Q. Should I wait to find out if I am admitted
before applying for financial aid?
A. Definitely
not. If you think you will need financial aid to attend Barnard, you must
apply at the same time you apply for admission and meet the required deadlines.
Q. Is there a way to estimate my financial aid award?
A. There are financial aid calculators at several websites that
will provide a general ballpark figure of the estimated family contribution.
Visit http://www.finaid.org or http://www.collegeboard.com
and click on the financial aid calculator. Provide the information
requested in the calculator. This is a general guideline to assist families
in determining whether they might be eligible for federal or institutional financial
aid. The Financial Aid Office will need to see all tax returns and requested
documentation before reviewing a financial aid file to determine eligibility.
Q. If I receive an offer of financial assistance in my first
year, am I guaranteed assistance in all four years? A.
A student who is admitted to Barnard with a Barnard College Grant may expect grants
in future years, provided that she continues to meet economic and academic eligibility
and reapplies each year. No student who is admitted to Barnard without
financial aid can be guaranteed College grants for future years. Awards
are for the academic year only. Q. Are there merit
scholarships at Barnard not based on need? A. Barnard does
not offer any merit scholarships. Q. How is financial need
determined? A. All federal financial aid administered by
Barnard College is based on demonstrated need as determined by the Federal Methodology
formula. Need for institutional aid is determined using a Barnard Need
Analysis formula which takes into consideration all sources of income and all
assets. Q. When can I apply for financial aid as
an independent student? A. A student may be eligible for
federal aid as an independent student if she is: 1) 24 years old by December 31
of the current year; 2) a veteran of the Armed Forces of the U.S.; 3) an orphan
or ward of the court; 4) a graduate/professional student; 5) a married student;
or 6) a student with legal dependents other than a spouse. For those students
who meet these criteria and are applying for Barnard College Grants, financial
information from parents is still required. A student who marries while
in college is still considered as dependent on her parents for Barnard financial
aid purposes and parents must continue to supply their financial information.
A student who is married at the time of admission may be eligible for Barnard
financial aid based on the joint resources of the student and her husband. Q.
Will failure to meet the deadlines affect the possibility of receiving
financial aid? A. Institutional aid is limited and
if the deadlines are not adhered to, a late penalty may be imposed, or you may
be placed on a financial aid wait list. After the deadline date, there
is no guarantee that funds will be available. Q. When will
I be notified of my financial aid decision? A. Assuming
that the deadlines are met, Early Decision applicants will receive their decision
letters in mid-December, First-Year regular applicants will receive their decision
letters at the end of March, Transfer applicants will begin receiving notification
in May and returning students will receive their decision letters in early July.
Q. My parents are divorced and my child support ends when I turn
18. Must my non-custodial parent still submit his/her information? A.
Yes. Barnard requires financial aid information from both parents regardless of
when child support ends and regardless of what the divorce decree states. Q.
My parents were never married, so why must I submit both of their financial
information? A. Barnard's policy is to collect financial documentation
from both parents, even if they were never married. You may contact the Financial
Aid Office if you have any specific questions about this policy. Q. My
older sibling will be in graduate school when I start college. How does that affect
what my parents will have to pay for me at Barnard? A. No allowances
are made for siblings in post-college programs. Once a sibling has graduated from
college, the formulas on FAFSA and Profile do not take into account any graduate
school costs. Students in graduate school progarms are generally considered to
be independent students, per federal regulations. Q. I received several
financial aid offers from different schools. If one of them is higher than Barnard's
offer, will Barnard match it? A. Barnard determines aid eligibility
using the FAFSA and Profile forms and its own institutional fomula. Because we
offer only need-based grants, it is possible that our financial aid award will
be different than offers from other schools. A student can send a copy of other
award letters for us to review. Q. If I qualify for financial aid and
decide to do a study abroad program for one term, will I still get financial aid? A.
Barnard aid is available to students who attend one of our many approved study
abroad programs. Students must meet with a financial aid counselor prior to studying
abroad to discuss their financial aid eligibility. A list of approved study abroad
programs is available in the Dean of Studies Office. (Back
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