The Pharmacy Doctoral program at Southwestern Oklahoma State University has unique aspects to applying for financial aid. To help you we automatically increase the estimated cost of attendance due to the Pharm.D. fee and other related educational expenses. Separate increases are also added in for you during your final semesters to help with the costs of rotations.
Dependency Status
Dependency is another important Pharm.D. factor. On the FAFSA, you are asked whether "you will be working on a master's or doctorate program.” Only students in their final 107 credit hours of the Pharm.D. program can answer "Yes" to this question. This is mandated by the federal government because, although the Pharmacy Doctorate is your goal, you are not considered to be "pursuing" that degree officially until you reach your final 107 credit hours. Answering "Yes" prior to entering your final 107 hours can lead to significant financial aid loss later on and possible requirements to repay aid you have already received.
The School of Pharmacy provides Student Financial Services a list every semester of those students who are nearing the cross over to graduate status. Feel free to contact us or the School of Pharmacy with any questions concerning your status.
Undergrad vs. Grad
Even after you have been fully accepted into the Pharm.D. program, you are considered to be an undergraduate student until entering your last 64 credit hours of study. As an undergraduate, you can be considered for Federal Pell Grants, Federal SEOG Grants, and OTAG. Immediately upon earning sufficient credits to put you within 107 hours of completion, you are considered to then be a graduate student. The moment you cross over into the graduate level your eligibility for all federal grants ends, but your borrowing limits for loans increases. Any Pell or SEOG scheduled for future terms is no longer valid from that point. If your financial aid award letter does not reflect this change, let a Student Financial Services counselor know so we can help you qualify for as much aid as possible.