Financial Aid Overview

A veterinary education is an investment in your future and serious financial investment as well.  It is very critical that you take a realistic assessment of how you will pay for it.  The cost of receiving a DVM education can exceed $100,000 when you include tuition, the cost for housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses.  Today, many students rely on student loans as their primary source for financing their education.

Federal loans from the government are available to eligible students that complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid FAFSA.

FAFSA

To apply for federal student aid, you need to complete the FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free and easier than ever, and it gives you access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for vet school.  In addition, the Mizzou vet school uses your FAFSA data when awarding financial-need scholarships.

The FAFSA opens annually on October 1.
Incoming first-year students should submit their FAFSA by April 15.
Returning students (VM2, VM3, and VM4) should submit their FAFSA by January 1.

If you are ready to fill out the FAFSA now, go for it!   The FAFSA website is https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Quality Assurance and Verification

Each year the federal government requires that schools verify the accuracy of the data submitted on the FAFSA. Therefore, we may ask you to submit various documents, such as a federal tax return.  Disbursement of any federal financial aid will be held until we have received and processed the requested documents.

Your Financial Aid Package

Once the MU Financial Aid Office has received your FAFSA results and other required forms, a financial aid package is developed and a financial aid award notification will be sent to you via email.  The award notification will include the financial aid for which you are eligible and what you need to do to accept your award. Students will receive their financial aid packages mid-June.

Receiving Your Financial Aid

All financial aid received is applied directly to your MU student account. Your MU student account is established by the Cashier’s Office once you are registered for classes.  Your account consists of all tuition, fees, room and board (if you live in campus housing), books and any other University charges. Usually one-half of your aid is credited to your account for the fall semester and the other half is credited for the spring.  More about how funds are applied to your account.