Online FAQs
Yes. Financial aid is available in the form of federal or private loans for graduate students, but there are no institutional scholarships available for the Online Master of Arts in Counseling program. Financial aid is available in the form of federal loans—the Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loan or the Direct Graduate PLUS loan. A student may also borrow through a private educational loan program of his or her choosing. Please notify Student Financial Aid at gradaid@wfu.edu of any private loan applications.
The cost of attendance is the total estimated amount that a student will incur in educational expenses. The cost of attendance consists of direct billed expenses (tuition) and indirect expenses (housing costs, insurance, food allowance).
1 Semester of 6 hrs part time enrollment:
Tuition: $10,200
Books: $400
Room and Board: $8,800
Personal Expenses: $1,600
Health Insurance: $919
Transportation: $1,240
Federal Direct Loan Average Fee: $68
Total: $23,227
There will be 3 semesters where a student will be enrolled in more than 6 hours and incur a higher direct tuition cost.
2024-2025 Part-time Tuition Rate: $1,700 per credit hour
To be considered for federal Direct Unsubsidized loan eligibility, a student must complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. To be considered for a Graduate PLUS loan, a student must complete an application through www.studentloans.gov
A student must complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov to determine federal loan eligibility. The Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences FAFSA school code is E00429. Once submitted, the school will review and determine a student’s loan eligibility. An email award notification will be sent to your Wake Forest University email address with specific instructions on how to view and accept aid eligibility through the Financial Aid Portal, which can be accessed through One.WFU.edu.
Once a student is admitted into the program, the student will receive access to his or her Wake Forest email account. Students will receive an award notification to their WFU email accounts with specific instructions for viewing their financial aid award on the Student Tab of the OneWFU portal.
A student’s withdrawal from the program may necessitate a return of federal aid. The return of funds will be based on the percentage of the semester completed. For more information on the impact of withdrawal on tuition charges and federal aid, a student should contact their enrollment advisor.
The MPN is a promissory note that can be used to make one or more loans for one or more academic years (up to 10 years). There are two types of MPNs in the Direct Loan Program: one for Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans and one for Direct PLUS Loans.
Wake Forest University’s standard billing is by semester. Payment deadline for fall semester is August 1; Spring semester December 1; Summer semester May 1.
Payment for tuition and any fees is due in full before the first day of classes.
A graduate student can borrow up to $20,500 per academic year in Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loan.
The Online Counseling program does not offer departmental scholarships. However, it is recommended that students look into local civic organizations, current employer’s human resource department to explore tuition benefits if offered and any support through one’s congregation.
Educational loan deferment is based on at least half-time enrollment (half time for a graduate student is 4.5 credit hours, full-time is 9 credit hours) in a degree-seeking program. This is not based on acceptance or anticipated enrollment, but actual enrollment that begins on the first day of classes. After the first day of classes, Wake Forest’s Registrar’s Office sends a monthly report called the Clearinghouse Report to the National Student Loan Data Service that will update your enrollment status. Lenders will update your deferment status based on your enrollment in the National Student Loan Data Service. A student should anticipate making loan payments until they verify their status has been updated, which is approximately 2-4 weeks after the first day of classes.
The Unsubsidized Direct Stafford loan has an interest rate of 7.05% for loans disbursed on/after July 1, 2023.
Financial aid award notifications are emailed, usually, within a week to WFU email accounts after a student has been admitted into the program and the FAFSA has been completed. If there is additional documentation needed to complete the review of the FAFSA then it could take longer than a week. Aid disburses to a student’s account during the first week of class.
Funding is disbursed at the start of each semester for students in the Online Master of Arts in Counseling program.
A student must complete three steps for a Stafford loan to disburse to his or her account.
- The loan must be accepted in Financial Aid Portal
- Upon entering a new degree program, the student must complete federal loan entrance counseling at www.studentloans.gov
- Complete & E-Sign Master Promissory Note at www.studentloans.gov
For a Graduate PLUS loan to disburse, a student must:
- Complete a PLUS credit request at www.studentloans.gov
- Complete & E-Sign Master Promissory Note at www.studentloans.gov
No. Students can only be awarded loans up to the cost of attendance for the program.
Loan repayment begins after a student completes the program of study or withdraws from the program. Students will coordinate loan repayment with their Direct Loan Servicer. More information on a student’s federal loans can be found at the Federal Student Aid Website.
Yes. Undergraduate financial aid eligibility assesses the parents’ ability to contribute to educational expenses. Graduate students are considered independent and parents’ income and assets are not assessed.
Outside scholarships are to be included with a student’s file as early as possible in order to create a more accurate financial aid package. Donors should send a cover letter and on the memo line of the check include the name and Wake Forest student identification number of the intended recipient. Checks should be made payable to Wake Forest University (or co-payable to Wake Forest University and the student) and sent to the Office of Student Financial Aid, PO Box 7246, Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7246.
A student who is the dependent of a veteran or active duty service member may qualify for governmental aid from the Armed Forces towards graduate program costs. Students will need to visit the Veterans Affairs website and explore the VA Benefits page. Contact Student Financial Aid once eligibility of benefits has been determined.
To maintain federal eligibility, a student must be enrolled at least half time (minimum 4.5 hours) and meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirement. The minimum GPA required for graduation in the MA in Counseling program is 3.0. GPAs are reviewed at the end of each semester and if a student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the student will be sent a warning notification that the GPA must rise above a 3.0 to ensure continued eligibility. If the student does not raise his or her GPA above a 3.0 after the warning semester, he or she will be ineligible for federal aid until the GPA required for graduation is met. A student can appeal the SAP policy and request an additional probationary semester of federal aid to bring the GPA to the required minimum. For more information on the federal SAP requirement, students can view the policy at: Graduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.