The Eagle Promise

What is a first-time, first-year freshman undergraduate student?

• A first-time, first-year freshman is an undergraduate student who has graduated high school and is seeking enrollment at Benedictine University for the first time within six months following their high school graduation date.

What is a transfer/degree completion undergraduate student?

• A transfer/degree completion undergraduate student is a student who is six-months removed from their high school graduation date and has not attended a two-year or four-year college/university; or has attended a two-year or four-year college/university at any time since high school graduation and prior to seeking enrollment at Benedictine University.

Please note a transfer/degree completion student who is seeking enrolling in the Benedictine University RN to BSN program is not eligible for the Eagle Promise.

What is the tuition and standard student fee cost for a first-time, first year freshman or transfer/degree completion undergraduate student enrolling at Benedictine in the fall 2025?

• Annual billed tuition for a first-time, first-year freshman or transfer/degree completion undergraduate student admitted for the fall 2025 and enrolling for the 2025-26 academic year is $36,060. The annual standard student fee for a first-time, first-year freshman or transfer/degree completion undergraduate student admitted for the fall 2025 and enrolling for the 2025-26 academic year is $1,590.

Is the Eagle Promise available for current BenU Students?

• Unfortunately, current BenU students enrolled for spring 2024 and prior are not eligible for the Eagle Promise. As a current student, your tuition rate is “locked,” and you always have the ability to apply for our endowment scholarships. If you experience changes in your or your family’s income in a given academic year, you have the opportunity to work with our Office of Financial Aid on the submission of a financial reconsideration or Special Circumstances Appeal to potentially have your financial aid award adjusted.

Are all State of Illinois residents eligible for this program?

• No. All Illinois residents also must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the criteria. If residency as determined by the address listed on the FAFSA for you as the student and your parent(s) is Illinois, you could qualify for the Eagle Promise given that you meet the other criteria on the determined eligibility of the Federal Pell Grant program and the State of Illinois MAP Grant program.

Am I eligible for the Eagle Promise if I only qualify for the State of Illinois MAP Grant?

• No. Unfortunately, a student must be eligible for both the Federal Pell Grant and the State of Illinois MAP Grant to receive the Eagle Promise.

Am I eligible for the Eagle Promise if I live in another state?

• No. Unfortunately, a student must be a state of Illinois resident per the FAFSA to meet the initial criteria for the Eagle Promise. If the address for a student and their parent(s) is in another state per the FAFSA, Benedictine provides an out-of-state residency award for those students who live on campus. Also, Benedictine University does not charge out-of-state tuition for those who reside outside of Illinois.

What if I don’t qualify for the Eagle Promise?

• If you are not eligible for the Eagle Promise, you still have the opportunity to obtain a Benedictine education that is affordable. All first-time, first-year freshmen and transfer/degree completion undergraduate students admitted to Benedictine University receive some form of institutional scholarship and/or award(s). On average, 99% of our first-year students are offered an institutional scholarship and/or award(s). Also, all students receive our continued commitment of “locked” tuition, meaning that the tuition rate a student pays their first semester stays the same until completion of their undergraduate program and graduation.

Can I go to Benedictine without having to pay out-of-pocket for the billed tuition and standard fees for all four years?

• Yes. If you maintain satisfactory academic progress and are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant and the State of Illinois MAP Grant each academic year, you would not be billed an out-of-pocket cost for tuition and standard student fees every year you are enrolled at Benedictine in your undergraduate program (please remember that the Eagle Promise requires enrollment of 15 credit hours per semester). If your eligibility through the completion of the FAFSA each year for the Federal Pell Grant and the State of Illinois MAP Grant were to change, Benedictine would still provide you with generous financial aid through the scholarship(s) and award(s) you received upon admittance to Benedictine.

Is the Direct Student Loan offered through FAFSA completion part of the Eagle Promise?

• No, we do not count the offered Direct Student Loan when structuring your financial aid as part of the Eagle Promise. All financial aid applied for under the Eagle Promise is constituted as gift aid (meaning not required to be paid back). A student does have the ability to still use the offered Direct Student Loan(s) offered to them to assist with housing, meal plans, or additional fees each semester and academic year.

Are housing and/or meal plan costs included as part of the Eagle Promise?

• No. If a student chooses to live on campus with a meal plan or chooses to purchase a meal plan as a commuting student, these billed costs are not covered by the Eagle Promise.

A student who chooses to add additional expenses through housing and/or a meal plan has the opportunity to utilize the eligible Direct Student Loan(s) as offered from the FAFSA completion to use toward these additional costs as well as additional financing options through the Direct Parent Plus Loan or Private Loan(s).

Does the Eagle Promise cover course fees?

• No. During your time at Benedictine, you may enroll in a course that has an applied course fee as part of your enrollment (i.e., a Biology course lab fee or a course-specific computer lab fee).

Does the Eagle Promise cover additional fees?

• No. Fees accrued outside of the standard student fee per semester are not covered under the Eagle Promise (i.e., student payment late fee, payment plan set up fee, BenBeginnings fee, parking tickets, and graduation application fee).

Can the Eagle Promise be used for summer term or summer courses?

• The Eagle Promise is not applicable to costs incurred with summer term enrollment or summer courses.

Are textbooks or course materials covered under the Eagle Promise?

• No. Unfortunately, costs incurred from textbooks or specific course materials during an academic semester are not covered under the Eagle Promise.

Are graduate students eligible?

• The Eagle Promise is only for first-time, first-year freshmen and transfer/degree completion undergraduate students.

What does “meet satisfactory academic progress” mean?

• The Financial Aid office is required to review the three elements of SAP (satisfactory academic progress) each academic year, which include the quality of the student’s GPA, credit completion, and timely graduation.

If I meet the criteria and requirements of the Eagle Promise, how do I gain access?

• As long as you have submitted your 2025-26 FAFSA with our school code of 001767 and have been admitted to Benedictine, our Enrollment Team will review your eligibility and build out your financial aid award offer to reflect your eligibility of the Eagle Promise when you are packaged for financial aid. Please note that a student must have been accepted for the spring 2025 and/or fall 2025 semester, completed the 2025-26 FAFSA with our school code, and meet appropriate eligibility to see the Eagle Promise reflected on their financial aid offer.

Please note that disbursement of your federal and/or state grants to your student account may require you to complete the Federal or Institutional Verification Process (if selected).

What if I am selected for Federal Verification by the Department of Education or Institutional Verification by the Office of Financial Aid at Benedictine University?

• There are times when a student’s FAFSA is selected for Federal or Institutional Verification, meaning that a student and/or parent(s) are required to submit appropriate documentation to verify the FAFSA submitted (i.e., dependent verification worksheet, student and/or parent W2’s or tax returns, and verification of citizenship). If a student’s FAFSA is selected for Federal or Institutional Verification, this process must be completed before all financial aid is finalized and disbursed on behalf of a student.

Please note that a student’s eligibility for the Eagle Promise is reliant on the Federal or Institutional Verification process being complete.

Do I need to enroll in 15 credits each semester to be eligible for the Eagle Promise?

• Yes. To have your full tuition and standard student fee covered completely, you must be enrolled in a minimum of 15 credits on the noted add/drop date of each academic semester (fall semester and spring semester).

What if I am not eligible for the Eagle Promise but become eligible during my sophomore, junior, or senior year due to a change in my FAFSA information?

• If you become eligible during your enrollment at Benedictine for the Federal Pell Grant and/or the State of Illinois MAP Grant, the Office of Financial Aid can and will review your eligibility upon receiving an update of changes on your FAFSA.

What is full-time status identified as?

• A Benedictine student is considered full-time each semester when they are enrolled in 12-18 credit hours. A student who is below 15 credits or over 18 credits in a specific semester may see changes in their eligibility to the Eagle Promise due to their eligibility for either the Federal Pell Grant or State of Illinois MAP Grant funding. A student enrolled over 18 credits may see an increase in their billed tuition cost.