Terms and Conditions

• 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 the 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.

• 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 costs of education in effect for that academic year.

• Maximum Timeframe-Aid consideration is limited to eight semesters and subject to academic progress, demonstrated need, full-time enrollment, and filing deadlines. If a student leaves 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.
  *Please note that transfer students have a maximum timeframe based on the graduation year as determined by the Registrar’s office at the time of initial enrollment.

• 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.

• 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. Students should contact the Office of International and Off-Campus Education if they have any questions relating to what their specific program costs will be when trying to determine how much more or less the program may cost them.

• Enrolled students who wish to request financial aid for the first time due to a change in financial circumstances 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).

• The federal government requires Lafayette to verify information provided on the FAFSA. Applicants selected for verification will need to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool or request an IRS Tax transcript. The Office of Financial Aid and/or the FAFSA acknowledgment will also indicate if any additional information needs to be provided.

• The Office of Financial Aid reserves the right to use Internet-based resources to verify all information and/or request Form 4506 for tax/income confirmation from the IRS.

• 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.

• 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.

The privacy and confidentiality of submitted information is important to us, so please include and be prepared to provide identifying information when contacting our office or submitting any documents.