 Tuition and Financial Assistance
 Career Stimulus Scholarship
Check out the new website for information about Financing Your Education.
Tuition and Fees We do not want costs to get in the way of your education. We have streamlined our tuition and fees to make it easy for you to estimate and cover any expenses. For our many military students who use tuition assistance benefits, this often means no or minimal out-of-pocket costs. American Public University (APU) provides high-quality, affordable distance education to students around the globe. We do not have resident or non-resident students, so tuition is not based on a student’s geographical location or home of record. Our tuition rate is $250 per credit hour for undergraduate-level courses and $275 for graduate-level courses. Audited courses cost $100 per credit hour. All undergraduate students seeking academic credit are eligible for the Course Materials Grant. This grant provides textbooks, e-books, and other course materials at no cost to the student for all credit-bearing courses successfully completed. Graduate students and any student in an audit course must purchase their course materials. For complete details about this unique program, click here. Graduate students can expect to pay an average of $75-150 per course for books and materials purchased through our textbook provider, MBS. Payment Options APU students have several payment options from which to choose. Click on a selection below to learn more about ways to finance your APU education:
Credit Card or Check
Automatic Debit Payment (ADP)
Employer Voucher or DoD Training Funds
Education Loan Programs
Federal Student Aid - How to Apply
Federal Student Aid - Fact Sheet
Military Tuition Assistance
Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA)
VA Benefits, GI Bill, and/or Top-Up
Air Force Reserve Payment Process Fee Schedule Students at APU do not pay application, registration, technology, or extension fees. Our fee schedule is as follows: Undergraduate Tuition | $250/semester hour = $750 per 3 credit course | Graduate Tuition | $275/semester hour = $825 per 3 credit course | Services/Fees That May Apply: | | Transfer Student Fee | $50 (non-refundable) | Graduation Completion Fee: Degree
(Associate, Bachelor's, Master's) | $100 | | Completion Fee: Certificate | $25 | Graduate Comprehension Exams | $250 | Withdrawal Fee (in or after Week 2) | $100 | | Late Registration* | $50 | AMU or APU Transcript | $5 |
Application Fee | $0 | Registration Fee | $0 | Technology Fee | $0 | Drop Fee before week 2 | $0 |
Tuition Refund Schedule 8-Week Course -- Tuition Refund Schedule Withdrawal Request Date | Tuition Refund Percentage | Before or During Week 1 | 100% | During Week 2 | 75% (Less $100 Administrative Fee) | During Weeks 3 and 4 | 50% (Less $100 Administrative Fee) | During Weeks 5 through 8 | No Refund (Less $100 Administrative Fee) |
16-Week Course-- Tuition Refund Schedule Withdrawal Request Date | Tuition Refund Percentage | Before or During Week 1 | 100% | During Week 2 | 100% (Less $100 Administrative Fee) | During Weeks 3 and 4 | 75% (Less $100 Administrative Fee) | During Weeks 5 through 8 | 50% (Less $100 Administrative Fee) | During Weeks 9 through 16 | No Refund (Less $100 Administrative Fee) |
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Financial Assistance Federal Student Aid: How to Apply AMU and APU students are now able to register for courses and choose Federal Student Aid as their payment option or to apply for deferment of current Federal Student loans.
What is Federal Student Aid (FSA)?
Federal Student Aid is a term that describes grant and loan programs that are administered by the United States Department of Education, such as Pell Grants and Stafford Loans. Military tuition assistance, veteran’s benefits, and GI Bill programs are not FSA programs. Is there a way to find out how much financial aid I might receive? Yes, there is. The FAFSA4caster can give you an estimate of your eligibility for Federal Student Aid (FSA). You'll need tax information (your tax return and/or w2's) on hand; click here to get started: www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/. How do I use FSA at AMU or APU?
New students who wish to use FSA to fund their program must complete the following steps at least six weeks prior to their course start date:
Apply for admission at AMU or APU and choose an eligible program of study. The Associate of Arts in General Studies is the only program that is not covered by FSA. If you have questions about program eligibility, please call us at 877-777-9081. Complete the online Orientation.
If you are a transfer student, submit the Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) application, one-time Transfer Student Fee, Transcript Release Authorization (TRA), and supporting documentation.
Submit appropriate admission documents.
Fill out the FSA Intent Form. This form is located under OTHER FORMS inside the e-campus. Students using military tuition assistance, veteran’s benefits or employer payment plans do not have to submit this form unless they intend to combine funding sources. Students who want a deferment of previously received Federal Stafford Loans or Grad PLUS loans must complete an Intent Form so that we can process the deferment on your behalf.
Fill out and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you have already completed a FAFSA, retrieve it and add the AMU/APU school code: 038193.
Watch your e-mail for your log-in information and other important notifications as your FAFSA is being processed.
Returning students who wish to use FSA to fund their program must complete the following steps at least 5 to 6 weeks prior to their course start date: Fill out the FSA Intent Form and choose a semester start date. You may not choose a start date that overlaps with courses that have not yet been completed. Example: If you are in a course that began in September and ends in January, your start date must be February or later. Students using military tuition assistance, veteran’s benefits or employer payment plans do not have to submit this form unless they intend to combine funding sources.
Fill out and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Someone from our Financial Aid office will be contacting you to assist you with this step. If you have already completed a FAFSA, retrieve it and add the AMU/APU school code: 038193.
Your FSA Intent Form may be canceled if: - The start month you selected on your form does not match the start month of classes for which you have registered
- You are not maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress
If your FSA Intent Form has been canceled, you will be notified by e-mail. In order to submit a new form, you will be required to: - Drop all pending registrations
- Create a new FSA Intent Form
- Re-register for classes prior to the start of the selected semester
Should you have questions, please contact the Financial Aid Helpdesk at fsahelpdesk@apus.edu or call 1-877-372-3535. Members of our Admissions and Financial Aid teams will be contacting you via phone and e-mail to provide assistance, but should you have questions or need assistance at any time, please feel free to call us at 1-877-468-6268 x 2 or you can e-mail us at info@apus.edu. To contact our Financial Aid Office: Please call 1-877-372-3535 or e-mail fsahelpdesk@apus.edu. |
Federal Direct Student Loan Program
American Public University System has made the decision to switch from FFELP to the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. Students who create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) intent form on and after June 1, 2009 will be packaged with Direct Loans rather than with a private lender. Over the short term, students currently borrowing in the FFELP program will continue with their current lender through the end of their current academic year. Afterwards, all students will be integrated into the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. Borrowers are able to consolidate their loans with the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. To do so and view other benefits offered by the Direct Loan Program, please visit their website at www.dl.ed.gov. For a complete description of how the switch to Direct Lending impacts you, click here. For a link to the Q&A page on Direct Loan Consolidation, click here: http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/help/faq.html. Have questions about the change to Direct Loans? Email us at FSAHelpDesk@apus.edu. To check on where your current loans are serviced go to the National Student Loan Data System and you can retrieve you loan history for all schools attended and federal loans received www.nslds.ed.gov. For more information and counseling on student loans call 1-877-372-3535 or email us at FSAHelpDesk@apus.edu or go to www.dl.ed.gov.
Check out our Fact Sheet for more information on Federal Student Aid. >> Return to Top
ATTENTION ACTIVE DUTY ARMY SOLDIERS USING MILITARY TUITION ASSISTANCE!
The Army TA approval process has changed. Tuition assistance forms for classes will no longer get approved by local Education Service Officers (ESOs). Instead, Army students will use the new online TA approval process at the Army's new portal.
Army students wishing to begin a degree program at APU should follow these simple steps to get started:
- Log onto www.apu.apus.edu, click on the red Apply Now button and complete the online application and orientation.
- Register for your first course(s) and submit your Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) form. (If applicable)
- Log onto the GoArmyEd portal to get TA approved.
The Army will provide additional information and instructions to all soldiers about using the new Army portal. APU supports the Army’s initiative to centralize tuition assistance management. We are proud to be a partner with the Army Continuing Education System (ACES) in supporting your educational goals. |
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ATTENTION ACTIVE DUTY AIR FORCE PERSONNEL USING MILITARY TUITION ASSISTANCE! Active Duty Air Force students no longer need to submit a paper copy TA to APUS. APUS receives TA approvals automatically from the Air Force portal. This approval is all the documentation we require.
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