Understanding Belmont University Tuition, Fees, and Costs

Choosing a university is a significant decision, and understanding the financial aspects is crucial. This article provides a detailed breakdown of the tuition, fees, and other associated costs of attending Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. It also explores the various financial aid options available to help make a Belmont education accessible.

The Sticker Price vs. Net Price

The "sticker price" is the advertised cost of attendance. However, the "net price," which is the sticker price minus any grants and scholarships you receive, is a more accurate reflection of what you'll actually pay. The net price is specific to your individual circumstances and financial aid eligibility.

Tuition and Fees

Belmont University's tuition is $43,750, which includes both tuition and fees. These fees support various campus services such as library access, gym facilities, student centers, technology resources, and health services. While this might seem like a significant investment, Belmont's tuition is cheaper than the national average cost of tuition of $47,097.

Other Costs to Consider

Beyond tuition and fees, you'll need to factor in other expenses. At Belmont University, the total cost, including tuition, fees, food and housing, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses, amounts to $64,800.

Books and Supplies: \$1,500 per year
Personal Expenses: \$3,030 per year
Transportation: \$2,720 per year

Room and Board

Tall Hall offers a variety of rooming accommodations, ranging from \$4,815.00 to \$6,025.00 per person per semester. The Residence Halls remain open during the Fall and Spring Semesters for all breaks and holidays, with the exception of Christmas and the period between Summer Session and Fall Semester. Limited summer housing is available.

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All residential students must have a meal plan. Freshman are assigned to an Anytime plan and may increase to the All Access plan. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors living on campus are assigned to a Block 125 plan and may increase to an Anytime or All Access plan. The University Dining Hall is closed during Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Break; however, during those breaks, other on-campus food service options may be available to students. All meal plan meals are served in the dining hall.

Summer room prices are per person and per summer term.

Understanding Financial Aid

Belmont University offers generous financial aid packages that combine merit-based and need-based assistance. In fact, Belmont University met 66% of its students’ financial aid need. Financial aid can include grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study jobs.

Types of Financial Aid

Grants: Grants are typically need-based and do not need to be repaid. These can come from the federal government (like Pell Grants), your state, or the college itself.
Scholarships: Scholarships are awarded based on academic merit, talent, or other criteria. They do not need to be repaid.
Student Loans: Student loans are sums of money that must be repaid with interest. They can be federal or private loans.
Work-Study: Work-study programs allow students to earn money through on-campus or approved off-campus jobs to help pay for college expenses.

Need-Based Aid

Need-based aid takes your family's financial situation into account. To be considered for need-based aid at Belmont, you must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the priority deadline of December 1. Belmont's Office of Student Financial Services begins reviewing FAFSAs as soon as possible in February. Awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis.

FAFSA: Complete the FAFSA online to determine your eligibility for federal student aid. Belmont's Priority Date for completion of the FAFSA is December 1.
Student Aid Summary (SAS): Review the SAS for accuracy and follow any instructions on the report. If your SAS is incorrect, please make the corrections and submit an updated FAFSA.

Applied for need-based aid, Received need-based financial aid and Received need-based self-help aid.

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Merit-Based Aid

Upon admission to Belmont, you are automatically considered for all sources of merit aid. However, some departmental scholarships and grants may require a separate application.

First-year student general academic merit scholarships range from $3,000 to $22,000 annually. In awarding merit-based scholarships, Belmont considers the applicant’s GPA, essay, co-curricular activities and test score (if submitted). Admitted first-year students with academic credentials that meet or exceed the University’s first-year student class profile are considered competitive candidates for these awards. These top awards recognize approximately the top 2% of all first-year applicants. Unless otherwise stated, no additional steps are required to be considered for top university scholarships.

Specific Scholarship Programs

Belmont University offers a variety of specific scholarship programs:

Archer Presidential Scholarship: Belmont's most competitive scholarship, awarded to approximately five incoming first-year students. Traditionally, twelve finalists are invited to personally interview on campus for this award. Selection criteria include a review of academic and leadership accomplishments.
William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship: One scholarship covering full tuition, room, board, books and fees for a first-year student.
Ingram Achievers Scholarship: Four full-tuition scholarships for incoming first-year students from the Nashville, Tennessee area who present outstanding academic and leadership records.
E.S. Rose Scholarship: Half- and full-tuition scholarships for a limited number of deserving incoming first-year students with demonstrated need who attend a Metro Nashville public school, with preference given to students who live in proximity to E.S. Rose Park in Nashville, Tennessee.
Community Scholarship: Half-tuition scholarship awarded for incoming first-year students with demonstrated need and above-average academic credentials who live in proximity to the Belmont University campus.
National Merit Finalists: Students named as a National Merit Finalist receive a merit award from Belmont of $24,000/year. Those Finalists subsequently designated as a National Merit Scholar receive an additional National Merit Scholarship of $1,000/year. These funds would replace any previously-awarded academic scholarship(s). Finalists selected for a “National” or “Corporate-Sponsored” award administered by the National Merit Scholarship Program are ineligible for the additional $1,000 award from National Merit.
Global Honors Scholarship: Students admitted to the Global Honors program are eligible to receive the Global Honors Scholarship. This $2,000 award is granted annually beginning the first year and is renewable sophomore, junior, and senior years, provided the student remains in good academic standing in the Global Honors program. The scholarship celebrates students who ask big questions, thrive in collaborative learning, and embrace global perspectives. Reflecting the spirit of the Global Honors program, it affirms Belmont’s commitment to academic excellence, meaningful engagement, and preparing Bruins to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.
Tennessee Education Lottery (HOPE) Scholarship: The HOPE scholarship is awarded to entering first-year students and returning students who are Tennessee residents and meet eligibility requirements as specified by the Tennessee state legislature.
Athletic Scholarships: Talent-based scholarships based upon athletic ability and program desirability.
Songwriting Endowed Scholarships: One merit-based scholarship for a first-year student in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business majoring in Songwriting and meeting the general academic merit scholarship criteria. These awards can be combined with a general academic merit scholarship. Applicants must submit their Songwriting portfolio by the November 1 deadline to be considered.

Types of Grants Available

Belmont University offers a variety of grants, which, unlike loans, generally do not have to be repaid.

Belmont Grant-in-Aid: Grant funds are awarded based on demonstrated need indicated on the FAFSA. Belmont Grant-in-Aid funds are determined by the Student Aid Index (SAI) and are not guaranteed every year. Students must complete the FAFSA for each aid year to determine grant eligibility.
Federal Pell Grant: A Federal Pell grant is an undergraduate federal grant. The U.S. Department of Education determines eligibility.

Student Loans and Debt

It’s important to be aware of potential student loan debt and its implications. At Belmont University, the median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed their undergraduate degree is $20,500. The median monthly federal loan payment (if it were repaid over 10 years at 5.05% interest) for student federal loan borrowers who graduated is $217.

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Additionally, 12% of graduating students at Belmont University took out private loans. Students with private loans had an average of $58,987 in private loan debt at graduation. Average Total Indebtedness of 2024 Graduating Class is $34,784.

Types of Loans

Direct Loans: Low-interest loans for students and caregivers to help pay for the cost of a student's education after high school. As with all federal student aid, students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). After you have been awarded, you will need to complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling.
Subsidized Loans: Subsidized loans are for undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need, as determined by federal regulations. No interest will accrue while a student is in school at least half-time, during the grace period, and during deferment periods.
Unsubsidized Loans: Unsubsidized loans are not based on financial need; interest is charged during all periods, even during the time a student is in school and during grace and deferment periods.
Parent PLUS Loans: Credit-based loans for the parents of dependent students. Parents may apply for these loans and, if approved, may use the funds to help pay for education expenses up to the cost of attendance minus all other financial assistance. Interest is charged during all periods.
Alternative Loans: Private, credit-based loans. Students may apply for these loans and, if approved, may use the funds to offset educational expenses. They are designed to help supplement federal loans for educational costs.

Work-Study Programs

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a financial aid program that allows students to work on-campus or with approved off-campus community service employers to earn money to pay for college expenses. Eligible students are awarded FWS when they complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Being awarded FWS with financial aid can help a student be eligible for part-time jobs, both on- and off-campus. The FWS program encourages employment in community service and in fields related to your major of study.

Additional Financial Considerations

Special Course Fees

Some courses at Belmont require additional special fees for materials or specialized instruction used in the course. These fees are listed as part of the individual course description and are listed in the class schedule each term.

Payment Deadlines and Financial Obligations

Financial arrangements for all student charges must be settled by the published payment deadline. If a student has any financial obligation to Belmont, the student will not be allowed to register for any subsequent semester or reserve housing until the account is paid in full. Should a student leave Belmont University owing on his/her account, he/she will be liable for all fees associated with collections.

Adjustments and Refunds

Adjustments will be made to accounts during the drop/add period if the total number of credit hours is decreased or increased, i.e., less than 12 hours, more than 16 hrs. Registration at the university is considered a contract binding the student for the entire semester. Refund of tuition is not applicable when withdrawing from individual courses.

When a student officially withdraws from all courses (Fall or Spring), through submission of a university withdrawal form, any refund of tuition will be governed by a specific policy calculated from the first official day of classes. Students who believe they have individual circumstances warranting an exception to published refund policies may appeal the application of the policy. Students choosing to appeal should submit a written letter of appeal accompanied by supporting documentation. This letter must be submitted within 30 days of the completion of the semester for which they are appealing.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

In order to receive federal financial aid, students must be making satisfactory academic progress. Belmont is required to apply standards that are both qualitative and quantitative. Eligibility for federal programs will be evaluated as part of the initial application process and again at the end of the spring semester of each academic year. In the evaluation process, all grades of “W” (Withdrawn) and “I” (Incomplete) will be counted as hours attempted but not passed. Repeated courses will count as hours attempted. Students cannot receive aid after attempting 150% of the hours required for completion of their academic program.

Students failing to meet these standards for satisfactory academic progress may feel that there are mitigating circumstances which contributed to their failure. In such cases, students may choose to appeal for reinstatement of their financial aid eligibility based on these unique circumstances. Students must explain the reasons for not meeting the satisfactory academic progress standards as well as include a plan of action to be reviewed by the committee.

Return of Title IV Funds

When a student who received federal Title IV financial aid withdraws from the university, the unearned portion of these awards must be returned to federal Title IV financial aid programs. In order to determine the unearned portion of federal financial aid, first subtract the number of days remaining in the academic term after the withdrawal date (federal regulations define the withdrawal date as the date on which the student initiates the withdrawal process) from the total number of days in the academic term. The remainder is divided by the total number of days in the academic term. The federal government has prescribed the order in which unearned aid is returned to federal Title IV programs.

Tips for Managing College Costs

Apply for Financial Aid Early: Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after it becomes available (October 1) to maximize your chances of receiving aid.
Search for Outside Scholarships: Explore scholarships from national organizations, community-based organizations, and your caregivers' employers.
Consider Work-Study: Take advantage of work-study opportunities to earn money while attending school.
Create a Budget: Track your expenses and create a budget to help manage your finances.
Explore Tuition Payment Plans: See if Belmont offers tuition payment plans to spread out the cost of tuition over time.

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