Frequently Asked Questions on Financial Aid
from the College Scholarship Committee
Ateneo de Davao University
Our financial aid program is designed to encourage all qualified students regardless of financial circumstances to consider applying for admission to Ateneo de Davao University. Any family who feels they may need help paying for an Ateneo education is welcome to apply for aid.
Q: What is Financial Aid?
A:Financial aid is money made available by University and private sources for qualified applicants in the form of grants, wages, and scholarships.
Q: How is Financial Aid calculated?
A: Eligibility is based primarily on prior year income, assets, family size, academic marks, recommendations, results of Committee interview, essay submission, and available funds.
Q: How do you decide who gets financial aid?
A: Financial aid is awarded based only on the applicant’s need. We use the information you supply on your financial aid application to determine the amount of support we will provide. The College Scholarship Committee determines the financial need of each applicant based on the information supplied by the applicant, the interviewer’s recommendations, information gathered from the home-visit, and available funds.
Need is determined through a careful review of each family’s specific financial circumstances. Personal attention is given to every student’s aid application. We also take into account special circumstances, and use experience and judgment in determining aid awards.
Q: Do you give scholarships for academic merit, special talents, or athletic ability?
A: No. All financial aid awards are based on need. If you are the valedictorian or salutatorian of a Philippine secondary school in the school year prior to your application (meaning that you recently finished high school), please click here.
Q. How can I obtain an application?
A: You can contact our office via landline at (082) 221-2411 local 8303.
Q: I probably don’t qualify for aid. Should I apply for financial aid anyway?
A: Yes. Many families mistakenly think they don’t qualify for aid and so fail to apply for it. There is no good excuse for not applying.
Q: Do I need to be admitted before I can apply for financial aid at the University?
A: No. You only need to pass the entrance exam before you can apply for financial aid. To actually receive funds, you must be admitted and enrolled at the university.
Q: What are my chances of receiving financial aid?
A: The only way to determine your eligibility for financial aid is to submit a Application For Financial Aid Form. The likelihood of receiving some form of financial assistance is probably better than most students and their families anticipate.
Q: In order to receive financial aid do I have to apply every semester?
A: No. In order to receive consideration for priority programs you only have to file the Application for Financial Aid form once. Thereafter you will be assessed by the College Scholarship Committee at the end of each semester. You must also submit a duly accomplished renewal form every end of the semester.
Q: Do I need to submit all the recommendations as a specified or only one from among the list of recommendations?
A: Yes. You have to submit ALL the recommendations as listed. The Scholarship Committee specifies recommendations since the screening team may call to verify the information from the recommenders, as part of your application.
Q: What are the priority course programs?
A:Priority course programs are course tracks identified by the University as programs that will be supported by grants and financial aid. Currently, these priority programs are BS in Education, BS Environmental Science, BS Chemical Engineering, BS Electronics Engineering, BS Mathematics, BS Nursing and BS Social Work.
Q: What is the deadline to apply for financial aid?
A: To be considered for financial aid, the Application Form with attached documents must be received by the processor, prior to or on the last Friday of April for first semester of study, and prior to or on the last Friday of October for the second semester of study.
Q: I missed the application deadline. Can I still apply for financial aid?
A: Yes. Students may still apply for the next semester’s study. Application is open every semester. Please note the application deadlines.
Q: Will I be required to submit additional forms to College Scholarship Committee other than those specified in the Financial Aid Application form?
A: If you are selected for review during the verification process, we will contact you about other necessary additional forms. You do not need to contact our office.
Q: After submitting the application forms and other documents, I am now scheduled for an interview with the committee. Where will it be?
A: For First Semester applications, the interview is conducted at the J301, 3F Jubilee Hall. A panel of interviewers will be available, which is composed of selected professors in the University. The panel will make recommendations to the Committee.
Q: Will the Scholarship Committee visit our family residence?
A: If you are selected for review during the verification process, we will contact you about the visit, if recommended by the Committee. Officers will go to your house and examine your family’s financial situation. You do not need to contact our office.
Q: I got an outside scholarship. Should I report it to the Admission and Aid Office?
A: Yes. If you are receiving any kind of financial aid from other sources, you must report this to the Admission and Aid Office.
Also, in this case, the University will adjust your financial aid package to compensate. Nevertheless, the outside scholarship will have some beneficial effects. The outside scholarship is first applied, and only when the scholarship exceeds the actual tuition/fees does it replace University grants.
Q: If I have already received a scholarship from Ateneo de Davao University, may I also receive financial assistance from the government such as from the CHED, DOST, Congress, Local Government Unit, etc.?
A: Yes. Receipt of a scholarship from the University does not preclude receipt of government financial assistance. However, scholarship assistance from the government must be considered as another resource in determining eligibility for financial aid from the University and its benefactors. For example, if a student had an initial need of P35,000, and receives a P15,000 scholarship from CHED, the scholarship amount from the government would be subtracted from the P35,000, and the difference of P20,000 would be considered the student’s remaining need.
Q: How do I apply for Ateneo de Davao University Scholarships?
A: You apply by completing the Application for Financial Aid.
Q: What happens after my freshman year? Will my aid stay the same?
A: The Admission and Aid Office at Ateneo de Davao University is committed to meeting as much of our students’ needs as possible throughout their undergraduate years. However, an individual student’s need may change from year to year. Educational costs may increase. Changes in family size, number of children in college, and gross income can increase or decrease parental contribution from year to year. If a family’s circumstances remain the same, the parents’ calculated contribution should be relatively consistent.
Q: If I am awarded financial assistance for both first and second semesters of the academic year, but do not enroll in the second semester, will my aid change?
A: Yes. Aid will be canceled and/or suspended for scholars choosing not to enroll in the second semester. Scholars enrolling in the second semester will be considered for assistance based on the availability of funds.
Q: How can I apply for work study?
A: Students must file the Application for Financial Aid Form before the last Friday of April. Please tick the box indicating that you are applying as a Working Student. However, other jobs may still be available on campus through the Student Assistance Program. Please contact the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) for more information.
Q: Do I need to submit income tax returns?
A: Yes. The income tax returns of your parents must be submitted along with the application form. Please see the list of documentary requirements.
Q: If my parents are separated or divorced, whose income is reported on the Application form?
A: In general, Ateneo requires both parents to provide financial information. For extraordinary circumstances, the parent you live with should submit the income tax return. If the parent you live with has remarried, the income of that parent and their new spouse (step-parent) must be used.
Q: How can I contact the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for government-sponsored financial aid?
A: The Commission on Higher Education Regional Office (R-XI) is located at Loyola St. (behind USEP), Bo. Obrero, Davao City. You may also access its website at www.ched.gov.ph.
Q: Do I need to supply my parents’ financial information if I am a self-supporting student?
A: We require parental financial information for all students, with very few exceptions.
Q: If my parents do not earn income and therefore do not have income return documents, what other documents can I submit to prove that they have no income?
A: A certification from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) attesting that your parents are exempt from paying income tax due to insufficient income or low income must be submitted in lieu of the Income Tax Return documents.
Q: If I do not apply for aid as a freshman and my family circumstances change later, can I request aid after my first year?
A: Yes. Students can apply for aid at any point during their time at Ateneo. Please take note of the deadline of applications.
Q: Is financial aid available for foreign students or non-Filipino students?
A: No. As of the moment, benefactors and donors of scholarship grants in the University have specified that financial aid beneficiaries must be Filipino citizens.
Q: Will the financial aid offered at Ateneo transfer to another school?
A: No. Financial aid does not transfer from school to school. Students planning to transfer to another school should contact the Financial Aid Office of that school to find out its own requirements.
Q: Is there any aid available if I decide to attend summer school?
A: Students may receive aid during summer sessions if they show financial eligibility and the course subjects are required by the regular curriculum.
Q: When will I know if I will receive financial aid?
A: If you are admitted to Ateneo and have applied for aid, you will receive a financial aid notice/ certification from the Admission and Aid Office. If you have not received one, kindly ask for it at the Admission and Aid Office. This certification must be submitted to the Student Accounts Desk at the Finance Office within two weeks from the start of classes in order to apply the grant to the current fees of the student.
Q: What if I fail to get the certification, and then also fail to submit same to the Student Accounts Desk?
A: The grant is given to those students who are applying for financial aid on the waitlisted status. You can make an appeal, however, to the College Scholarship Committee.
Q: Why do I have to get the certification if the Admission and Aid Office can forward the information to the Finance Office directly?
A: You have to get the certification personally since your signature (and of your parent/guardian, if minor) is needed in the certification. Your signature means you agree to the terms and conditions of the grant.
Q: Do I need to reapply for financial aid each semester?
A: Students must submit a financial aid renewal form at the end of each semester. This form is computer-generated and can be asked at the Admission and Aid Office at the end of the semester. The renewal application is evaluated according to the same need-based guidelines and conditions effective when the student was granted the aid.
Q: Will I receive the same amount of financial aid every year?
A: Award amounts may vary from year to year, based on changes in a family’s financial circumstances, the scholar’s academic performance, and Ateneo’s cost of attendance.
Q: Do I have to maintain a minimum WPA (Weighted Percentage Average) to remain eligible for financial aid?
A: Scholars must reach and maintain a minimum 2.50 (C+) QPI requirement (with no failing grade, no INC, no FD or P or F marks) to remain on financial aid. Scholars are required to satisfactory academic progress.
Q: What if I have not complied with the conditions stated in my grant?
A: Conditions for receiving a grant may be (1) maintaining the required QPI, (2) visiting the guidance counselor twice per term, (3) obedience to the school’s rules and regulations, and (4) community service. If the grantee fails to meet any of the conditions, the College Scholarship Committee may decide to place the grantee on probation. In some cases, the Committee may also suspend, or even terminate, the grant.
For more information, please contact:
ADMISSION AND AID OFFICE
Look for Ms. Devi Joy B. Migue-Barcena, Financial Aid Program Officer
Ateneo de Davao University
E. Jacinto St., 8016 Davao City
Philippines
Tel +63 (82) 221.2411 local 8303
Fax +63 (82) 226.4116
e-mail: admissions@addu.edu.ph