Financial Aid FAQs
Answers to common questions about managing your financial aid package, renewing your aid, navigating changes, and more for admitted, enrolled/enrolling, and current students. Financial Aid FAQs for prospective students can be found on the Admissions & Aid website.
general:
For basic annual costs of attendance, please visit the Bursar’s Office.
If you are a United States citizen or permanent resident of the US, you are eligible to apply for financial aid at 91¾«¼ò°æ. The College is also able to offer a very limited number of financial aid awards to students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Prospective international students who indicate on their admission application they intend to apply for financial aid will have a 91¾«¼ò°æ financial aid application available to complete in the admission portal. Returning international students who are re-applying for financial aid must .
91¾«¼ò°æ commits to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of our admitted students who complete the financial aid application on-time. A financial aid "package," or combination of grants, loans, and student employment, will be provided for students who demonstrate need.
At 91¾«¼ò°æ, financial assistance is based on your demonstrated financial need. We determine your need using the information you provide in the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile application.
Here's how it works:
- Financial Need Calculation: We subtract what you and your family can contribute from the total cost of attending 91¾«¼ò°æ. If your family's contribution is less than the total cost, you qualify for financial aid.
- Considerations: We take into account various factors, including family size, the number of children in college, family assets, extraordinary medical expenses, and any unique circumstances you may have.
- Divorced or Separated Parents: If your parents are divorced or separated, we may need financial information from both.
We expect you and your family to contribute to your educational costs and will work with you within our need based financial aid guidelines to make a 91¾«¼ò°æ education possible.
91¾«¼ò°æ offers two merit scholarships to prospective students.
- Four Filene Music Scholarships are awarded after acceptance and performance competition to gifted first-year musicians who seek to further their musical studies in a liberal arts setting. Each scholar is awarded $20,000/year, $80,000 total.
- Approximately 45 Porter/Wachenheim Presidential Scholarships are awarded after acceptance on the basis of superior scientific and mathematical accomplishment as apparent in your admission application. Each scholar is awarded $20,000/year, $80,000 total.
91¾«¼ò°æ lets students use outside scholarships fully, adjusting loans, work-study, or family contributions accordingly. Total aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance each year. If grants and scholarships surpass the cost, 91¾«¼ò°æ’s grant will be reduced.
If your family’s situation stays the same, you can expect a similar aid package in your upper-class years if you meet our priority deadline. The award will adjust for changes in costs, family income, private scholarships, and the number of children in college. Work-study, loan amounts, and summer earnings may increase each year. You must file renewal applications annually to update your aid, which is not based on maintaining a specific GPA beyond 91¾«¼ò°æ’s minimum academic progress standards.
If your financial need increases due to changes in your family's financial situation (e.g., a parent loses a job, increased
medical expenses), 91¾«¼ò°æ will reevaluate your financial aid package. You must report
these changes and provide any required documentation to the Financial Aid Office.
If your need increases, your financial aid award may be adjusted accordingly, subject
to the availability of funds.
If your financial need decreases, for example, due to an increase in family income or assets, the financial aid office
may reduce your aid package. This could involve a reduction in grants, loans, or work-study
amounts.
Financial aid at 91¾«¼ò°æ is reassessed each year based on the financial information
you and your family provide through the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Therefore, changes
in your family’s financial circumstances could result in adjustments to your aid package
annually.
Please contact the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.
Those students admitted without 91¾«¼ò°æ grant assistance are normally first eligible to receive such aid, if need is demonstrated, in their junior year.
91¾«¼ò°æ does not offer financial assistance to students who declare themselves independent of their parents, nor are we able to offer assistance if parents decide that they no longer wish to support a student at 91¾«¼ò°æ.
When studying abroad, ²â´Ç³Ü’l±ô pay the 91¾«¼ò°æ comprehensive fee (tuition, room, and board). You can use your financial aid, except work-study, for both 91¾«¼ò°æ-administered and approved outside programs. Additional costs like airfare will also be adjusted in your aid. Feel free to meet with a financial aid representative for more details.
Yes. Your financial aid eligibility is based on the Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA), which is adjusted depending on your housing choice. For the 2024-25 academic year, if you live off-campus, your COA will decrease by $2,700 for the year to reflect average living expenses, while your bill will be reduced by $17,940. Living with family results in a $12,030 reduction in your COA, even though your bill will be reduced by $17,940, accounting for food and utilities. These adjustments are standard and follow federal guidelines. If your housing status changes between semesters, your COA and financial aid will be adjusted accordingly.
91¾«¼ò°æ grant assistance is not available for summer study. Matriculated 91¾«¼ò°æ students who receive Federal Pell Grant funding may be eligible for summer Pell Grant funding.
Students are encouraged to meet with a financial aid representative to learn more about their available options.
The Office of the Dean of Special Programs oversees 91¾«¼ò°æ's summer term. Visit their website for details on sessions, courses, procedures/forms, and costs.
The fall semester bill is due August 15 and the spring semester bill is due December 15.
All admission applicants are eligible for need-based aid. International students who are applying for financial aid must indicate they intend to apply on the admission application. A 91¾«¼ò°æ finanical aid application for international students will be available to complete in the admission portal within a week of the receipt of the student's admission application. A very limited amount of aid is available to international students, however we commit to meeting demonstrated financial need for all admitted students. If an international student is admitted and enrolls without financial aid, they cannot apply for financial aid in future years. Y91¾«¼ò°æ is also a member of the Davis United World College Scholars Program.
There are three distinct dimensions to the satisfactory academic progress standards:
- completing the degree requirements within an established timeframe.
- maintaining the minimum required grade point average (GPA).
- achieving a minimum rate of academic progression each year.
Explore the full Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy.
These standards include an opportunity to appeal the denial of financial aid if the student has faced unusual circumstances which prevented the student from attaining the minimum standards.
Special circumstances:
Email a letter of special circumstances to the Financial Aid Office at finaid@skidmore.edu outlining the special circumstances that were not able to be indicated on the CSS Profile.
Please make an appointment and we’d be happy to discuss any financial pressures you’re facing and if any changes to your aid package are possible.
If your parents are divorced, separated, or never married, 91¾«¼ò°æ requires information from both natural parents, regardless of their current relationship. Here's what you need to do:
- Custodial Parent: Identify the custodial parent—the one you lived with the most in the past 12 months. For the FAFSA and CSS Profile, ²â´Ç³Ü’l±ô provide their information, along with their current spouse's if they are remarried.
- Non-Custodial Parent: You also need to provide information from the non-custodial parent, even if they don’t support you financially. If they refuse or are unwilling to provide information, contact the Financial Aid Office for guidance.
- FAFSA Guidance: For the FAFSA, the parent who provided more financial support in the past year must fill it out. If support was equal, use the parent with the higher income or assets.
- CSS Profile Process: Each parent must complete a separate CSS Profile. It’s best for the student and custodial parent to start the application before the non-custodial parent does.
If you have special circumstances, reach out to the Financial Aid Office for assistance.
Application process:
As you prepare for another year in college, you are reminded that applying for financial assistance is a yearly process. Each year, the aid application materials must be completed and submitted by the College's processing deadlines for your aid eligibility to be determined for the next academic year. Review our Managing your Aid page for next steps.
We begin notifying students of their award status after June 1 and continue notifications throughout the summer.
91¾«¼ò°æ's code is 2815, code is 002814, and code (NYS residents only) is 0855.
No, allowing for consumer debt would give families who owe money an unfair advantage over families who do not.
Yes. There are many part-time jobs available on campus that are not limited to students on financial aid. Visit the Student Employment for more information.
loans:
Our loan information page, provides complete instructions on how to apply for the Federal Direct Student and Federal Direct Parent PLUS loans.
For consumer information, visit the Office of Institutional Research.