouri Family Education Loan Program (MOFELP)

  • Eligibility
    • Undergraduate students
  • How to apply
    • Complete the application
    • Funds are limited for each academic year and are available on a first come, first served basis

UMKC Institutional Loans

UMKC cost of attendance loans 

Short-term emergency loans

  • Eligibility
    • Available for emergency or unexpected circumstances
  • Terms
    • Must be paid off by the end of the semester in which they were borrowed
  • How to apply

Find more emergency resources