Check one box
When you apply for admission, check “I want to be considered for scholarships, grants, and tuition waivers.” The Continuation Grant is the one exception: request it through the student portal.
Scholarship criteria & eligibility
The Institute Fellowship Fund
Berean Institutes offers seven awards in three categories: tuition waivers, grants, and scholarships. Meet an award’s threshold and you are eligible for 100 percent of it. To be considered, check one box when you apply for admission.
Four rules for every award
Qualify, and it is 100 percent
Reduced only by outside funding and, for grants, your own income.
One waiver plus one grant, or one scholarship alone
A scholarship cannot be combined with any other award.
Awards depend on available funds
Meeting the criteria makes you eligible, not entitled. Awards are made in the order admission files are complete and verified.
Tuition waivers
Tuition waivers reduce what you owe the Institute. No money is paid to you. Each covers 100 percent of tuition and costs: tuition plus the $50 administrative fee charged each semester.
Pastoral Assistance Tuition Waiver
100% of tuition and costs
Full tuition and costs for those already serving in ministry.
- Who it’s for
- Pastors, church planters, ministry leaders, and missionaries in active service. Full-time service is not required.
- To qualify
- An endorsement from your church board or council of elders. The Institute requests it from them directly.
More about this award
- Endorsement
- The Institute sends the form to your church board or council of elders and confirms it with them. You cannot submit it yourself. It is the Institute asking your own church to confirm the work you are already doing.
- Part-time
- A part-time or bivocational pastor qualifies on the same terms as anyone else.
- Reduced by
- Outside funding covering the same expense, such as a denominational education fund. Income does not affect it.
- Paid
- Credited to your account each semester. No money changes hands.
Academic Merit and Need Tuition Waiver
100% of tuition and costs
Full tuition and costs for strong seminary students of limited means.
- Who it’s for
- Current or former seminary students whose study was interrupted or who are continuing elsewhere.
- To qualify
- A 3.5 grade point average or higher on your prior seminary transcript, and income at or below $39,900 for 2026.
More about this award
- Income
- 250 percent of the federal poverty guideline for one person. The figure updates each January. Only your own income counts. A spouse’s income does not.
- Reduced by
- Outside funding only. Income is a yes-or-no threshold, not a sliding scale. Under it, you receive the full waiver.
- Not available to
- Students whose prior seminary graded pass/fail, since there is no grade point average to meet. They may qualify for other awards.
- Paid
- Credited to your account each semester.
Independent Lay Scholar Tuition Waiver
100% of tuition and costs
Full tuition and costs for serious lay students who have studied on their own.
- Who it’s for
- Students who are neither ordained nor employed in vocational ministry.
- To qualify
- A signed statement of lay status, plus a record of self-directed study by either of two routes.
More about this award
- Route 1
- Two Institute open courses completed at 80 percent or higher.
- Route 2
- Any two of: a certificate or transcript from other theological coursework; a letter from a church leader confirming lay teaching or leadership; a reading record of theological works from the past two years with a written reflection. The Academic Board reviews these against a published rubric.
- Fairness
- Neither route is favored. Studying outside the Institute is no disadvantage.
- Reduced by
- Outside funding only. This award is not need-based, and income never affects it.
- Paid
- Credited to your account each semester.
Grants
Grants are need-based support paid to you. Your own income can reduce a grant.
Living Expenses Grant
100% of living expense burden
Support that makes it possible to study without working full time.
- Who it’s for
- Students who cannot work full time and study at the same time.
- To qualify
- Enrollment at six credit hours, plus two Institute open courses at 80 percent or higher, or a 3.0 grade point average or higher on a transcript from the past ten years.
Estimate your monthly amount with the living expenses calculator →
More about this award
- Covers
- Your own housing, food, clothing, and everyday expenses, in set amounts drawn from published federal figures. You submit no receipts. It covers you as an individual, not a spouse, children, or other household members.
- No recent transcript
- The open-courses route is open to you.
- Reduced by
- Your own continuing income, such as part-time wages or a pension, and outside funding covering the same expenses. A spouse’s income is not counted and is not replaced.
- Paid
- In monthly installments during the semester, not a lump sum.
- Taxes
- May be taxable income. The Institute sends an annual statement and does not give tax advice.
Continuation Grant
Prorated living expenses, seven weeks maximum
Emergency help so a hardship doesn’t end your studies.
- Who it’s for
- Enrolled students in good academic standing facing something unexpected: a job loss, medical expenses, a family emergency.
- How to request
- Through the student portal, at any time. A decision comes within seven days.
More about this award
- Covers
- Living expenses for the rest of the semester, prorated by the number of full weeks remaining in the eight-week term. The maximum is seven weeks.
- Documentation
- Include documentation of the hardship, such as a termination notice or medical bills. The Academic Board reviews each request individually.
- Not available to
- Students already receiving the Living Expenses Grant or the Berean Scholarship. Their living expenses are already covered at the same rate.
- Limit
- One per student, ever.
- Reduced by
- Outside funding addressing the same hardship, and your income.
- If you withdraw
- No repayment. The grant was given for a hardship, and a student forced out despite the help is not asked to return it.
Scholarships
Scholarships recognize achievement or completion. Your income does not reduce them. A scholarship is held alone and cannot be combined with any other award.
Program Completion Scholarship
100% of what you paid out of pocket
Finish the program you paid for yourself, and get it back.
- Who it’s for
- Students who pay their own way through a program with no other assistance.
- All or nothing
- The award is earned when your certificate is issued. If you do not finish, you receive nothing, no matter how far you got.
More about this award
- Covers
- Reimbursement of 100 percent of the tuition, costs, and living expenses you paid out of pocket. Living expenses are calculated at the standard schedule for each month enrolled, with no receipts required.
- Progress
- The dashboard shows your progress as you complete competencies. That display is encouragement, not a partial claim.
- Reduced by
- Only what you actually paid is reimbursed. Anything covered by another award or an outside source is not included. Income does not reduce it.
- Paid
- A completion notice goes out within 15 days of your final semester, when grades are due. The certificate is issued seven days later, and the award is paid when it is issued.
- Taxes
- May be taxable, and may be a large amount in a single year. You will be told before the award is paid.
Berean Scholarship
100% of tuition, costs, and living expenses
The Institute’s highest distinction. Recipients carry the title Berean Scholar.
- Who it’s for
- A limited number of students each year with an exceptional record of academic achievement or demonstrated study.
- To qualify
- Three Institute open courses at 90 percent or higher, or a 3.5 grade point average or higher on a transcript from the past ten years.
More about this award
- Covers
- 100 percent of tuition and costs, and 100 percent of living expenses at the standard schedule.
- Number offered
- The Academic Board sets the number each year. Qualifying students are awarded in the order their files are completed, until that number is reached.
- Reduced by
- Outside funding only. Income never reduces it. A reduced amount does not affect your standing as a Berean Scholar.
- Paid
- Tuition and costs credited to your account. Living expenses in monthly installments.
- Taxes
- The living expense portion may be taxable.
Key dates
Deadline
The admissions deadline is the award deadline. It closes eight weeks before the semester begins.
See the academic calendar →Decisions
Awards appear with your admission decision, no later than four weeks before the semester begins.
Continuation Grant
The one award with no calendar. Request it through the student portal at any time after you enroll.
Common questions
Do I need to fill out a separate form for awards?
No. When you apply for admission, check the box that says you want to be considered for scholarships, grants, and tuition waivers, then answer the financial questions that appear. We review your information against every award and grant the ones you qualify for. The Continuation Grant is the one exception: you request it through the student portal at any time after you enroll. (Policy 3.4)
If I meet the requirements, am I guaranteed an award?
No. Awards are granted only to the extent funds are available for that semester. Meeting the criteria makes you eligible, not entitled. Awards are granted in the order student files are completed and verified, so completing yours early matters. (Policy 3.7, 3.11)
When will I know?
Your awards appear with your admission decision, no later than four weeks before the semester begins. The admissions deadline is the award deadline, and it closes eight weeks before the semester starts. (Policy 3.6)
Can I receive more than one award?
You can hold one tuition waiver and one grant at the same time. Scholarships are held alone and cannot be combined with anything else. You cannot hold two awards of the same type. (Policy 3.3)
I haven’t been in school for years. Do I still qualify?
Yes. Most awards offer two routes. If your transcript is older than ten years, or you don’t have one, you can qualify instead by completing Institute open courses, which you can take without enrolling in a program. (Policy 5.3, 6.1, 7.2)
What counts as living expenses, and are they taxable?
Housing, food, clothing, and everyday expenses, paid in set amounts drawn from published federal figures rather than from receipts. You won’t submit rent receipts or grocery bills. Money received for living expenses may be taxable income. We send you a statement once a year, but we can’t give tax advice, so talk to a tax professional. To estimate what the Living Expenses Grant would pay you, use the living expenses calculator. (Policy 4, 3.10)
My church is helping with tuition and costs. Does that affect my award?
Yes. Assistance from another source that covers the same expense reduces your award by that amount, so the same cost isn’t paid twice. For grants, your own income is also counted. (Policy 3.2)
How long does an award last, and what do I have to do to keep it?
Awards are granted one semester at a time and renewed each semester. To renew, stay enrolled at six credit hours and keep a 3.0 grade point average. We don’t re-check your income or other qualifying documents once you’ve been awarded. (Policy 3.5)
What happens if I have to withdraw?
Payments stop, and you keep what you’ve already received. If you withdraw within the first 21 days of the semester, you repay that month’s payment. Awards from earlier semesters are never affected. (Policy 9)
What if I don’t finish the program?
The Program Completion Scholarship reimburses what you paid out of pocket, but only once your certificate is issued. It is all or nothing. Your dashboard shows your progress toward it as you complete competencies. (Policy 7.1)
Next step
Apply for admission
When you apply, check the box to be considered for scholarships, grants, and tuition waivers. Questions about awards before you apply? Request information →