Financial Aid Policies

The MGH Institute abides by the federal financial aid policies and regulations as required by the US Department of Education. For more information you may access the Department of Education's Guide to Federal Financial Aid.

Your Financial Aid Offer Letter may contain any combination of scholarships and/or Federal Direct Loans. Eligible students must independently apply for Federal Grad PLUS Loans and private alternative loans. All MGH Institute financial aid decisions are made on an academic year basis and are reviewed annually.

Students must reapply each year and meet established deadlines in order to receive aid in subsequent years. Renewal of financial aid is dependent upon students meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements and all other eligibility criteria.

The type and amount of future aid will depend on calculated financial need and available funding levels. Financial aid may be higher or lower in future years if family circumstances or the MGH Institute’s ability to provide assistance changes.

A student's financial aid file will be reviewed once it is complete and the student has been accepted into his or her degree or certificate program.

The Office of Financial Aid maintains five business days to process student requests.

Available on this site are links to possible federal, state, local, private and institutional financial need-based and non-need based assistance programs, and as available, for each program a description of:

  • Application form and procedures
  • Student eligibility requirements
  • Selection criteria
  • Criteria for determining amount of student's award
  • Rights and responsibilities of students receiving Title IV and other financial aid, including criteria for continued eligibility
  • Satisfactory academic progress standards and criteria to reestablish eligibility if student fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress
  • Method and frequency of financial aid disbursements
  • Terms of any loans received, sample loan repayment schedules, and the necessity for repaying loans
  • Exit counseling information required to be provided to federal student loan borrowers of Federal Direct Loans. This information is mailed from the MGH Institute on a student borrower's separation or change to less than half-time status.

 

Financial Aid Office Communication with Students

Students enrolled at MGH Institute are required to check their mghihp.edu address to ensure they receive current information pertaining to financial aid. Prospective students and currently enrolled students are welcome to contact the Financial Aid Office regarding any questions, concerns, or to schedule an appointment.

The Office of Financial Aid uses electronic means only to provide required notifications to students to stay green and also to be as efficient as possible. You may opt out of electronic notifications and request paper copies by financialaid [at] mghihp.edu (notifying us in writing).

An over award occurs when your aid exceeds your need or cost of attendance. Federal regulation requires the office of Financial Aid to reduce your award package when an over award exists.

Most often, over awards occur when the Office of Financial Aid learns of outside resources available to you after your aid has been awarded.

You are responsible for paying back any monies refunded to you if an over award occurs after you have received your refund. An over award may also occur if you make changes to your FAFSA.

If a student withdraws on or before the 60% point in time of the period of enrollment, which is calculated using calendar days, a portion of the total Title IV funds awarded the student (e.g. Federal Direct Loan) must be returned, according to the provisions of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1988.

The calculation of the return of these funds may result in the student owing a balance to the MGH Institute and/or the Federal Government. The balance must be paid in full before the student will be allowed to re-enroll and/or receive additional funds.

Financial Aid awards are based on enrollment. Students must report changes in enrollment status to the Office of Financial Aid. Changes in enrollment status may affect your financial aid award. Students need to be enrolled at least half-time (5 hours for graduates, 6 hours for undergraduates) during the semester to retain federal student loans.

Student loan funds are returned to the lender if the student's enrollment status does not fulfill federal policy requirements.

Federal and Private Loan Program Deferments

The MGH Institute of Health Professions uses the Student Loan Clearinghouse to report the enrollment of ALL students on a monthly basis. Normally, lenders receive this information automatically and put any eligible loans into deferment for you. Please allow at least 30 days from the start of classes for your lender to take action.

Terms and conditions of deferment are available through your lender or servicer. If your lender has not responded after 30 days, please contact your servicer for deferment conditions and procedures. Students may need to submit paper enrollment certification forms. The registrar's office will assist you with completing your forms.

Students who are experiencing unforeseen and unanticipated financial difficulties should complete the Emergency Grant Application to see if there is additional assistance available. Such difficulties could be caused by:

  • Major illness, either temporary or permanent in nature
  • Family emergencies
  • Divorce or separation
  • Disruption and/or displacement in living situation (fire, flooding, unsafe living environment)
  • Accidents
  • Any other disruptive life event

Please note that the inability to secure loans due to low credit scores is not considered an unforeseen hardship.)

The Financial Aid Office sets aside a limited amount of funding each year for these circumstances. Students will be asked to provide documentation of the hardship (letters, copies of bills, etc). The Financial Aid office will then determine what support is available to the student. Support may consist of a short-term (90-day) loan as an advance against future aid, an increase in borrowing eligibility, or institute scholarship funds.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The MGH Institute of Health Professions (the “Institute”) is committed to the success of its students and their academic and professional growth. This commitment includes encouraging students to complete their degree or program of study in the most efficient, effective way possible.  The Institute has established this policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to guide all enrolled students and comply with federal requirements related to eligibility for financial aid. 

The Institute has established, publishes, and applies SAP standards to monitor the progress of students enrolled in all degree and certificate programs that are eligible for financial aid; however, the standards apply to all enrolled students, regardless of their participation in financial aid.  It is important to note that individual academic programs may establish expectations above and beyond those stated in this policy regarding student progress in their program of study beyond the institutional SAP requirements (e.g., attendance, comportment, health requirements, etc.).  

The Institute measures student progress across three SAP standards. Students must meet all three components to maintain financial aid eligibility and demonstrate satisfactory academic progress.  Students who fail to make sufficient progress toward the completion of their education will be suspended from receiving financial aid and may not be allowed to continue their studies at the Institute.  The three standards are:

Grade Point Average (GPA) refers to the minimum GPA a student must earn at the Institute. 

Undergraduate students must maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher, after 12 attempted credit hours. 

Graduate students (e.g., master’s, doctoral, and graduate certificate programs) must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, after 9 attempted credit hours. 

Pass/Fail grades do not calculate into a student’s GPA.  If a student is enrolled in a program of study that only utilizes a Pass/Fail grading system, the student must meet the minimum requirements for satisfactory academic progress that is defined in the program’s student handbook.   

Maximum Timeframe refers to the maximum amount of time a student may spend as an enrolled student in pursuit of a specific degree or other program of study. Time spent by a student in an approved leave of absence does not count toward the maximum timeframe.

Undergraduate students must complete their programs of study within 150% of the program’s published length. For example, an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing that is offered over 3 semesters has a maximum timeframe of 5 semesters (3 x 1.5 = 4.5, rounded to the nearest whole number 5). Timeframes are based on a student who is enrolled full-time (e.g., at least 12 credit hours per semester for undergraduate students).  If a student is enrolled part-time, then the timeframe is adjusted accordingly.

Graduate students must complete their programs of study within a timeframe that is based on the type of program.  Timeframes are based on a student who is enrolled full-time (at least 9 credit hours per semester for graduate students).  If a student is enrolled part-time, then the timeframe is adjusted accordingly. 

  • Graduate Certificate must be completed within 3 years (36 months) from the start of the program. 
  • Certificate of Advanced Study must be completed within 3 years (36 months) from the start of the program.  
  • Master’s degree must be completed within 5 years (60 months) from the start of the program. 
  • Clinical or Professional Doctoral Degree (e.g., AuD, DHSc, DNP, DPT, SLPD, OTD) must be completed within 5 years (60 months) from the start of the program.
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) must be completed within 10 years (120 months) from the start of the program. 
     

Pace refers to the percentage of a student’s total attempted hours that the student must earn at the Institute and the overall cumulative level.  To calculate pace, the cumulative number of credit hours completed is divided by the cumulative number of credit hours attempted.  For example, if a student attempted 12 credit hours but only completed 9 credit hours, then the pace is 75% (e.g., 9 ÷ 12 = 0.75 or 75%). 

Total Credit Hours AttemptedMinimum Pace
1-2950%
30-5960%
60 or more67%

Course Completion requires a final course grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, or P.  The course is not considered successfully completed if the final course grade is W, CR, NC, I, AU, E, PR, TR, or the grade has not been submitted by the instructor.  These grades are described in more detail in the Grading Policy section of the Institute’s Student Handbook.  It is important to note that course completion, based on the student’s performance, may not mean the student has met the program’s requirements for passing that course or progressing in the program.

All repeated courses are considered attempted hours, but a repeated course is only counted as completed once.  Students are allowed to repeat a course one time with consideration of eligibility for financial aid.  Some students may undergo non-credit remediation activities or coursework, and such activities are not considered in this SAP policy.  

Transfer credits may be accepted by the Institute and applied toward degree completion requirements.  In this circumstance, transfer credits are considered in pace calculations.  However, only grades earned for courses taken at the Institute are included in GPA calculations. 

Students may only receive federal financial aid for courses that are required for completion of a degree or otherwise eligible program of study.  Students enrolled in credits that are unrelated to or beyond those required by the program of study will have their financial aid adjusted accordingly. 

Monitoring Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Office of Enrollment Services monitors student progress at the end of every semester across all three SAP standards.  Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress toward their degree or certificate, as defined by the SAP standards, are at risk of becoming ineligible to receive financial aid and continue their studies. 

A period of financial aid warning is applied for students who do not meet GPA or pace standards.  The financial aid warning period extends through the end of the semester in which it is imposed.  During this time, a student remains eligible for financial aid. Students are expected to meet all SAP standards by the end of the financial aid warning period; if they do not, then financial aid is suspended.  

If students fail to meet all the SAP standards following a financial aid warning period, they are no longer eligible to receive financial aid.  In this situation, financial aid remains suspended until a student has regained compliance with all SAP standards or has successfully appealed the determination.  A financial aid suspension is also applied if students exceed the maximum timeframe standard. There is no financial aid warning period for non-compliance with the maximum timeframe standard.  

A period of financial aid probation is applied for students who do not meet GPA or pace standards and have successfully appealed the financial aid suspension. Students are eligible for financial aid while on financial aid probation.  

Students will not be held responsible for disruption of their academic schedules due to unavoidable situations affecting the campus, such as natural disasters, inclement weather, or other circumstances that result in the late assignment of grades.  The Office of Enrollment Services will initiate this emergency provision in consultation with Institute leadership and its Emergency Preparedness Plan.  At that time, every effort will be made to determine the progression toward program completion without the availability of grades so students may proceed with their next academic semester. 

A student who experiences financial aid suspension for failure to meet SAP standards may request an appeal in writing.  Students are encouraged to submit a written appeal request to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee by mail or email:  Financial Aid,  Office of Enrollment Services, 36 1st Avenue, Boston, MA 02129-4557, FinancialAid [at] mghihp.edu (FinancialAid[at]mghihp[dot]edu).  

A request for appeal must be received by the date indicated on the suspension letter provided to the student.  In general, appeals will be granted for extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as illness or death of an immediate family member, personal injury, illness, or other hardship.  In the request for appeal, the student should include the following: 

  • A detailed statement, plus documentation (as appropriate), explaining the circumstances that led to noncompliance with SAP standards; and
  • A plan or description of how the student will regain compliance with SAP standards.

If the suspension resulted from reaching the maximum timeframe, the students should also include a plan co-signed by the student’s academic advisor or program director that details any outstanding course requirements and the terms in which those courses will be completed to meet graduation requirements.

Students who successfully appeal a financial aid suspension but are not realistically able to meet SAP standards within one semester must enter a personalized academic plan to continue their studies, which is monitored each term until the student complies with SAP standards.  Students who are approved for a maximum timeframe extension will be monitored for course completion and required to follow a personalized academic plan.  Students who do not follow the personalized academic plan will lose their financial aid eligibility.  
Students who unsuccessfully appeal a financial aid suspension (e.g., the appeal is denied) have no further recourse at the Institute, as these decisions are final.  In these cases, regaining eligibility for financial aid requires students to meet SAP standards using their own resources, if the academic program approves their reinstatement into the respective degree or certificate program.
 

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