Students accepted into a Doctorate Program at Robert Morris University are eligible to apply for financial aid. Generally, students seeking a graduate or professional degree are eligible to receive up to $20,500 per academic year in Federal Direct Loans. In order for your Federal Direct loan eligibility to be reviewed, you must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year. A FSA User ID will be required to electronically sign the FAFSA.

A Master Promissory Note (MPN) and an Entrance Counseling Session are required to finalize any Federal Direct loans shown on a student's Financial Aid Award Letter. Until these requirements are complete, loan funds will not project on the student's account. To complete the process, students can visit studentloans.gov.

Note: International students are not eligible to receive federal financial aid.  Also, students must be enrolled at least half time for any federal aid to post to their account.

Additional Loan Options

Before applying for additional loans, we encourage students to submit a FAFSA, so that their Federal Direct loan eligibility can be determined first. Federal Direct loans always offer a better interest rate than other educational loan sources; however sometimes your Federal Direct loan eligibility is not enough to cover your balance. When this occurs, additional loan options can be pursued.

Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan

A credit based student loan that can be used to finance any remaining balance. The current interest rate is fixed at 7%.  For loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2018, the interest rate will be 7.6%.  Please note that the lender will deduct an origination fee of 4.264%.  To apply for a Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan, please visit studentloans.gov.  Before a loan can be processed, a Master Promissory note must be fully signed.

Private Loans

Private loans should be used as a final funding option. These loans are available to credit worthy students or students with a creditworthy co-signer. The interest rate is always variable and determined by the credit score of the student and potential co-signer. You can usually expect a higher interest rate than both the Federal Direct Loan and PLUS Loan.  To review information about private loans, please click here.

Payment Plan Options

Payment arrangements can be made through our Office of Student Financial Services. Please click here to review payment options.

Company and Third Party Billing

Students who have an agreement with their employer can submit a letter of authorization and/or tuition voucher by the published due date. This will allow the University to invoice an employer for all authorized charges. Please call (412) 397-6260 to make these arrangements.

Financial Timeline

Summer Semester

Students registered for the summer semester can expect to receive their summer tuition invoice in April, with a tuition due date in mid-May. Students not financially cleared by the tuition due date risk losing their summer class schedule and may receive a late registration fee.

In addition to the 2018-2019 FAFSA, first time students in the Instructional Leadership and Management Ph.D. program, who are interested in obtaining financial aid for their first semester, should submit a separate FAFSA for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Students can sign up for RMU's monthly payment plan in early May, but have until July 31st to submit an application. The number of monthly payments will vary based on when the application is received.

For fully accepted students, who have successfully submitted a FAFSA, financial aid award information will be made available via the RMU website through your Sentry Secured Services account.  Please use your Temporary RMU ID Card number to activate your account.

Complete the requirements for your Federal Direct loan. These requirements include signing a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and completing your Entrance Counseling Session. To complete these requirements and compare lender options, please visit studentloans.gov.

Apply for any additional loan funds that may be required. Doctorate students may apply for a federal Graduate PLUS loan or an alternative loan to help with any remaining balance. For Graduate PLUS loans, visit studentloans.gov for more information.

June

Registered students will receive a fall invoice showing all charges and projected financial aid for the upcoming semester. Please review your invoice and set up any necessary payment arrangements by contacting Student Financial Services at 412-397-6260.

August

Ensure all necessary paperwork has been completed. Please be sure to take care of any unpaid balance for the fall semester before the tuition due date (mid-August).

October

Students may begin filing their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at fafsa.ed.gov for the upcoming year. Information from your completed federal tax returns will be required but the IRS Data Retrieval tool will be available to bring in the information. A FSA User ID is required to complete the FAFSA.

November

Spring semester invoices will be mailed to any student registered for the spring semester. Please review and contact us with any questions.

December

Take care of any unpaid balance for the spring semester before the tuition due date (mid-December).