Frequently Asked Questions

You must file the College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE and the FAFSA by January 15 of your senior year in high school. You may file the PROFILE as early as Oct. 1. For detailed information, see Apply For Financial Aid. Remember, you must meet our filing deadlines in order to be considered for College-funded aid.

After June 1, you can accept, decline, or check the status of your award online using My Lafayette, the College portal.

If your family has experienced a reduction in income since 2020 (the base year used on the FAFSA and CSS Profile) due to extenuating circumstances, you have the option to appeal. Please contact the Office of Financial aid at financialaid@lafayette.edu or 610-330-5055 to discuss the appeal process.  Appeals cannot be considered without the requested supporting documentation.

You may access the forms online for the PROFILE and for the FAFSA.

You must send all required tax documents through the College Board’s IDOC service. Instructions and requirements will be provided once you file the PROFILE.

Lafayette College guarantees to meet the demonstrated financial need of students admitted under the Early Decision Plan who adhere to the financial aid deadlines and requirements. Early Decision I applicants must submit the PROFILE and FAFSA by Nov. 15. Early Decision II by Jan. 15

Each of your parents will complete their own CSS Profile.  You and your custodial parent will complete the Profile using your College Board log-in credentials.*  The FAFSA must be completed with information from your custodial parent or the parent with whom you live most of the year. If your family unit includes a stepparent, then that information should also be included on both the CSS Profile and the FAFSA.   Rest assured that a contribution is not expected from more than two parents.

*If both of your parents have access to your College Board account, you should change your password so your parent’s financial information will remain private.  Your noncustodial parent will need a separate College Board account.

All accepted applicants who were complete for financial aid should be able to access their College Financing Plan (CFP) via their applicant portal. If you have not been provided with a CFP, your financial aid application may be incomplete. Please access your Financial Aid Checklist to determine what items are still outstanding.

ANY missing requirement(s) should be uploaded to IDOC, unless you are not allowed to access IDOC (ex. International applicants or those not required to submit a CSS Profile). Financial aid applications will be reviewed in the order they become complete. Consideration for need-based grant eligibility will be based on the availability of funds at the time the application becomes complete.>

Lafayette encourages and rewards students for seeking outside funding to help meet their college expenses. Students who are receiving aid from the College must notify the Office of Financial Aid immediately of outside funding they receive.  Outside scholarships may be used to reduce or eliminate the job and/or loan components of a student’s aid award. Grants and/or scholarships from the College will be reduced only when total resources exceed our total costs of attendance. Student-athletes are subject to NCAA and Patriot League guidelines. Resident Advisor benefits are also considered in the same manner as outside scholarships.

Tuition benefits, Tuition Exchange, and federal and state grants are not considered outside scholarships.  If you receive Tuition Benefits or Tuition Exchange after our initial aid determination, the College-funded grant portion of your financial aid award will be adjusted accordingly.

Lafayette recognizes its most outstanding applicants with non-need-based, merit-based awards named for the College’s namesake. Recipients of Marquis & Lafayette Awards harbor the intellectual energy, empathy, idealism and action-orientation in a fashion that honors Le Marquis de Lafayette.

The Marquis Fellowship is a full-tuition scholarship valued at $58,110 (2022-23). The Marquis Scholarship is a half-tuition award valued at $29,055 (2022-23). Lafayette Awards are offered in increments of $2,500 between $5,000 and $30,000. Read about our merit scholarships.

Recipients of these academic merit awards may also receive additional financial aid up to demonstrated need beyond the scholarship levels as long as all filing deadlines are met.

There is no automatic cutoff for financial aid eligibility since the analysis goes beyond income and asset information. Other factors that are considered include number of family members, college students, medical/dental expenses, home mortgages, and any other special circumstances that are individual to your family. Typically, the higher your parents’ income, the lower the need level. You might want to try our on line calculator to estimate what you might qualify for.

Use the Net Price Calculator.

Yes, you must reapply each year for need-based aid. Your file will be reviewed by an aid director who will consider all information included in your application, as well as our costs for the year. As a returning student, you will need to complete a renewal FAFSA and the PROFILE and submit tax documents through IDOC. Forms are due by March 1.

Lafayette is committed to assisting you with your educational costs for the full four years. You must continue to make satisfactory academic progress, apply by the established deadlines, and continue to demonstrate need. Need is derived on the same basis as your original award. Each year’s award will reflect any increases in Lafayette costs, and any significant changes in family circumstances, including the number of siblings in college may result in a change (better or worse) in your financial aid award.

Once the financial aid office has honored aid commitments to prior recipients, all new applicants will be reviewed in order to determine financial need. Aid consideration is limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents and is based on applicants meeting our filing deadlines, demonstrating need, availability of funds, and each student’s grade point average, so it is important to maintain strong academic standing.