Policy on Aid

1. Need or No Need
2. Special Concerns

Bucknell is interested in admitting those students who can gain the most from its educational offerings, regardless of their financial situation. Therefore, decisions regarding admission are typically made independently of requests for financial aid. After the Admissions Office has decided to admit a student, the Office of Financial Aid definitively determines whether that individual qualifies for aid or not. The Office of Financial Aid alone is authorized to make formal offers of university financial assistance. Therefore, if you have any questions related to Financial Aid, please contact our office immediately.

1. Need or No Need

Virtually all colleges recognize that the responsibility for financing higher education lies first with the student and his/her family. However, as the costs of this investment have grown, more families rely on assistance from outside sources and from the institution itself.

Bucknell is aware of this fact; we are committed to assisting as many students as we can, providing aid to individuals who might otherwise be unable to attend the university because of financial reasons.

At the same time, virtually all undergraduate financial assistance awarded directly by Bucknell is based annually on documented eligibility for need-based financial aid. Like the most selective private colleges and universities, we do not offer scholarships or other forms of financial assistance solely on the basis of academic excellence or other special characteristics.

To determine financial aid eligibility, the university is bound by a national and legal standard of computing a student's need-based award. In order for Bucknell to assess a family's financial strength, and in turn the student's aid eligibility, the financial aid applicant must complete a College Scholarship Service Profile (CSS PROFILE) in Princeton, New Jersey. CSS processes this form using both federal methodology and institutional methodology, Bucknell's base formula for determining financial need.

These formulas create the basis of a student's family financial contribution for college. If, after assessing the information on the CSS PROFILE, the Office of Financial Aid determines that your family contribution is equal to or greater than the comprehensive costs of the attendance at the university, you will not be eligible for need-based financial assistance at Bucknell, but you may be able to benefit from the non-need based financing options available.

2. Special Concerns

If financial aid funds are severely limited, it may be possible to fill only a portion of the student's financial aid eligibility. Similarly, students demonstrating financial need who have filed their applications after our deadlines will be offered university assistance only if funding permits. If an enrolled student withdraws or is dismissed from Bucknell, or takes a leave of absence, the ability of the Office of Financial Aid to provide assistance will depend on the availability of funds at the time of potential re-enrollment.

Bucknell does not offer financial assistance to students who voluntarily declare themselves independent of their parents, nor are we able to offer assistance if parents decide that they do not wish to support a son or daughter at Bucknell. Financial data from both custodial (and the spouse if remarried) and non-custodial parents must be included in the information provided to the university, even though federal or state programs may not require this information and may consider the individual to be an independent student.

Any applicant for the award of financial aid, who knowingly submits false or fraudulent information, conceals material information, or intentionally misleads or misinforms the university, may be subject to revocation of an award of financial aid. Each applicant is required to certify that the information furnished to the Office of Financial Aid is accurate and correct.

Bucknell University reserves the right to revise any student's financial aid award in the event that policy and financial requirements dictate.