It’s Time to Complete the FAFSA and See How Affordable an OBU Education Can Be

Every fall on Oct. 1, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens for students to complete as they prepare for next year’s college courses. The FAFSA is for all students to complete, not just those seeking federal loans, as colleges and universities use it to calculate the full financial aid packages for students, including scholarships and grants.

Oklahoma Baptist University likewise uses the FAFSA to calculate and send students a no-obligation financial aid package. This package shows students and their families what the actual cost of attendance will be, also known as the “Net Price,” after university scholarships, grants and other sources of funding are calculated. This is especially critical for private universities like OBU, as the University prides itself in its affordability for a world-class, private, Christian university education.

That’s why OBU is encouraging high school seniors and parents to complete the FAFSA now and submit their results to OBU using code 003164. It’s free, fully online and takes less than 30 minutes. The FAFSA must be completed before the university can inform the student about the full amount of financial award they will receive. By not taking the time to fill out the FAFSA, students and parents are leaving money on the table that could help them fund their educational pursuits.

Beginning in fall 2020, all new OBU students will receive a guaranteed minimum $7,000 annual scholarship, with most receiving more based on their high school GPA and ACT scores. In fact, first-time freshman will receive between $7,000 and $14,000 annually based on GPA and test scores, with some competing for full tuition scholarships. Transfer students receive between $7,000 and $11,000 per year in scholarships based on transfer GPA. Students will likely qualify for more aid in addition to this; however, the University must first receive their FAFSA in order to show them the full financial aid package.

OBU awards around $28 million in scholarships each year. At $7,000 per year, all new freshman students will receive a guaranteed minimum of $28,000 in scholarships over four years, with most qualifying for more. This scholarship is up from the previous guaranteed minimum of $20,000 over four years. Not only is OBU increasing all scholarships for first-time freshman by $2,000 per year; transfer student scholarships increased by $2,500 per year.

Students and parents sometimes fail to fill out the FAFSA due to lack of knowledge about the true price of attending a quality school such as OBU. No matter your family income, once the FAFSA is completed, families are often pleasantly surprised with the amount of aid they can receive. By completing your free FAFSA application and with the minimum financial award for new students, a top-rated school like OBU can easily be affordable and become your new home.

OBU offers an affordable, world-class education at a lower net price than its peer institutions as well as the state’s flagship university. Data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard website lists the average net price to attend OBU at $16,267. The average net price to attend the University of Oklahoma in Norman, for comparison, is $19,254, while Oral Roberts University in Tulsa is $19,035 and Southern Nazarene University is $20,311. Mid-America Christian comes in as less affordable than OBU as well, with a net price of $16,992. Oklahoma Wesleyan comes in at $26,109 while Oklahoma City University’s net price is $26,838. Oklahoma Christian University is also more expensive with a net price of $18,206 and the net price at the University of Tulsa is $23,948. As you can see, OBU beats them all with a low net price for a world-class Christian education. Not only is OBU an affordable school, completing the FAFSA can make student award packages even more so.

Fill out the FAFSA and then select OBU using code 003164. By taking just 30 minutes out of your day, you can find out just how affordable an OBU education can really be.