Applying for Aid
More than 95 percent of Earlham students receive some form of financial assistance. In fact, we award more than $29 million in aid each year. Follow the steps below to apply for financial aid, and learn just how affordable a nationally ranked liberal arts education can be.
To be considered for financial aid, you must complete the FAFSA. U.S. citizens or permanent residents interested in being considered for need-based aid must complete the FAFSA electronically at fafsa.gov.
International students interested in being considered for need-based aid must complete the International Student Financial Information Form.
Earlham College’s School Code: 001793 (for FAFSA)
| Dates | Action item |
|---|---|
| December | The Office of Accounting begins emailing bills for spring semester to returning students. Payment of bills received from the Office of Accounting for spring semester are due in late December for returning students. |
| December 31 | The FAFSA application becomes available for new and returning domestic students. |
| March 1 | The Office of Financial Aid begins sending financial aid notices to admitted students who have completed and submitted their FAFSA. |
| April 10 | Indiana students must submit their FAFSA so the processor receives it by April 10. Failure to meet the deadline may result in the loss of need-based financial aid. |
| May 1 | Last day to submit your deposit and confirm your enrollment at Earlham. |
| May 15 | Indiana resident students must clear any “edits” on the FAFSA with SSACI (State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana) by this date to receive state grants. SSACI will have notified you of “edits” that need your attention. |
| June 1 | FAFSA is due for returning non-Indiana students (Indiana students have a deadline of April 10). |
| July | Accounting mails bills for the fall semester, with payment due by end of July. If financial aid is missing from your bill, please contact the Office of Financial Aid. Instructions for completing requirements for Direct Loans will be sent during the month by email or regular mail. |
| August | Registration Day: Fall semester aid funds will be disbursed to students’ accounts once they are registered full-time. Student loan funds will not be disbursed until Loan Entrance Counseling and Master Promissory Note are completed. |
New Domestic Students
Financial aid packages are provided to students who have submitted their FAFSA application, enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours per semester) and made satisfactory academic progress. Review the steps below to apply for aid and accept your offer.
Both student and parent must obtain an FSA ID at studentaid.gov. Your FSA ID is a unique identifier and password that gives you access to the Federal Student Aid system and allows you to sign documents electronically. Parent and student must have a different email address.
- Parent and student will use this to complete the FAFSA.
- Students will use this for completing loan requirements.
- Parents will use this for parent loan processing.
The FAFSA requires lots of personal documentation, so be sure to gather all the pieces that you need prior to filling it out. You can find a list of critical information below that you will need to complete the FAFSA.
- FSA ID: For step-by-step instructions, watch How to Create Your FSA ID.
- Social security number
- Driver’s license number: If you don’t have a driver’s license, this is not necessary
- Tax records from two years prior: The FAFSA requires that you to use tax information for two years prior to you applying, so gather your tax return, W-2s, and any benefit or asset information you have. Make sure to include both yours and your parents’ or legal guardian’s.
- Records of untaxed income for two years prior: This includes information on child support received, interest income, and veterans’ noneducation benefits.
- Records of your monetary assets: This includes information on savings and checking account balances, the value of investments such as stocks and bonds and real estate (but not the home in which your family lives). Please review what is and is not considered a student investment and parent investment to make sure you don’t over- or-under report.
- School code: Earlham College’s FAFSA ID is 001793.
Between Oct. 1 and June 1, complete the FAFSA. Indiana residents must complete the FAFSA by April 10 to be considered for state aid. U.S. Citizens or permanent residents interested in being considered for need-based aid must complete the FAFSA electronically at studentaid.gov and include Earlham’s school code of 001793.
The FAFSA has a convenient option called the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT), which enables you to pull information directly from your completed IRS tax return into the FAFSA. We strongly recommend using this tool. It not only saves you time and reduces potential errors but may also keep the government from requesting additional documentation.
Make sure you click “submit” at the end!
In about one-third of all FAFSAs filed, families are selected for a process called verification. You will find out that you have been flagged when you complete the FAFSA. For those flagged for verification, schools are required to verify the information reported on the FAFSA by obtaining your federal tax transcripts, family size verification forms or other documents. Using the DRT (see an explanation of DRT in Step 3) reduces the time you’ll need to spend on this. Information on obtaining your federal tax transcript can be found on irs.gov.
Admitted students are notified of aid offers after they have submitted their aid application.
- Students first entering Earlham College for the fall semester usually receive a notification beginning in early November, preceding the fall semester.
- For continuing students, notifications typically begin in May preceding the fall semester. Aid notifications for students not enrolled during the fall semester but enrolling during spring semester are notified of their aid in December or early January.
While it is not Earlham’s policy to re-negotiate need-based aid offers, if you feel we have missed some important aspect of your financial situation, please contact the Office of Financial Aid. If you have questions about merit-based aid, contact the Office of Admissions.
If you wish to decline or reduce your student loans, or to update other financial information (like receiving outside scholarships not appearing on your offer notification), please return the Financial Aid Update Form. We assume you accept all forms of gift aid offered unless we are notified otherwise in writing.
We assume students accept all forms of gift aid (grants and scholarships) offered to them each year unless we are notified otherwise in writing. However, students are required to accept or decline loans offered. To do this, students must:
- Log into TheHeart.
- Click the Student
- Under quick links, choose self-service.
- Click on Financial Aid.
- Click on Financial Aid Status and Messages.
- Select this aid year.
- Click the blue awarded link in the sentence that reads, “You have been awarded…”
- Click on the Accept Award Offer tab.
- Scroll down to Loans.
- Accept, decline, or reduce loans as needed.
- Click Submit at the bottom of the page.
First-time borrowers of federal loans must:
New International Students
Financial aid is awarded to students based on information in their International Student Financial Information form. To receive the aid, students must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours per semester) and be making satisfactory academic progress. Review the steps below to apply for aid.
All international students, regardless of ability to pay, must complete this form as part of their application to the College.
After you submit your application to the College, you will be prompted to complete the International Student Financial Information form directly in your applicant status portal.
You will be automatically considered for a merit scholarship during the application evaluation. There is no separate application for the merit scholarship.
A need-based grant is additional funding from the College that is awarded based on your family’s particular financial situation.
Inquiries about international financial aid should be emailed to [email protected].
Admitted students are notified of aid offers after they have submitted their aid application.
- Students first entering Earlham College for the fall semester usually receive a notification beginning in early November preceding the fall semester.
We assume you accept all forms of gift aid offered unless we are notified otherwise in writing.
After you choose to attend Earlham, you will be asked to complete a Certification of Finances that verifies the availability of funds to meet your family contribution to the costs of attendance. The International Student Advisers will provide this form along with instructions.
All international students are required to have health insurance due to the high cost of medical care in the U.S. Students must participate in the Earlham health insurance plan if they have no other coverage that is valid in the U.S. Earlham’s current plan covers 80% (at facilities approved as “in network”) or 60% (at facilities considered “out-of-network”) of basic medical expenses up to $50,000 for each injury or sickness. There is an annual deductible of $100. The current fee for one full year is approximately $1,000. Eyeglasses and dental work are not covered by Earlham student insurance.
Returning Domestic Students
U.S. Citizens or permanent residents interested in being considered for need-based aid must complete the FAFSA every year, even if you are a returning student. Review the steps below to apply for aid and accept your offer.
Returning students can log into FAFSA. Make sure to have your FSA ID and/or username and password ready.
The FAFSA requires lots of personal documentation, so be sure to gather all the pieces that you need prior to filling it out. The following is the critical information you will need to complete the FAFSA.
- FSA ID: For step-by-step instructions, watch How to Create Your FSA ID.
- Social security number
- Driver’s license number: If you don’t have a driver’s license, this is not necessary
- Tax records from two years prior: The FAFSA requires that you to use tax information for two years prior to you applying, so gather your tax return, W-2s, and any benefit or asset information you have. Make sure to include both yours and your parents’ or legal guardian’s.
- Records of untaxed income for two years prior: This includes information on child support received, interest income, and veterans’ noneducation benefits.
- Records of your monetary assets: This includes information on savings and checking account balances, the value of investments such as stocks and bonds and real estate (but not the home in which your family lives). Please review what is and is not considered a student investment and parent investment to make sure you don’t over-or-under report.
- School code: Earlham College’s FAFSA ID is 001793.
Between Oct. 1 and June 1, complete the FAFSA. Indiana residents must complete the FAFSA by April 10 to be considered for state aid. U.S. Citizens or permanent residents interested in being considered for need-based aid must complete the FAFSA electronically at studentaid.gov and include Earlham’s school code of 001793.
The FAFSA has a convenient option called the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT), which enables you to pull information directly from your completed IRS tax return into the FAFSA. We strongly recommend using this tool. It not only saves you time and reduces potential errors, but may also keep the government from requesting additional documentation.
Make sure you click “submit” at the end!
In about one-third of all FAFSAs filed, families are selected for a process called verification. You will find out that you have been flagged when you complete the FAFSA. For those flagged for verification, schools are required to verify the information reported on the FAFSA by obtaining your federal tax transcripts, family size verification forms or other documents. Using the DRT (see above in Step 3) reduces the time you’ll need to spend on this. Learn how to obtain your federal tax transcript.
Continuing students are notified of aid offers after they have submitted their aid application.
- Students first entering Earlham College for the fall semester usually receive a notification beginning in early November preceding the fall semester.
- For continuing students, notifications typically begin in May preceding the fall semester. Aid notifications for students not enrolled during the fall semester but enrolling during spring semester are notified of their aid in December or early January.
If you wish to decline or reduce your student loans, or to update other financial information (like receiving outside scholarships not appearing on your offer notification), please return the Financial Aid Update Form. We assume you accept all forms of gift aid offered unless we are notified otherwise in writing.
We assume students accept all forms of gift aid (grants and scholarships) offered to them each year unless we are notified otherwise in writing. However, students are required to accept or decline loans offered. To do this, students must:
- Log into TheHeart.
- Click the Student
- Under quick links, choose self-service.
- Click on Financial Aid.
- Click on Financial Aid Status and Messages.
- Select this aid year.
- Click the blue awarded link in the sentence that reads, “You have been awarded…”
- Click on the Accept Award Offer tab.
- Scroll down to Loans.
- Accept, decline, or reduce loans as needed.
- Click Submit at the bottom of the page.
If you are a first-time borrower, even if you are a returning student, you must complete entrance counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and entrance counseling. These requirements can be completed at https://studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling/ (entrance counseling) and https://studentaid.gov/mpn/ (MPN).
Next Steps
After you have accepted your aid, it is important to understand what your tuition bill entails, how aid is disbursed, how to appeal your aid and how you pay your bill.
More Information and Resources
Earlham is a community like no other. Our students and faculty are partners in learning, seeking truth wherever truth may lead. Learn more about Earlham at the links below.