Applying for Financial Aid

1. Determination of Your Aid Eligibility
2. Bucknell Institutional Assistance
3. Federal Assistance
4. State Assistance

1. Determination of Your Aid Eligibility

Your financial aid package was determined based on our analysis of the information you reported on the College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE form. We use both federal and institutional methodologies to calculate your eligibility for all federal, state and Bucknell aid programs that we offer. In determining your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), we review student and parent income and assets, the number of family members supported by your parents, and the number of children in your family who are enrolled in degree-seeking higher education programs. We then subtract your EFC from our cost of attendance, and the result is your calculated institutional need at Bucknell. We typically try to meet this need level with a combination of need-based scholarship funds, grants, loans, and work-study. (However, please keep in mind that if you do not have institutional financial need, the only aid we will offer to you is a Federal Stafford Loan). If you are nominated for a “preferential” aid package due to your strength in academics, performance or talent, a greater percentage of your institutional need may be met with need-based scholarship funds and less with loans and work-study. If you apply late, we cannot guarantee that funding will be available or that your need will be met.

2. Bucknell Institutional Assistance

• First Year Applicants
• Transfer Applicants
• Divorced/Separated Families

The Bucknell University Scholarship is our University need-based grant, awarded to students who demonstrate institutional financial need. Eligibility for this award can change from year to year if your family's financial circumstances should change or if you should apply after our deadline.

First Year Applicants

All prospective first-year students applying for financial aid must submit all sections of the financial aid PROFILE to the College Scholarship Service (CSS).

To receive the PROFILE application, students must register with CSS. This information can be obtained from guidance counselors or online at http://profileonline.collegeboard.com.The large majority of financial aid applicants at Bucknell use the online version of the PROFILE, and we recommend this since it is the fastest way to apply. After you complete your registration, you will need to complete the actual applications.

Bucknell, PROFILE Code 2050, must be listed as a recipient institution on the registration, and the appropriate fee must be remitted. Upon receipt of the registration information, CSS will forward a PROFILE application to students for their completion and submission to CSS. The entire PROFILE application should be completed and returned to CSS by the dates listed below:

Early Decision I Students:

• November 15

Early Decision II Students and Regular Decision Students:

• January 1

Families should be careful to submit the PROFILE registration at least four weeks prior to the dates listed. This allows the College Scholarship Service adequate time to process the request and return the complete application to you. The earlier dates listed for submission of the completed PROFILE application to CSS are encouraged.

Bucknell applicants who have filed the CSS PROFILE by the appropriate deadline will be notified of their aid eligibility shortly after they receive their admissions letter. This notification will indicate eligibility for university, federal, and state aid programs.

First year students who will be enrolling at Bucknell must submit signed copies of all pages and schedules of 2003 federal income tax documents for both the student and his/her parents directly to the Office of Financial by May 10.

Students who file the PROFILE application after our deadlines may not receive a timely notification about their financial aid awards. Likewise, they will be considered for university assistance only if funding permits.

Students who do not file the PROFILE application with the College Scholarship Service will not be considered for university funding.

Transfer Applicants

Transfer students will be sent a financial aid application packet directly from Bucknell when they file their admissions applications.

Application forms included in this packet will be the PROFILE application, which should be completed and submitted to the College Scholarship Service, listing Bucknell (CSS code 2050) as a recipient institution, and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which should be completed and submitted to the federal government, also listing Bucknell (federal code 003238) as a recipient.

The deadline date for the submission of these forms is April 1 for fall transfers and by November 1 for spring transfers.

Students who file the application forms by the appropriate deadlines will be notified of their financial aid eligibility shortly after they receive notification of their admission to the university. Please be aware that university assistance for transfer students is extremely limited.

Divorced/Separated Families

The parent and step-parent (if applicable) with whom the student resides should complete the PROFILE application itself with total custodial family income and asset data. The non-custodial parent should complete the Non-Custodial Parent's Statement and return it directly to Bucknell's Office of Financial Aid.

3. Federal Application

All students who wish to apply for federal financial aid (including the Federal Stafford loan) must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The FAFSA is available in paper copy from high school guidance counselors and college financial aid offices, and online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. All sections of the form should be completed, and Bucknell University, FAFSA Code #003238, should be listed as a recipient institution. For students filing a paper copy, the form should be submitted to the federal processor in the envelope provided.

No federal financial aid will be able to be credited to a student account without Bucknell's receipt of FAFSA information. Students should be careful to file the FAFSA prior to any deadlines imposed by state agencies that will be using the data to determine state grant eligibility. Pennsylvania's deadline for this purpose is May 1 prior to the academic year for which the aid is being requested.

Students may complete the FAFSA beginning January 1 prior to the academic year for which the aid is being requested.

As a result of filing the FAFSA, the federal processor will send students a multi-page Student Aid Report (SAR), which they may keep; Bucknell will receive the FAFSA data electronically. Be sure to review your SAR, as it may ask you to submit a signature page or other documents.

Frequently the federal government selects students for "verification." This process involves Bucknell's collecting family federal tax returns, as well as other pertinent data. The Office of Financial Aid will then compare this information against the data originally provided on the FAFSA, making any necessary changes electronically. Students selected for verification must comply with these requests, or no federal financial aid can be credited to their student accounts.

4. State Grant Application

All applicants for aid should apply for their state grant program if one exists. You should check with your state agency for information.

Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) - This grant is awarded estimated amounts to PA residents who appear to be eligible based on their CSS PROFILE information. For the 2003-04 academic year, the award range is $2970 - $3300. You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before May 1 in order to apply for this program, and this date is strictly enforced by the state agency. Bucknell is not able to make up these funds if you do not apply properly and on time. Students from outside PA should check with their states for grant application information.

New students may obtain information about application procedures from their high school guidance or college counselors. Many states use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available in guidance and financial aid offices, as well as online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Deadlines for filing state grant applications vary from state to state. The FAFSA instruction sheet lists state grant application deadline dates for states that use this form as their state grant application.