Parent FAQ and Resources
Academics
Explore Academic ResourcesConsistently ranked among the nation’s best colleges in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Truman has forged a reputation as a public university that provides a private school experience at an affordable price. Truman’s educational journey prepares future generations for meaningful careers and lives.
Student success is extremely valuable at Truman, and we want to make sure that your student is achieving his/ her full potential. If a class or assignment seems particularly difficult for your student, we provide various academic support services, such as tutoring, academic advising, and research and writing assistance.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights regarding the access and release of their education records. Because of this, Truman will not automatically send any parent or guardian a student’s course schedule, grades, etc.
The quickest, easiest way for you to receive information about your student’s grades or other student information is to ask your student to provide it to you. To learn more about FERPA, see FERPA Information for Parents.
Resources like the Center for Academic Excellence and Career Center ensure that our students have successful outcomes. Our graduates are landing jobs at places like Cerner and The Boeing Company their first year out of school. Others are accepted at prestigious graduate schools such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins University.
Campus Safety
Department of Public SafetyYes, all students are able to bring their cars to campus, even freshmen! Students are required to purchase a parking permit to park on-campus. Check out our Parking Map to see which permit will work best for your student!
Yes, we have our own Department of Public Safety that is dedicated to providing emergency and non-emergency assistance to the Truman community. They provide police services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Yes, there is! Your student can opt-in to our text messaging alerts and add a parent/guardian’s phone number by following these instructions:
- Sign in to TruView.
- Under Tools, click on Personal Information Menu.
- Click on Update Emergency Text Messaging Information (RAVE).
- Enter or update the information; a maximum of three phones can be registered to receive texts.
- Click on Save or Submit Changes.
Health and Wellness
Student Health CenterWe have a Student Health Center that keeps students healthy —or gets them back on the road to recovery when they need it. Our nurses and collaborating physicians treat acute illnesses and minor injuries, give immunizations, educate patients, and provide reproductive health services, among other things.
We also offer confidential counseling services—individual, relationship, and group—for students who are having personal problems they’d like to discuss with someone.
Yes, if a student wishes the Student Health Center to bill their insurance, they are expected to submit a copy of the front and back of their current insurance card at the time of service.
Any deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, or charges not covered by insurance will be placed on the student’s University Account after the claims have been completely processed by insurance.
Our Office of Student Access and Disability Services provides a variety of accommodations, approved on an individual basis once a student’s eligibility to receive services has been determined. If a student is seeking additional services or resources, he/she can apply for disability services.
Costs, Scholarships, and Financial Aid
Cost and Financial AidTuition and cost will be officially announced each summer for the upcoming academic year. These prices include tuition, housing, meals, and required fees. It does not include textbooks, transportation, or any other personal costs while attending Truman.
We offer various automatic, competitive, and transfer scholarships that can certainly help a family financially. Your student’s application to Truman is their application to all of our scholarships, and these are renewable each year assuming the student meets our renewal requirements.
There are additional foundation scholarships available to currently enrolled students, financed by the contributions of alumni, friends, parents, faculty, staff, campus organizations, foundations, and corporations who believe in Truman’s important mission. Students can apply for the majority of these scholarships in February.
Beyond Truman’s assistance to students, there are also many needs-based financial aid opportunities through grants and loans. You must apply for Federal and State Aid annually to receive any grant or loan funds by filing the FAFSA.
Students may also apply for an on-campus, institutional job. Students can apply for these jobs on TruPositions once they have been enrolled in classes. Many local businesses also employ Truman students. For a listing of local businesses, visit the Kirksville Chamber of Commerce website.
Competitive scholarship notification will be initially sent via mail in January but will be ongoing through February and March. Students who do not receive additional scholarships will not receive a notification. If the student has submitted the FAFSA before our Office of Financial Aid begins packaging in January, they will receive a comprehensive award letter within a few weeks.
We consistently have an incredibly competitive applicant class, and we have limited dollars to award. The scholarship committee reviewed each file individually and had to make countless tough decisions.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a government-funded program that, based on student income, parent income, household size, and assets, yields an expected family contribution (EFC) which determines eligibility for various aid programs. Learn more about filing the FAFSA.
Work study is a federally funded program that is awarded by Truman’s Office of Financial Aid based upon aid guidelines, a student’s unmet need, and available funds. Learn more about work study eligibility and opportunities.
Students are able to customize what aid they take each year, including the amount of a particular type of aid (loans, for example).
The tuition down payment is due July 1. Information about this will be mailed in May. The only paper bill will be mailed in late July. The remainder of the bills will be emailed and available on TruView.
Yes, there is a Flexible Payment Plan that allows for a family to pay their semester balance in four payments spread out throughout each semester. Learn more about the Flexible Payment Plan>
To access a student’s bill and student account information, the student must set you up as an Authorized User. Students can designate Authorized Users by following these instructions:
- How do I set up my parents/others as authorized users so they will be able to view my bill?
- Go to truview.truman.edu and log in.
- In the Tools section, click Student > Student Finances & Student Employment.
- In the Student Finances section, click on Student Account Suite.
- Click on Authorized Users on the right under My Profile Setup.
- Follow the instructions to enter email addresses for parents/others who need access to online bills.
Authorized Users are sent an email notification of passwords and log-ins. They are also notified by email when a new bill is posted or when they make a payment through the website.
Housing and Dining
Residence LifeOur residence halls vary in location, room style, dining options, living-learning communities, and price. However, all on-campus housing options will include:
- wired and wireless internet
- computer labs/workstations
- common area kitchens
- vending machines
- laundry rooms
- cable access
Please explore our Residence Life website to learn more about each residence hall, amenities, dining options, and rates.
Once students complete the Housing Application in TruView, they can begin searching for and requesting their roommate. If a student already knows someone else attending Truman, they can request each other as roommates. If they don’t know who they might want to live with, they will see their potential “roommate matches,” based on information they included on their Housing Application. Students are encouraged to talk with their matches to find and request a roommate. If a student doesn’t request a specific roommate, a random roommate will be given to them before Orientation.
Living with another student is a rewarding but sometimes challenging experience. Students will fill out a Roommate Agreement to help prevent any issues.
If problems persist, students will typically start by talking to a Student Advisor or Apartment Manager to try and resolve the issues, but can eventually end in working with the Hall Director to change roommates. Roommate changes can take place after the second week of regular semester classes.
We do not have specific gender-inclusive housing or open housing as it is sometimes called, as a policy. However, our Office of Residence Life will work with all students one on one to find them a great housing placement. If a student is an incoming freshman, we do ask students to let us know if they are not comfortable being placed by their biological sex through the Housing Application.
Students can move off-campus after their freshman year at Truman. There are a variety of off-campus houses and apartments available, most within a short drive or walk to campus. You can look at the available off-campus housing options by searching on rental websites, or taking note of “For Rent” signs around Kirksville.
Our meal plan options vary in the number of meals allotted per week, amount of flex dollars, and cost. Meals can be redeemed at the dining halls, and are generally transferable to most options in our Main Street Food Court. Flex dollars can be used at all dining locations.
We do consistently offer Simple Servings, an allergen-safe dining option for students with food allergies, gluten intolerance, or those who prefer plain and simple foods. This includes food free from common allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, wheat, gluten, soy, milk products, and eggs. We also offer various vegan and vegetarian options daily.
Our Campus Dining Services will work with your student on his/her dietary restrictions to try and accommodate as best we can. Reach out to someone on our team with any special concerns or requests.
Visiting Truman
Admissions Visitors CenterSee details about Family Day.
You can schedule a visit on our Office of Admissions website, or call 660-785-4114. We have opportunities to visit most weekdays throughout the year, and select Saturdays!
You can find a list of lodging options on Kirksville’s Visitor website. For large visiting days, such as graduation, we recommend making your reservations as soon as you are able.
If you are visiting Truman on a weekday, you are encouraged to pick up a free visitor’s parking permit at the Office of Admissions in the Ruth W. Towne Museum and Visitors Center or at Parking Services in the General Services Building. Parking permits are free to visitors.
If you are visiting during the weekend, you are able to park in any open campus lot.
Kirksville may be a small town, but there are plenty of things to do while you visit. You can go hiking or kayaking at Thousand Hills State Park, see a movie at our Downtown Cinema Eight theater, visit our Downtown Square’s local shops and restaurants, or get your brain working at The Ville Escape Room. Find more things to do in Kirksville on their Visitor website, or look at the events happening on Truman’s campus.