Financial Aid Terms and Conditions

Students are expected to check the Financial Aid website for any policy changes.

Financial assistance is awarded one academic year at a time. Each year’s need-based award is based on costs in effect for that year and the review of all required documents.
Lafayette guarantees to meet full demonstrated need as long as all filing deadlines are met. On-time renewal applicants are notified by the end of June. The College cannot guarantee to meet the need of late filers.
Renewal applications take into consideration a family’s income and assets, household size, and number in college among other factors.
An academic year is defined as a minimum of a 30-week period of instructional time (including exams) during which students are expected to maintain full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic progress.
Financial aid/resources for any year may not exceed the total cost of attendance in effect for that academic year.
Aid applicants must submit the FAFSA by the deadlines to receive consideration for federal and state grants. Students must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States to receive funds from U.S. federal or state governments. Federal and state grants will replace the institutional grant in a student’s award.
Enrolled students who wish to request financial aid for the first time must meet all filing deadlines. Aid consideration is limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents and will be based on available funds, demonstrated need, and a GPA comparable to the all-College average (3.20).

Aid consideration is guaranteed for eight semesters and subject to: academic progress, demonstrated need, full-time enrollment, and filing deadlines. If a student withdraws at any point during a semester in which institutional financial aid is received, that semester will count as one of the eight semesters of aid.
Transfer students have a maximum timeframe based on the graduation year as determined by the Registrar’s office at the time of initial enrollment.

Financial aid for study abroad is capped at Lafayette’s costs and limited to faculty-led or approved affiliated programs.
Any financial aid that a student receives for studying at Lafayette (with the exception of FWS/Campus Job and RA benefits) will automatically be applied to the study abroad program. Some programs may be more expensive than Lafayette; students selecting such programs will be responsible for any amount beyond Lafayette’s costs.
Questions relating to specific program costs should be directed to the Office of International and Off-Campus Education.

Financial aid is a joint partnership between the family and the College. Should parents reduce or discontinue financial support, Lafayette cannot replace the parents’ expected contribution.
Appeals due to changes in circumstances will be considered by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Families may request the Financial Aid Appeal form and must include supporting documentation when submitting the form. The Office of Financial Aid makes every effort to provide additional support when extenuating circumstances occur, though funds may be limited.

The federal government requires Lafayette College to verify select information provided on the FAFSA. Applicants randomly selected for federal verification will need to check their Financial Aid Requirements Checklist on My Lafayette to identify if any additional documentation is required to complete this process.
The Office of Financial Aid reserves the right to use Internet-based resources to verify all information.
Disbursement of federal financial aid is contingent upon completion of federal verification.

Personally identifiable data such as Social Security number or date of birth should not be sent via email or email attachment to Lafayette College.