Applying for Aid
How to Apply for Financial Aid
At the beginning of the 2025-2026 academic year, Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine (MSOM) will not yet be approved to receive Federal Student Aid funds by students completing a FAFSA. For this reason, students will need to seek private educational loans through a lender of their choosing. MSOM does have a number of scholarship options available as well. This is a normal process which occurs with all new schools as the US Department of Education (ED) does not allow schools to apply for approval for Federal Student Aid funds until the first day of the program’s start. MSOM’s Financial Aid Team will notify all students once approval has been received for Federal Student Aid.
You may find a list of private, educational loan options on ScholarNet. Students may also seek funds from their local bank or credit union. Most students will require a credit worthy co-signer who can prove monthly income to be approved. Interest rates and loan fees vary from lender to lender depending on borrower and co-signer’s credit histories. MSOM is not responsible for nor does MSOM endorse any loan or product vendor listed. It is the student’s (and co-signer, if applicable) responsibility to review the loan product they select and determine the best option for themselves and their co-signer regarding loan fees, interest rates and repayment options.
Students also have the option to make payment out of pocket. While MSOM does not offer payment plans, students can pre-pay from the time of acceptance/enrollment to ensure full payment is made by the billing due dates of July 1st for Fall and December 1st for Spring each year.
Once Approved for Title IV Aid:
To apply for Federal Student Aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year of enrollment at https://studentaid.gov. The FAFSA opens on October 1st for the next year’s filing.
As the student will be seeking a professional degree, they will be considered ‘independent’ and will not be required to list parental data on the form. Although income and assets will be required, all professional degree students will be qualified to receive a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan as long as the student has not reached their aggregate lifetime borrowing limits and meet other basic eligibility criteria.
The annual gross loan limit for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans for osteopathic medicine degree programs is $40,500. As the $40,500 is a gross loan amount and the ED retains a 1.057% loan fee, the net funding amount applied to the student's billable expenses would be $40,071 per year; this funding, if eligible, would net $20,036 applied to fall and $20,035 applied to spring. This loan amount will be the same each year a student completes a FAFSA and meets the eligibility criteria. Further, by completing a FAFSA each year, the student can apply for a Graduate PLUS Loan via https://studentaid.gov. As this loan is credit based, if the student is approved, they can borrow the remaining amount needed to fund their education each year.
MSOM recommends all students complete a FAFSA for each year of planned enrollment.