3.5.4.0 2022-23 General Scholarship Rule Policy
Issuing Office
Financial Aid
Affected Parties
Students
Policy Language
General Scholarship Rule (GSR): Resident students' combined federal grants, state grants, and Liberty aid cannot exceed the combined cost of actual tuition and Tier 2 room and standard board charges (located at https://www.liberty.edu/student-financial-services/basic-costs/). For commuter students and all online students, the GSR calculation only includes the cost of tuition since there is no room and board direct charge, which means federal grants, state grants, and Liberty aid cannot exceed the actual cost of tuition. If the combined aid exceeds the total cost as specified, Liberty aid will be reduced to resolve the excess aid. The Federal Pell Grant is not included as a factor in the GSR for Resident students. All Liberty aid is subject to the GSR.
Policy Rationale
The General Scholarship Rule is in place to ensure proper awarding of institutional aid.
Definition of Glossary Terms
Federal Grant: Grant offered by the federal government that does not need to be repaid. Examples include but are not limited to the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant.
State Grant: Grant offered by the State of Virginia, the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant, see https://www.liberty.edu/student-financial-services/vtag/.
Liberty aid: Any exemption, discount, loan, or scholarship offered by Liberty University
Excess Aid: Any amount of aid that exceeds the combined cost of actual tuition and room and board charges.
Resident Student: Student in a program of study offered by Liberty University at the residential level, as opposed to online enrollment only
Procedures
The General Scholarship Rule is applied through internal system checks and manual report reviews to ensure compliance with the outlined policy.
Sanctions
Students who adjust room and board selections risk the reduction of aid after awarding.
Exceptions
The Federal Pell Grant is not included as a factor in the GSR for Resident students. The following awards are not held to the GSR: Institutional Grant (INTGRT), Founders (FOUNDR), Continuing Education (CONTED), LUO Chancellor’s (DLPCHA), Resident Assistant Award (RASS), and Full Athletic Scholarships.
Date Approved
5/10/2022
Date for Review
Annual