Financial Aid FAQs

Here are the steps to apply for financial aid (scholarships, grants, and loans) at NBSS:

1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Our school code is 015527.
2. NBSS Scholarship consideration is automatic once you have completed the FAFSA. This includes the NBSS Institutional Scholarship, NBSS Pell Yes, NBSS Workforce, and NBSS Yellow Ribbon.
3. Finish your Admissions Requirements. We can only provide aid packages for accepted students.
4. Search for and apply for private scholarships. Review this list of over 40 possible scholarship sources for a head start.
5. If you’re a veteran, contact the Veterans Administration to determine your available benefits. You may qualify for additional funding outside of your VA benefits, including the NBSS Yellow Ribbon program, so you should fill out the FAFSA as well.

It’s never too early to get started on applying for financial aid. You simply need to complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You also don’t need to wait until after you’ve filed your taxes for the year; the FAFSA asks for “prior, prior base year” data, meaning that you’ll use income information from two years ago.

Yes! Many individuals and families mistakenly think they don’t qualify for financial aid, and not applying for it prevents you from receiving funds available to you. There are also a few sources of aid that are available regardless of need. Since the FAFSA form is free to use, there’s no reason not to apply.

You can apply for financial aid at any time. However, NBSS can only provide aid packages for accepted students, so you’ll need to fill out the Career Training Program Application and work to complete your program-specific requirements as well.

Our Net Price Calculator is a great tool that can help you estimate your total annual cost of attending NBSS and what aid you might receive.

An Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is calculated from the financial information reported on the FAFSA. The expected contribution is not a judgment about how much you and/or your family should be able to pay from current income—it’s an estimate of your capacity to absorb the costs of education over time. Many families raise the funds through a combination of savings, current earnings, and borrowing.

Yes. Your financial circumstances could change between years, and so the aid awarded to you may change.

NBSS offers several scholarships and grants to qualified students. Beginning in 2023, we’re offering $1M in funding annually, as NBSS scholarships and grants for qualified applicants.

Our scholarships range from $1,000 to $25,000 and include the following:

• The NBSS Scholarship Fund for those with financial need
• Pell Yes! grants for those who already have a degree
• NBSS Yellow Ribbon program for U.S. veterans
• Workforce Development Initiative funds for those who experience significant barriers to employment.
• Impact Scholarships for qualified applicants from a range of diverse backgrounds, to help promote greater representation in our craft and trade industries

Yes. Your financial aid package may include a combination of NBSS scholarships, government loans, private grants and scholarships, or VA benefits (for veterans).

Submit a FAFSA. To indicate interest in student loans and parent loans, check the appropriate boxes. Checking these boxes does not commit you to accepting these types of aid or loans, and you will have the opportunity to accept or decline each part of your aid package later. Leaving these boxes unchecked will not increase the amount of grants you receive.

Federal rules don’t allow holders of a bachelor’s degree from receiving a Federal Pell Grant, however our Pell Yes! program provides up to the current Pell Grant amount for qualified applicants. This means you can qualify for an award each year you are enrolled in your program at NBSS.

Our Financial Aid office aims to help connect you with all possible funding sources you qualify for. However, only you and your family can decide if it is financially feasible for you to enroll. We encourage you to search for and apply for private scholarships, and we offer monthly payment plans for tuition costs. Full-time training at NBSS is a big commitment, and we urge you and your family to research all your options carefully, compare programs and features, and borrow responsibly.

All of our Full-Time programs qualify for veterans educational benefits through the Post 9/11 GI Bill® and Vocational and Rehabilitation Benefits. You will need to apply for benefits through the Veterans Administration, and then contact our Financial Aid office once you have a Certificate of Eligibility. You may also qualify for additional funding outside of your VA benefits, so you should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well.

To honor your service to our country, we are proud to offer the NBSS Yellow Ribbon Scholarship to all veterans enrolling in one of our full-time programs. These funds may be used to cover tuition and all other qualified educational expenses, including tools, supplies and living expenses. Please contact the NBSS Financial Aid Office for details. NBSS encourages all veterans to apply for financial aid by completing a FAFSA for the current year of enrollment. We thank you for your service!

For more information on veteran education at NBSS.

Students from other countries, we are now offering financial aid for you too! We know there are many hurdles to studying abroad, and this funding aims to ease one of them. Qualified students from all countries are eligible for need-based funding, and awards are similar to US recipients, about one-third of tuition on average.

Learn more on our International Students page.

Use our International Net Price Calculator to help you calculate your costs of attending NBSS. NBSS also offers monthly tuition payment plans that can help you finance your education.

Contact Jamie Dergay, Director of Financial Aid at jdergay@nbss.edu, with questions.