2024 FAFSA Information Guide

Consumer Information

The following information is intended to provide current students, prospective students and their families with important information regarding the university. Some of the links are to downloadable forms and other documents, while others lead to web pages.

Availability of Institutional and Financial Aid Information

Notice of Availability of Institutional and Financial Aid Information

Availability of employees for information dissemination purposes: Enrollment Services Offices shall be available on a full-time basis to assist enrolled or prospective students in obtaining information on the school, financial assistance, graduation and completion rates, security policies, and crime statistics to any enrolled or prospective student throughout the normal administrative working hours of the university.

Federal regulations (34 CFR 668.164(i)) dictate that if a student has a Title IV (federal aid) credit balance on his or her account 10 days prior to the semester, he or she is able to use the credit balance amount to obtain books and supplies through the seventh day of the payment period. The school may use the actual costs of books and supplies or allowance for those materials used in estimating the student’s cost of attendance for the period.

A student may opt out of this opportunity by simply not utilizing the established process in place for Southeastern students to apply funds to their student ID for purchase of books. If a student does opt out, his or her Title IV credit balance will be issued through the normal refund process after disbursement of funds occurs.

Southeastern University allows any students with an anticipated credit balance to apply those funds to their student ID for books and supplies with an $800 per semester cap. Students who would like to request that a portion of their anticipated credit balance be applied to their Fire Card for book purchases may do so by going online to their MySEU account and visit the student financial services page to submit their requests online via the Fire Card transfer form. Students who prefer not to submit the request online may also do so in person with their student financial services counselor by visiting the Office of Student Financial Services, located on the second floor of Addison Hall. If a student has book charges above the $800 capped transfer amount, on a case-by-case basis, with student financial services authorization, the limit may be increased.

UPDATE AS OF AUGUST 2021: The U.S. Department of Education has rescinded the student eligibility requirement and a student no longer faces penalties or suspension of Title IV aid due to a drug conviction that occurred while the student was enrolled and receiving Title IV aid.

Each institution must provide to each student, upon enrollment, a separate, clear, and conspicuous written notice that advises the student that a conviction for any offense, during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal financial aid  program funds, under any federal or state law involving the possession or sale of illegal drugs will result in the loss of eligibility for any federal student grant, loan, or work-study assistance (HEA Sec. 484(r)(1)); (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)(1)).

Student Convicted of the Possession or Sale of Drugs

A federal or state drug conviction (but not a local or municipal conviction) can disqualify a student for FSA funds.

Convictions only count against a student for aid eligibility purposes (FAFSA question 23c) if they were for an offense that occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal student aid—they do not count if the offense was not during such a period, unless the student was denied federal benefits for drug trafficking by a federal or state judge (see drug abuse hold sidebar). Also, a conviction that was reversed, set aside, or removed from the student’s record does not count, nor does one received when she was a juvenile, unless she was tried as an adult.

See this FAQ sheet from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of National Drug Control Policy for more information.

The chart below illustrates the period of ineligibility for FSA funds, depending on whether the conviction was for sale or possession and whether the student had previous offenses. (A conviction for sale of drugs includes convictions for conspiring to sell drugs.)

 

Possession of Illegal Drugs

Sale of Illegal Drugs

1st Offense

1 year from date of conviction

2 years from date of conviction

2nd Offense

2 years from date of conviction

Indefinite Period

3+ Offenses

Indefinite Period

 

If the student was convicted of both possessing and selling illegal drugs, and the periods of ineligibility are different, the student will be ineligible for the longer period. Schools must provide each student who becomes ineligible for FSA funds due to a drug conviction a clear and conspicuous written notice of his loss of eligibility and the methods whereby he can become eligible again.

A student regains eligibility the day after the period of ineligibility ends or when he successfully completes a qualified drug rehabilitation program that includes passing two unannounced drug tests given by such a program. Further drug convictions will make him ineligible again.

Students denied eligibility for an indefinite period can regain it, either after successfully completing a rehabilitation program (as described below, which includes passing two unannounced drug tests from such a program), or if a conviction is reversed, set aside, or removed from the student’s record so that fewer than two convictions for sale or three convictions for possession remain on the record. In such cases, the nature and dates of the remaining convictions will determine when the student regains eligibility. It is the student’s responsibility to certify to the institution that she has successfully completed the rehabilitation program; as with the conviction question on the FAFSA, the institution is not required to confirm the reported information unless the institution has conflicting information.

When a student regains eligibility during the aid year, the institution may offer Pell Grant, TEACH, and Campus-Based aid for the current payment period and Direct Loans for the period of enrollment.

Standards for a qualified drug rehabilitation program

A qualified drug rehabilitation program must include at least two unannounced drug tests and satisfy at least one of the following requirements:

  • Be qualified to receive funds directly or indirectly from a federal, state, or local government program.
  • Be qualified to receive payment directly or indirectly from a federally or state-licensed insurance company.
  • Be administered or recognized by a federal, state, or local government agency or court.
  • Be administered or recognized by a federally or state-licensed hospital, health clinic, or medical doctor.

Student Financial Assistance

General Institutional Information


Indirect Costs/Other Allowable Expenses
Determining the cost of attending college also means estimating potential expenses beyond tuition, room, and board. Students can choose to apply financial aid toward these allowable expenses (up to the amounts listed below per year, based on full-time enrollment). Individual costs will vary.

  • Books & Supplies: up to $1,600
  • Transportation: up to $1,800
  • Misc. Living Expenses: up to $6,000

Health and Safety | Vaccinations Policies

Student Outcomes

At the heart of everything Southeastern University does is the mission to equip “students to discover and develop their divine design to serve Christ and the world through Spirit-empowered life, learning, and leadership.” To assist in evaluating how well students are doing with respect to student achievement, Southeastern chose a set of measures addressing both the student journey from matriculation to graduation and the personal and professional success attained after graduation.

For each measure, SEU established both minimum and aspirant levels of performance. Minimum Levels of Performance are operational standards. These thresholds are baseline standards which trigger remedial responses if dropped below minimum levels. Aspirant Levels of Performance establish desired levels of growth or improvement. Each measure, levels of performance and outcomes are published below.

Retention Rates

Southeastern University monitors first-year first-time-in-college (FTIC) retention rates. Retention rates are defined as the percentage of first-time in college, FTIC, students entering in the fall of their first year and returning for the fall term of their second year. Retention Rates are an early indicator of if a student will graduate. SEU performs a peer comparison with ACT National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates and the Consortium for Student Retention and Data Exchange.

Aspirant Levels of Performance: 74% of full-time first-year, first-time in college students will return for their second year at SEU.

Minimum Level of Performance: 70% of full-time first-year, first-time in college students will return.

FTIC Students by deliverySEUACTCSRDEMLPALP
Traditional Students71.8%66.6%63.1%70.0%74.0%
Non-Traditional (Site and Online)62.4%66.6%63.1%70.0%74.0%
Overall67.5%66.6%63.1%70.0%74.0%

SEU disaggregates this data by location, academic program, delivery, and demographics. If you would like to explore SEU’s retention rate further, please use the Retention, Persistence and Graduation Initiative at the end of the Student Achievement section of this web page.

Transfer First Year Return Rates

Transfer students enter SEU already having attended at least one other college or university. The challenges for transfer students to success vary from those FTIC students. To monitor transfer student achievement SEU uses a similar metric to retention rates.  Unfortunately, there is little data to benchmark ourselves against as transfer data focuses mostly on graduation rates. Since, SEU’s transfer return rates somewhat mirror our FTIC retention rates, SEU chose to adopt the same levels of performance.

Aspirant Levels of Performance: 74% of full-time transfer students in their first year at SEU will return for their second year.

Minimum Level of Performance: 70% of full-time transfer students will return for their second year.

Transfer First Year Return RatesSEUMLPALP
Traditional Students69.8%70.0%74.0%
Non-Traditional (Site and Online)64.6%70.0%74.0%
Overall66.1%70.0%74.0%

As it does with FTIC students, SEU disaggregates this data by location, academic program, delivery, and demographics. You can explore results in the same Retention, Persistence and Graduation Initiative at the end of the Student Achievement section of this web page.

Student Thriving

SEU recognizes that student success is about more than grades and attendance. It’s also about personal growth and development. Students who do best grow and thrive in 8 measurable domains. Grounded in positive psychology, the Thriving Quotient is a research-validated and nationally benchmarked measure that quantifies the degree to which human flourishing takes place in the lived experiences of undergraduate students in college. Those eight domains are listed in the table below along with SEU’s scores.

Aspirant Levels of Performance: A thriving score of  5.23 is the current goal for the ALP. It was set, a quarter point below what is considered the measure of where students are thriving for each domain.

Minimum Level of Performance: SEU administered the Thriving Quotient as part of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) Collaborative Assessment Project (CAP). With that in mind, the MLP was set at the mean score of all CCCU institutions for each domain.

 CCCU Norms (N=11,673)SEU (N=850)
Thriving Quotient DomainMEANSTANDARD DEVIATIONMEANSTANDARD DEVIATION
Engaged Learning Scale4.750.894.910.93
Academic Determination Scale4.810.7350.73
Social Connectedness Scale4.11.034.181.06
Diverse Citizenship Scale4.850.655.070.64
Positive Perspective Scale4.571.014.90.95
Psychological Sense of Community Scale4.6714.851.02
Spirituality Scale5.091.065.50.77
Institutional Integrity Scale4.651.034.831.05
Total Thriving Quotient Score (Mean of All TQ Items)4.620.64.810.62

Program Exams & Licensing

SEU currently tracks licensure exam pass rates for two of its programs. The Florida Teacher’s Certification Examination (FTCE) for students graduating in the teacher education program and the NCLEX-RN exam for Nursing students.

A third program the Pilot Licensure and Certifications for those in the Professional Pilot and Aviation Management programs began in September 2019. Since the program is in its infancy there is little data and no MLPs or ALPs have been established.

Aspirant Levels of Performance:

  • Florida Teacher’s Certification
    • General Knowledge Test (GKT): 75% first time pass rate.
    • Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE): 75% first time pass rate.
  • NCLEX-RN Licensing Exam for Nursing: 90% pass rate.

Minimum Level of Performance:

  • Florida Teacher’s Certification
    • General Knowledge Test (GKT): 65% first time pass rate.
    • Florida Teacher Certification Examination (FTCE): 65% first time pass rate.
  • NCLEX-RN Licensing Exam for Nursing: 80% pass rate. (The expectations of CCNE accreditation body.)

Pass Rates

  • Florida Teacher’s Certification: Recent changes in Florida exams triggered a 30% drop in first-time pass rates across the state. We are currently at 28% for first-time and 67% overall.
  • NCLEX-RN Licensing Exam: of the 107 students completing the BSN since the program’s inception in 2017, 90% have passed.

Graduation Rates

The ultimate goal of starting a college program is graduation and finding a job. This and the following measure address these goals. SEU uses the same to peer sources the ACT National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates and the Consortium for Student Retention and Data Exchange to benchmark its graduation rates.

Aspirant Levels of Performance: The goal for the next four years is to graduate 52%

Minimum Level of Performance: The goal for the next four years is to graduate 47%.

Graduation RatesSEUACTCSRDENSCMLPALP
Traditional Students53.4%60.1%34.2%64.1%47.0%52.0%
Non-Traditional (Site and Online)39.6%60.1%34.2%64.1%47.0%52.0%
Overall49.8%60.1%34.2%64.1%47.0%52.0%

SEU disaggregates this data by location, academic program, delivery, and demographics. If you would like to explore SEU’s graduation rates further, please use the Retention, Persistence and Graduation Initiative at the end of the Student Achievement section of this web page. Graduation rates are on the Demographic and Academic Trends tabs.

Employment & Continuation Rates

Southeastern University measures the effectiveness of its academic programs by tracking employment and continuing education rates. Rates are reported as: Employed, Enrolled in Post-Undergraduate Education or Both – Currently working and continuing their education.

Aspirant Levels of Performance: 86% combined Employment / Continuing Education Rate.

Minimum Level of Performance: 75% combined Employment / Continuing Education Rate.

SEU uses two primary data sources to collect post-graduation data. In 2019, SEU partnered with Emsi, for employment data on its alumni. Data from the National Student Clearinghouse is used for continuing education information.

Employment/Continuing EducationEmployedContinuing EducationEmployed and in School
Undergraduate Completers86.5%67.3%35.6%
Graduate/Doctoral Completers93.0%45.0%24.0%
Overall (Unduplicated)88.3%62.0% 

An 88.3% employment rate, coupled with 62.0% continuing their education, suggests that Southeastern University graduates are prepared to “make a positive and consequential impact on society” through the careers, professions, and further education they chose after graduation.

Additional information including breakdowns by locations and programs is below.

Florida EASE Grant Annual Accountability Report

Southeastern University’s EASE Grant performance measures, which include access rates, affordability rates, graduation rates, retention rates, and post graduate employment rates for first time in college (FTIC), Florida residents who received the EASE grant, are specifically listed on the ICUF Dashboard at this link: icuf.org/dashboard.

This dashboard transparently shares school performance data from 30 independent, non-profit colleges and universities located in the state of Florida. 

Intercollegiate Athletic Program

Intercollegiate Athletic Program Participation Rates and Financial Support Data

EADA Report
The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) Survey is a report that institutions are required to make available to students, prospective students and the public in easily accessible places in order to comply with United States Department of Education regulations. The EADA reports the institution’s commitment to providing equitable athletic opportunities for its men and women students. All institutions of higher education that participate in federal student aid program(s) must complete an annual EADA report. If you wish to obtain a paper copy of these documents please contact us at 863.667.5046. SEU Fire Athletics

Voter Registatration

Voter Registration Form

Disclosure Requirements Relating to Education Loans

In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, before a private educational lender may offer a private loan to a student, the lender must obtain a signed Self-Certification form from the applicant.

As a result, the Self-Certification form may be found here, which may be provided to the Student Financial Services Office for Section 2 to be completed upon request. Alternatively, applicants may obtain a copy of this form from your lender directly or from our online private loan comparison tool, FastChoice, located here.

Southeastern University (SEU) has adopted the following code of conduct (in accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (H.R. 4137) as signed into law on August 14, 2008. This applies to the officers, employees, and agents of the institution and is inclusive of the following:

  • a ban on revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender. The HEOA defines “revenue-sharing arrangement” as any arrangement between an institution and a lender under which the lender makes Title IV loans to students attending the institution (or to the families of those students), the institution recommends the lender or the loan products of the lender and, in exchange, the lender pays a fee or provides other material benefits, including revenue or profit-sharing, to the institution or to its officers, employees, or agents; 
  • a ban on employees of the SEU financial aid office receiving gifts from a lender, guaranty agency or loan servicer. No officer or employee of the SEU financial aid office (or an employee or agent who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to educational loans) may solicit or accept any gift from a lender, guarantor, or servicer of education loans. A “gift” is defined as any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, or other item having monetary value of more than a de minimis amount. 
    • However, a gift does not include (1) standard material, activities or programs on issues relating to a loan, default aversion, or financial literacy, such as a brochure, workshop or training; (2) food, refreshments, training, or informational material provided as part of a training session designed to improve the service of a lender, guarantor, or servicer if the training contributes to the professional development of the institution’s officer, employee or agent; (3) favorable terms and benefits on an education loan provided to a student employed by the institution if those terms and benefits are comparable to those provided to all students at the institution; (4) entrance and exit counseling services provided to borrowers as long as the institution’s staff are in control of the counseling and the counseling does not promote the services of a specific lender; (5) philanthropic contributions from a lender, guarantor, or servicer that are unrelated to education loans or any contribution that is not made in exchange for any advantage related to education loans, and; (6) State education grants, scholarships, or financial aid funds administered by or on behalf of a State;
  • a ban on contracting arrangements. No officer or employee of SEU who is employed in the financial aid office (or an employee or agent who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans) may accept from a lender, or an affiliate of any lender, any fee, payment, or other financial benefit as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or contract to provide services to or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans; 
  • a prohibition against steering borrowers to particular lenders or delaying loan certifications. For any first-time borrower, SEU does not assign, through the award packaging or other methods, the borrower’s loan to a particular lender. In addition, SEU will not refuse to certify, or delay the certification, of any loan based on the borrower’s selection of a particular lender or guaranty agency;
  • a prohibition on offers of funds for private loans. SEU will not request or accept from any lender any offer of funds for private loans, including funds for an opportunity pool loan, to students in exchange for providing concessions or promises to the lender for a specific number of Title IV loans made, insured, or guaranteed, a specified loan volume, or a preferred lender arrangement. An “opportunity pool loan” is defined as a private education loan made by a lender to a student (or the student’s family) that involves a payment by the institution to the lender for extending credit to the student;
  • a ban on staffing assistance. SEU will not request or accept from any lender any assistance with call center staffing or financial aid office staffing. However, a lender may provide professional development training, educational counseling materials (as long as the materials identify the lender that assisted in preparing the materials), or staffing services on a short-term, nonrecurring basis during emergencies or disasters; and
  • a ban on advisory board compensation. An employee of the SEU financial aid office (or employee who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans or financial aid) who serves on an advisory board, commission, or group established by a lender or guarantor (or a group of lenders or guarantors) is prohibited from receiving anything of value from the lender, guarantor, or group, except for reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee for serving on the board.
  • No action will be taken by financial aid staff that is for their personal benefit or could be perceived to be a conflict of interest. 
    • Employees within the financial aid office will not award aid to themselves or their immediate family members. Staff will reserve this task to institutionally designated personnel, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. 
    • A borrower’s choice of a lender will not be denied, impeded, or unnecessarily delayed by the institution, even if that lender is not included on the institution’s preferred lender list. 
    • No amount of cash, gift, or benefit in excess of a de minimis amount shall be accepted by a financial aid staff member from any financial aid applicant (or his/her family), or from any entity doing business with or seeking to do business with the institution (including service on advisory committees or boards beyond reimbursement for reasonable expenses directly associated with such service).
  • Information provided by the financial aid office is accurate, unbiased, and does not reflect preference arising from actual or potential personal gain. 
  • Institutional financial aid offers and/or other institutionally provided materials shall include the following:
    • Breakdown of estimated individual Cost of Attendance components, including which are direct (billed by the institution) costs vs. indirect (not billed by the institution) costs 
    • Clear identification and proper grouping of each type of aid offered indicating whether the aid is a grant/scholarship, loan, or work program 
    • Estimated net price by way of our designated net price calculator, published on the website annually 
    • Standard terminology and definitions, using NASFAA’s glossary of terms 
  • Financial aid professionals will disclose to their institution any involvement, interest in, or potential conflict of interest with any entity with which the institution has a business relationship.

The U.S. Department of Education publishes the cohort default rates based on the percentage of a school’s borrowers who enter repayment on Direct Loan Program loans during a federal fiscal year (October 1 – September 30) and default before the end of the second following fiscal year. 

In the event that Southeastern University’s cohort default rate rises above the national average, we will disclose this to all students by adding it to our consumer information webpage and also notify students via email on how to locate this information.

Southeastern University’s current cohort default rate (2019)  is 2.7% compared to the national average of 2.3%.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

If you’re planning on conducting scientific research in the SEU community, you may need to get prior approval from the SEU IRB. Click the link below to determine whether or not you’ll need an IRB review for your project.

Institutional Review Board

Veterans – Coverage Policy

In accordance with Title 38 US Code § 3679 subsection (e), this school adopts the following additional provisions for any students using U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch. 33) or Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while payment to the institution is pending from the VA. This school will not:

  • Prevent the student’s enrollment;
  • Assess a late penalty fee to the student;
  • Require the student to secure alternative or additional funding;
  • Deny the student access to any resources (access to classes, libraries, or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution.

However, to qualify for this provision, such students will be required to:
Provide the enrolling institution with a copy of his/her VA Certification of Eligibility (COE) – A “certificate of eligibility” can also include a “Statement of Benefits” obtained from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) website; eBenefits; or a VAF 28-1905 form, for chapter 31 authorization purposes.

General Complaint Policy for Extension Site and Out of State Students

Any general complaints and appeals, not outlined explicitly in the University’s Complaint & Appeal Policy should be directed to the Dean of Academic & Extension Operations, including concerns related to academic coursework and faculty, technology, and other aspects of the student experience. Please direct all such concerns to SiteSupport@seu.edu

Distance education students must first follow the institution’s complaint procedure as outlined above.  If the student is not satisfied with the response, the student may file a complaint with the Office of Articulation within the Florida Department of Education at 325 West Gaines Street, Room 701, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400, Phone: 850-245-0427, Fax: 850-245-9010 or articulation@fldoe.org

The complaint should include the following:

  1. Name of Student (or Complainant)
  2. Complainant Address
  3. Phone Number
  4. Name of Institution
  5. Location of the Institution (City)
  6. Dates of Attendance
  7. A full description of the problem and any other documentation that will support your claim such as enrollment agreements, correspondence, etc.

Students who have completed the internal institutional grievance process and the applicable state grievance process may appeal non-instructional complaints to the FL-SARA PRDEC Council. For additional information on the complaint process, please visit the FL-SARA Complaint Process page.

State-Specific Complaint Policies

For residents of the following states, taking courses at an SEU extension site, may also follow the complaint policy that applies to your state

Teacher Preparation Program Report

The most recent eIPEP is available here.