How To

Understanding Your Financial Aid Award Letter

 

As part of your ISA application, you will need to upload your Financial Aid Award letter. Here’s an overview of what to look for.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN MY FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER?

Your letter needs to include your school costs, either in totality for the academic year or itemized by term. School costs include the following:

  • tuition

  • fees

  • books and supplies allowance

  • housing and meals (room and board)

  • personal/miscellaneous allowance

  • transportation allowance

  • other educational costs

Your letter must also include all financial aid you are receiving (scholarships, grants, work study, federal student loans, parent PLUS loans).

WHERE DO I FIND MY FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER?

Log in to your student account with your school. Your financial aid award letter or financial aid summary should be available to you within your student account. Save the document so you can upload it to your ISA application. If your school only sends your financial aid award letter through the U.S. mail, you may scan and save the document or take a photo of it to upload.

WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND MY FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER?

Contact the financial aid office at your school for assistance in gathering school cost and financial aid figures.

WHAT DOES A FINANCIAL AID AWARD LETTER OR FINANCIAL PLAN LOOK LIKE?

Financial aid award letters can look different from school to school, but should include your school costs and all grants, scholarships, work study, and federal student and parent PLUS loans you are receiving.

 
 

Important Terms

+ COST OF ATTENDANCE (COA)

The total amount (not including grants and scholarships) that it will cost you to go to school during the school year. COA includes tuition and fees; housing and meals; and allowances for books, supplies, transportation, loan fees, and dependent care. It also includes miscellaneous and personal expenses, such as an allowance for the rental or purchase of a personal computer; costs related to a disability; and reasonable costs for eligible study­ abroad programs. For students attending less than half­time, the COA includes tuition and fees; an allowance for books, supplies, and transportation; and dependent care expenses.

+ TOTAL GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Student aid funds that do not have to be repaid. Grants are often need based, while scholarships are usually merit ­based. Occasionally you might have to pay back part or all of a grant if, for example, you withdraw from school before finishing a semester.

+ NET COSTS

An estimate of the actual costs that you or your family will need to pay during the school year to cover education expenses at a particular school. Net costs are determined by taking the institution's cost of attendance and subtracting your grants and scholarships.

+ WORK STUDY

A federal student aid program that provides part time employment while you are enrolled in school to help pay your education expenses.

+ LOANS

Borrowed money that must be repaid with interest. Loans from the federal government typically have a lower interest rate than loans from private lenders. Federal loans, listed from most advantageous to least advantageous, are called Federal Perkins Loans, Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and Direct PLUS Loans. You can find more information about federal loans at StudentAid.gov.

FAMILY CONTRIBUTION (ALSO REFERRED TO AS EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION)

A number used by a school to calculate how much financial aid you are eligible to receive, if any. It’s based on the financial information you provided in your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It’s not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college, nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive. The family contribution is reported to you on your Student Aid Report, also known as the SAR.

+ GRADUATION RATE

The graduation rate after 150% of normal program completion time has elapsed. For schools that award predominately bachelor’s (four year) degrees, this is after six years, and for students seeking an associate’s (two­ year) degree, this is after three years. For students seeking a certificate, the length of time depends on the certificate sought, for example, for a one­ year certificate, after 18 months. These rates are only for full ­time students enrolled for the first time.

+ REPAYMENT RATE

The share of students who have repaid at least $1 of the principal balance on their federal loans within 3 years of leaving school.

+ MEDIAN BORROWING

The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who completed. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and parent PLUS loans.