Much has been written in recent years about the spiraling costs of higher education, the price tags ranging from $60,000 to $150,000 for four years at many state colleges and universities, to $250,000 or more at many private institutions of higher learning. The good news is that almost all colleges and universities offer financial aid to admitted students and families that demonstrate financial need so that these educational opportunities remain within reach.
You and your parent(s) need to sit down and discuss how you as a family are going to pay for college, and it’s important for you to research financial aid programs as you do your college search, if financial aid will be part of your planning. It’s better to ask questions during the planning stage rather than be taken by surprise at the end of the process.
It is also important to note the Deerfield financial aid packages are often more generous than college financial aid packages. In some cases, a student who receives aid from Deerfield may not qualify for financial aid from colleges. We recommend that you talk with your college advisor about your expectations for financial aid, as we can provide resources and insights to support you.
Financial Aid refers to need-based monetary awards given to you by a particular college after an evaluation of your family’s financial situation and a determination that your family will be unable to pay for the costs of that particular college. This need-based aid has nothing to do with your academic record and depends almost completely on you and your family’s aid application and current federal tax forms.
It’s also important to keep in mind as you do your planning that, even though some colleges state that they are “need blind” as they evaluate and admit or deny candidates for admission, the fact of the matter is that only a small handful of well-endowed colleges are truly “need blind” in their admissions. Most colleges and universities today are “need aware” as they evaluate and admit their class each year because they are working with finite financial aid budgets. That is why it is especially important for students who know they will be applying for financial aid to look at a broad range of admission selectivity in their college search.
Financial Aid Packages refer to the way that aid will be awarded to you and your family. There will be a “family contribution” that will include a Parent Contribution and a Student Contribution, often from summer earnings. There will be an institutional grant, scholarship money that you do not have to pay back. And then there will be Student Loans that you will be expected to take out and then pay back after you finish college. Frequently you will be expected to work 10-20 hours each week in a college work/study job that you’ve chosen from the offerings posted in the Financial Aid Office. Financial Aid Packages can vary significantly from college to college. You want to do a lot of preliminary research so that you know what you’re getting into before you apply and before you receive a decision.
FAFSA stands for “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” and is required by every college and university if you are an aid applicant. It is the universal application from the US Department of Education, and both student and parents need to fill out the form online after establishing an account at fafsa.gov. For our Class of 2024, availability of the FAFSA was delayed as they converted to an updated and condensed version. We anticipate that the FAFSA for our Class of 2025 students will be available in October 2024. The NEW FAFSA will automatically access tax documents from the IRS so you no longer have to have your tax returns handy to complete this form. Be sure to check colleges’ individual deadlines for FAFSA deadlines. Deadlines are crucial in this process—don’t jeopardize a potential financial aid award because your forms have not been prepared in a timely fashion! Don’t get sucked into fafsa.com or fafsa.net sites that will try to charge you for filling out the forms—it’s a FREE application!
The CSS Profile is offered by the College Board and may be required by many private colleges and universities who need or want more extensive financial information from your family than the FAFSA provides. You must register and complete the CSS Profile online, and you will need a credit card because you do have to pay to have your profile sent to each of the colleges that require it. Check the financial aid websites at the specific colleges where you will be applying to find out if the CSS Profile is required. Make sure you and your parents meet all deadlines.
Divorced or Separated Parents should both plan to complete financial aid forms. The parent who has primary financial responsibility will complete the FAFSA. Both parents will complete confidential forms for the CSS Profile: it requires custodial parent information and a separate non-custodial parent form. Most colleges expect both parents to contribute to the costs of a child’s college education. Failure to complete the forms could jeopardize a financial aid award, so make sure you keep both of your parents informed and aware of deadlines if they are divorced or separated. Consult the individual financial aid offices if issues about this arise.
A Financial Aid Calculator/Net Price Calculator is required by federal law to be on every college financial aid website so that you can plug in the numbers for both student and parent, taken from recent income tax forms, bank statements, etc., and get a rough estimate of what you and your family may be expected to pay. Your parents will probably want to handle this part of the process but it’s a good way for them to see the variations in financial aid awards that you will see from college to college. Be aware that Deerfield Academy is often more generous with financial aid than the vast majority of colleges will be. Every college website has a Net Price Calculator, so take advantage of the opportunity to take an early peek at what your future education will cost. Here is the link to the US Department of Education website where you can get to any colleges’ net price calculator: https://collegecost.ed.gov/net-price
College Financial Aid Offices will be your best source of information regarding financial aid at a particular college. They all have fully staffed financial aid offices and truly enjoy working with students and their families to make these educational opportunities affordable—and they know how the system works at their respective colleges, so take advantage of their expertise.
Merit-based Scholarships are institutional monies awarded by individual colleges and universities, often for outstanding talent in some particular area. These scholarships could reward outstanding academic records, extracurricular attainments in the arts, community service, or strength of character. Demonstrated financial need does not usually factor into these merit awards and all applicants at a college that offers them are considered during the application evaluation period. Sometimes referred to as tuition discounts, these merit awards are a way for less selective colleges to attract really talented students to their respective institutions.
There may also be named merit scholarships at a particular institution that require a separate application. College admissions websites often list these scholarships, and you can always ask college admissions representatives about the opportunity for merit awards at their respective colleges. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind: the more selective the institution, the less likely merit awards will be given. This website is a resource to search for merit-based aid: https://meritmore.com.
Local/Area Scholarships may also be available from your home state or your local community. Local civic organizations may have smaller yearly awards to help local families handle the cost of college. While these scholarships sometimes go exclusively to local public school students, it certainly doesn’t hurt to inquire about the application process, either through the various civic groups or at the local public high school. Be aware that colleges will sometimes use part of this scholarship money to reduce the grant or apply it to your loan, so you won’t see the entire value applied to your family contribution.
International Students applying for financial aid need to be aware that the competition for financial aid is incredibly competitive and that many American colleges and universities do not have any financial aid in their budgets to bring in needy international students. You need to ask these questions of college admissions officers as you do your preliminary college search: Is there aid for international students? Is there a cap or a limit on how much aid there is for an admitted international student? How many international students are admitted each year to your institution, and how many are receiving financial aid? Answers to these questions are vital to know as you go through this process.
If you are an international student applying for financial aid you will need to file the International Student CSS Profile and have it sent to the colleges to which you are applying, and then supply each college with your parents’ most recent income tax return from your home country, translated into English and converted to US dollars, or a certified statement of earnings from your parents’ employers if there is no tax return. Some college financial aid offices may require additional information, so be sure to consult each individual financial aid office to see about eligibility and any other special requirements.
Colleges require Affidavits of Support and Certification of Finances for international students (particularly ones who are not seeking need based financial aid). Most banks have ample experience with providing such documentation and will guide you accordingly. The Certification of Finances will provide documentation that you and your family have the financial means to provide funding for four years of tuition, room and board, as well as other expenses. Please note that colleges require original documents. Students can find the International Student Certification of Finances Guidelines on most college websites.
Deerfield Academy has partnered with SMARTTRACK to provide resources for planning for college funding to Deerfield Families. The SMARTTRACK® College Funding High School Initiative provides our families with free resources to help them plan ahead and pay less for college.
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