High-quality, Affordable, Christian College Education

No matter what attracts you to a college or university, you also have to consider your budget and the value of your educational investment. Are sizable scholarships and financial assistance available?

At Kuyper College, we place special emphasis on making high-quailty Christian college education as affordable as possible. Our Financial Aid Office is committed to finding workable financial options for our students and their families. That individual attention is an important part of TheKee.

The Financial Aid Process

Cost Reduction Program

Our extremely knowledgeable staff investigates every avenue to come up with the best possible financial aid package for each student. We do this by giving professional, individualized attention to each student's situation and by staying abreast of every financial aid resource available.

The result is that we're able to make a high quality and high value Kuyper College education affordable to a very wide range of students.

The Kuyper College Cost Reduction Program is a major component of TheKee--The Kuyper Education Experience which is an ongoing effort to ensure that the Kuyper College experience is available to the broadest spectrum of students, regardless of any financial situation. In many cases, the cost of a Kuyper College education--tuition, housing costs/meals and fees--can be less than tuition alone at other private colleges.

So, if you're thinking about attending Kuyper College but find the rising cost of a college education daunting--and who doesn't--please talk to a member of our financial aid staff. We'll help you explore all the sources of financial aid-many you probably didn't even know existed.

One-to-One attention from our Financial Aid Office

Our promise as a financial aid staff is to partner with you to help make the investment in your college education at Kuyper College not only possible but affordable.

Agnes Russell
Director of Financial Aid
 B.S., Jordan College, 1982
616-988-3656
arussell@kuyper.edu

Agnes has been in the field of financial aid since 1980. She joined Kuyper College in 1996. Her main responsibilities include monitoring compliance for federal and state programs and awarding financial aid to Kuyper College students. While compliance may sound boring to some, Agnes loves the challenges it brings. Prior to Kuyper College, Agnes worked in financial aid at Jordan College and in Fifth Third Bank's Student Loan Department.

Agnes says that the most rewarding part of her job involves "Looking at the whole picture and putting an aid package together like a puzzle finding the sources to enable a student to attend Kuyper College."

Agnes has lived her entire life in Michigan and enjoys the changes in seasons. She is a member of Pilgrim Bible Church where she has taught Sunday School for many years. She enjoys following college sports, listening to music, and taking care of her cat.

Kim Desgranges
Financial Aid Advisor
B.A. Business Management, Davenport University
616-988-3633
kdesgranges@kuyper.edu

Kim joined the Financial Aid Office at Kuyper College as a Financial Aid Advisor in June of 2008. Prior to that time she worked in the finance field field for over 20 years, providing federal and private loan products as well as counseling services to the higher education community and their students. She has been actively involved with the Michigan Student Financial Aid Association (MSFAA) and the Michigan Association of College Admissions Counselors (MACAC).

"Through my lending experience, I have had the priviledge of working with various Financial Aid Officers around the state - discussing various roadblocks to a student's pursuit of higher education. I have found that my heart's desire was to get more directly involved with the students," said Desgranges. "Coming to Kuyper gives me the opportunity to work in a Christian environment,where I can help people follow their passion for serving Jesus Christ, while utilizing my lending experience to provide guidance for the student and their family."

Kim and her husband Darris have two boys Darrin and Dylan, who injoy working construction in the summer with their dad. They attend North Park Baptist Church and are actively involved in the Discipleship Hour and Children's Church Ministry programs. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and neighbors, setting aside some time for scrapbooking whenever possible.

Financial Aid

The Financial Aid Office at Kuyper College participates in a variety of financial aid programs. Assistance may include scholarships, grants, loans, and student employment. Scholarships and grants are awards that don't have to be repaid. Loans and student employment opportunities are considered self-help awards since repayment or performance of duties is required.

The type of aid awarded varies because each student has different needs. Generally aid is a combination of gift and self-help assistance. Any outside assistance the student receives can affect the amount of a financial aid award. As a private, nonprofit institution, Kuyper College has been authorized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to participate in financial aid programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1962 as amended.

The Financial Aid Process

December

• Apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN) at www.pin.ed.gov. Your PIN must be obtained individually for the student and, if applicable, for a parent of the student. The PIN acts as the signature for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is not processed without PIN(s).
• Search for available scholarships at local retailers, area chambers of commerce, local civic groups, etc. Check out our links to scholarships!

January

• Complete the FAFSA anytime after January 1 at www.fafsa.ed.gov (school code 002311) in order to be considered for any type of federal or state of Michigan aid
• Complete the Endowed Scholarship Application (ESA) anytime after January 1 to be considered for endowed, family or corporate scholarships awarded by Kuyper College
  Endowed Scholarship Application
  Canadian Endowed Scholarship Application

February

• Complete the Supplemental Form if special circumstances apply such as your parent(s) paying private school tuition for your siblings, if your family has high out-of pocket medical  or dental expenses, if there is a loss of income or a dramatic reduction of income in the family due to divorce, separation, or death/disablement of a parent or spouse
• February 15 Christian Leadership Scholarship Application deadline
• February 15 Multicultural Scholarship Application deadline

March

• March 1 priority deadline forFAFSA 
• March 1 priority dealine for the  Endowed Scholarship Application and the Canadian Endowed Scholarship Application 
• First round estimated financial aid award packages mailed out to students who completed the FAFSA and the ESA

April

• Accept your award and finalize your housing plans 
• April 1st deadline for theCRC Race Relations Scholarship Application 
• April 1st deadline for theGrand Rapids Foundation Scholarship  Application

May - June

• Apply for Federal Stafford Loans 
• Apply for Student Employment
• May 1 deadline for the RCA Ethnic Scholarship Application
• May 31 deadline for theSallie Mae Fund Scholarship Application
• June 1 deadline for the Vance Havner  Scholarship Application

July

• Watch for an information packet in the mail from Kuyper College that includes your class schedule, preliminary billing statement, Federal Educational Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA) statement, as well as other important forms you will need to complete and return
• You may contact the Business Office (616-988-9625) with questions in regard to your billing statement
• Contact the Financial Aid Office with questions you have about alternative loans, Federal Stafford PLUS Loans, etc in order to help pay your bill 

August

• Move to campus