Financial Aid

Attending the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine is always an investment for all of our students; an investment we believe will offer significant satisfaction and academic returns. As a measure to support this financial and academic commitment, the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine is pleased to announce its participation in the Federal Financial Aid program through its Title IV Certification.

The United States Department of Education (DOE) has provided approval to the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine to offer its student body the opportunity to access federal loan opportunities to fund their academic pursuits at VUIM. The Title IV, HEA programs for which VUIM has been certified and approved are listed below.

Federal Direct Student Loan Program

Any student who is interested may now submit his/her FAFSA application through https://fafsa.ed.gov/ and associate the application with the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine through the following school code:

OPEID: 042395

Please keep in mind that international students (F-1 VISA status) do not qualify for Federal Financial Aid.

If you are interested in pursuing federal aid to fund your education through student loans that will now be made available through a FAFSA submission, please feel free to do so. Most importantly, if you have any questions regarding the federal student aid application process, please do not hesitate to contact the VUIM administrative office – we are here to assist.

financialaid@vuim.edu

703-323-5690

Steps to Apply for Financial Aid

Complete all 4 items below:

1. Complete VUIM Financial Aid Form

   -Maximum amount you can borrow each quarter in Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans is $6,833 (for 3 terms, the maximum is $20,500) 

2. Complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov (School Code: 042395)

   Answers to Common FAFSA Questions:

   • Grade Level: select College Graduate, Professional or Beyond (MBA, M.D., Ph.D., etc.)

   • Citizenship if you are a Green Card holder: select Eligible Noncitizen

   • Graduated High School Abroad/outside the US: Select Graduated High School, then State = FC (Foreign Country), then click “Add school manually”

3. Complete Entrance Counseling Form (Select: I’m a Graduate or Professional Student)

4. Complete Master Promissory Note Form (Select: Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans)

5. Complete Funding Estimate Form: will become available once you have completed your Enrollment Agreement and the above documents. The school will email you this form to sign separately. Please contact financialaid@vuim.edu if you have any questions. 

Upon submission, you will receive an email from Campus Ivy (Portico) , VUIM's third-party loan management system, with your login information. If you have any missing documents, you may receive notification emails from Campus Ivy (Portico). 

If you have any questions about Campus Ivy (Portico) portal, please contact financialaid@vuim.edu directly. 

Federal Update: Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on Financial Aid

Important updates you need to know

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a federal budget reconciliation package that includes several significant changes to federal student aid. The information below is a summary of the changes especially relevant to VUIM students. 

The Office of Financial Aid is closely monitoring the changes and their implementation. We will update this page as more information and guidance is made available from the U.S. Department of Education. The following changes are effective as of July 1, 2026.

Enrollment Requirements

Annual loan limits will be prorated for students with less than full-time enrollment (FTE). This means the amount of loan funding you can receive will depend on the number of credits you’re enrolled in and may be adjusted based on your enrollment level.

Federal Direct Loan Limits: Before vs After OBBBA 

Graduate and Professional Students

• Direct Unsubsidized Loans annual and aggregate borrowing limits will change.

  • Graduate students will remain eligible to borrow up to $20,500 per year, with a new aggregate limit of $100,000 (excluding amounts borrowed as an undergraduate).

Federal Direct Loan Repayment

Borrowers currently in federal loan repayment should contact their loan servicer to discuss the impact of these changes on their individual situation.

• New borrowers with loans made on or after July 1, 2026, will have 2 repayment options:

  • Standard Repayment Plan, a fixed payment plan with monthly payments based on the amount borrowed.

  • Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), an income-based repayment plan with monthly payments based on a percentage of borrower income.

• Current borrowers with no new loans made on or after July 1, 2026, may remain on existing plans (ICR, PAYE, SAVE) until July 1, 2028, by when they must transition to the current Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Standard, Graduated, or Extended plans, or the new RAP plan. If no selection is made by that date, they will be moved to RAP.