Warning! Your browser is extremely outdated and not web standards compliant.
Your browsing experience would greatly improve by upgrading to a modern browser.

Request Info Apply Contact Visit

Consumer Information

Student Accounts & Financial Aid

Office of Financial Aid

Briar Cliff University's Financial Aid office ensures that students are able to afford their education by working with them on a number of factors unique to every student's journey. This service works to inform students about financial aid or scholarship options available to assist incoming or current students.

Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of the total expenses a student may incur while attending a university for one academic year. It typically includes tuition and fees, room and meals, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses—helping students and families plan and budget accordingly.

Types of Aid

Students may receive financial aid from a variety of sources, including federal aid (like Pell Grants, student loans, and work-study), state aid (such as grants and scholarships offered by their home state), and institutional aid provided directly by Briar Cliff (including merit, talent, and need-based scholarships or grants). These different types of aid can be combined to help reduce the overall cost of attendance.

Net Price Calculator

A calculator that is intended to provide estimated net price information (defined as estimated cost of attendance - including tuition and required fees, books and supplies, housing and meals, and other related expenses - minus estimated grant and scholarship aid) to current and prospective students and their families based on what similar students paid in a previous year.

Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid

General eligibility requirements include financial need for need-based aid, are a US citizen or eligible noncitizen, and are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at an eligible college or career/trade school.

How to Apply for Aid

Students who wish to apply for scholarships, grants, or loans must:

Complete an admissions application and be accepted for admission to Briar Cliff University
Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually
Merit and talent scholarships will be awarded based on High School or College Transcripts and by what was set for the fine arts or athletic recruiter

Financial Aid Forms

If your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been selected for verification, a standard review process, you may need to complete additional required forms. Federal regulations require Briar Cliff to verify the accuracy of the information you provided on your FAFSA before awarding any Federal Student Aid.

Activating Federal Student Loans

Students who wish to activate their loans must complete the Master Promissory Note and an Entrance Counseling session. These items can be completed by visiting studentaid.gov.

Complete Student Loan Entrance and Exit Counseling

Students who borrow federal student loans are required to complete Entrance Loan Counseling and Exit Loan Counseling.

Entrance Loan Counseling ensures that students understand their rights and responsibilities before receiving a federal student loan. All first-time federal student loan borrowers must complete entrance counseling before their loan funds can be disbursed.

Exit Loan Counseling provides student loan borrowers with important information on loan repayment and managing student loan debt. Before graduating or dropping below half-time enrollment status, students with federal student loans must complete exit counseling.

Private Loan Information

Briar Cliff University partners with FastChoice to help provide private lending options.

Withdrawal & Refund Policy

Adjustments to a student's financial aid can be related to several factors:

Receipt of new information concerning the student's aid application
Clarification of existing information
Change in enrollment status
Complete withdrawal from the University

During the first week of each semester, called "Validation Week" or “Census date” students will have an opportunity to change their enrollment status/registration or room/meal plan with no financial penalty. After Validation Week, there will be no adjustment to tuition or financial aid if the student drops a class or changes to a different room/board plan.

If a student adds a class later in the semester (change in enrollment status), he or she will be charged the appropriate tuition and fee but may not receive an increase in financial aid.

It is extremely important that students validate their enrollment during the first week of each term to receive the maximum financial aid for which they are eligible.

Return to Title IV (Federal) Aid Policy
If you receive federal funds as part of your financial aid package and you either officially or unofficially withdraw from all classes during an academic semester, you may be required to return all or a portion of those federal funds. This is called the Return to Title IV Policy (Title IV is a federal statute that relates to federal financial aid).

Withdrawing or Ceasing Attendance: Implications for Federal Financial Aid
It is very important that you attend and complete your classes. If you withdraw from school officially (drop all courses) or unofficially (fail to attend courses or stop attending and do not successfully complete ANY classes with a letter grade of either "A," "B," "C," "D," or "P") before the semester is completed, and you have already received federal financial aid funds, the U.S. Department of Education will initiate a Return of Funds Calculation. This calculation may result in all, or a portion of, your financial aid for that semester being returned to the U.S. Department of Education. This means you will owe those funds back to Briar Cliff University. It will be your responsibility to repay these funds in a timely manner.

Repaying Financial Aid Received
If the Return of Funds Calculation determines that you must repay all or a portion of the financial aid you received, you will receive a letter from the BCU Office of Financial Aid notifying you of the amount that was returned to the Department of Education.

The Return of Funds Calculation does not consider the reasons for your withdrawal. It is simply a calculation of how much you must repay. If you are notified to repay all or a portion of the financial aid you received for a semester, the decision is final. The U.S. Department of Education provides no appeal process for the amount you are required to repay. The amount is based on the Return of Funds Calculation due to your withdrawal from classes.

Financial Assistance Programs

Financial aid is money to help pay for college. Grants, work-study, loans, and scholarships help make college affordable.

Student and Parent Privacy Rights

In accordance with FERPA (Family Educational Rights Privacy Act) laws and regulations, Briar Cliff University is required to protect the privacy of student records. Consequently, Briar Cliff University cannot release information to third parties without written consent of the student. To authorize Briar Cliff University to share your academic progress, grades, financial aid and billing, a student must complete the following request.

Complete the Form

Satisfactory Academic Progress

This is the term used to denote a student's successful completion of course work toward a degree. Students must maintain specific, satisfactory academic progress requirements to be eligible for financial aid. For more information, visit the Student Handbook or contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Disbursement of Aid

Financial aid is disbursed (released) to students in different ways depending on the type of aid and other factors. For more detailed information regarding method and frequency of fund disbursement, refer to your corresponding Financial Aid guidebook.

To request more information about financial aid, contact the Office of Financial Aid.

University Code of Conduct for Student Loans

Briar Cliff University adheres to a code of conduct regarding relationships with providers of educational loans. For more information, read the code of conduct by clicking the link below, or request a print copy by contacting the Office of Academic Affairs.

Learn More

Financial Complaint Procedure

Briar Cliff University is committed to treating all students fairly and respectfully. If you encounter a problem or a grievance arises concerning tuition, fees or your financial aid process at Briar Cliff, we encourage you to contact the Office of Financial Aid.

You may also file a formal complaint with the Department of Education.

Academics

Institutional and Academic Program Accreditation and Licensure

Briar Cliff University is accredited as a degree-granting institution by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. We offer several accredited programs that can lead to professional licensure and have several policies and procedures outlined below designed to protect the health and safety of our campus community and regulate the decisions, actions, and principles of our institution.

Academic Programs

Briar Cliff University offers 32 undergraduate, five masters, and two doctorate programs.

Explore Programs

Transfer Credits

Undergraduate
A student transferring in from another accredited college with at least 15 credits is considered a transfer student. If a student is transferring in less than 15 credits, then the application procedures for an undergraduate student will need to be followed in addition to providing the college transcript.

Transfer students’ admittance requires a minimum 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). Official transcripts from each post-secondary institution previously attended must be submitted. Grades previously earned will be counted as credit but will NOT be calculated as part of your cumulative grade point average at Briar Cliff. A maximum of 90 transfer credit hours will be accepted from other institutions. For more information, please refer to www.briarcliff.edu.

Students transferring in with a completed Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate Degree in Nursing, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Science degree, completion of that degree will count as satisfying all first-year and sophomore-level general education requirements.

Graduate
Nine credit hours of graduate course work with a minimum grade of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in each course may be transferred into the graduate program from another accredited institution if they meet the requirements of the graduate program and have been completed within five years of acceptance into the program. Courses taken from a non-accredited institution will not be accepted.

Study Abroad Programs

Briar Cliff faculty and staff believe that international experiences provide some of the most valuable educational opportunities that students can encounter. The university has sponsored a variety of study-abroad experiences over the years. Past excursions have included China, England, Guatemala, Ireland, and Italy. In addition, students who wish to incorporate other international study opportunities into their college careers may consult with their advisors or the Career Education Office staff to arrange enrollment in classes at foreign universities.

Graduation, completion, transfer-out, retention, and placement rates

Briar Cliff University is dedicated to student success, with ongoing efforts to improve retention, graduation, and completion rates. The university also supports helping students with strong career outcomes.

Athletics

Athletic Program Participation and Financial Support

As part of The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, information on annual participation rates and financing of men's and women's sports in intercollegiate athletic programs is available by request to students and the general public.

Charger Athletics supports 18 programs with more than 500 student-athletes. It is part of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Learn More About Charger Athletics

Learn More About Talent-Based Scholarships

Safety

Campus Security and Safety

Campus Security provides round-the-clock protection and service to the Briar Cliff community. A security officer is available 24/7 via the on-call phone number, 1-712-898-1888. BCU Security's main concern is the physical safety of our students, faculty, and staff.

Campus Right to Know & Security Act

Emergency Response and Evacuation

Fire evacuation and tornado emergency procedures are located in each building. Please review these procedures and discuss them with the faculty if you have questions. Periodically there will be emergency drills to review these safety procedures. Students are expected to follow instructions and participate in the drills.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

The policy of Briar Cliff University is to provide a drug-free workplace and learning environment for all of its employees and students. The presence of illegal drugs in our school and workplace is a danger to each one of us because they impair the safety and health of those who are here to work and learn. In addition, drugs undermine the confidence in the work done by each employee and student. Additionally, all employees and students are responsible for compliance with any University policies outlined in any program handbooks and announcements which may be issued from time to time (i.e., Student Athletic policies). More information can be found on page 13 of the Student Handbook.

General

Student Body Diversity

Briar Cliff University is proud to foster a diverse and inclusive student body, welcoming individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences. Our students come from across the country and around the globe, bringing with them unique perspectives that enrich classroom discussions and campus life.

Student Activities Offered by the Institution

Briar Cliff University provides many opportunities for students to explore and broaden their college experience with over 25 student clubs and organizations, over 30 support services, 18 athletic teams, and countless opportunities to engage in various activities.

Copyright Infringement

Information about the University's policies on use of copyrighted material, including peer-to-peer file sharing.
Learn More

Special Services and Facilities for Individuals with Disabilities

Briar Cliff University embraces its Franciscan values and the University’s mission of “service, caring, and openness to all.” The Franciscan value of Building a Caring Community highlights that, at BCU, “we value and respect the uniqueness of each person.” BCU welcomes and values diversity, including disability and the associated accessibility needs of individuals with disabilities.

Vaccinations

Briar Cliff University requires health information and immunization compliance prior to moving into residence halls, attending in-person classes, and participating in athletics. For information on the University requirements, please refer to the BCU Student Handbook. Healthcare students (Nursing and Physical Therapy) must also follow their own department requirements.

Student Handbook

Accreditation and Policies

Student Handbook