Ithaca College has programs based on merit only (President’s, ALANA, Ithaca Leadership, Premiere Talent, National Merit Finalist Recognition scholarship, and Martin Luther King, Jr. programs), as well as need only (Ithaca Access Grant program). In addition, individual schools offer named, merit-based scholarships. We also have restricted scholarships for students who have completed at least one semester at Ithaca College that are based on both merit and need.
Regrettably, no. The aid process is very complex and we rely on the SAR information as well as other data to determine your aid eligibility. To review this information manually takes an enormous amount of resources, which prevents us from being able to provide estimates of your aid.
No, as long as Ithaca College is listed on your SAR or your PROFILE application, we will receive the information directly from the appropriate agency.
The budget is comprised of five basic annual expenses. The health insurance fee is not included unless you are receiving NYS HEOP funds, as this charge may be waived by providing the Hammond Health Center with written confirmation of alternate coverage. Books & Supplies, Personal Expenses, Room & Board (if you live off-campus), miscellaneous expenses, and the Average Stafford Loan Fee are NOT charges that are billed to you by the College. These expenses are your responsibility. Financial aid in excess of your billable College charges may be used to defray these costs.
Cost for the 2009-2010 Academic Year Tuition $32,060 Room/Board $11,780 Books/Supplies $ 1,200 Personal Expenses $ 1,552 Average Stafford Loan Fee $ 123
The Average Stafford Loan fee is based upon all students who applied for a Stafford Loan in the prior academic year. Your fee may be less or more, depending on how much you borrow. The fee is deducted by your lender from the gross amount you borrow. For example, a first year student borrowing the maximum of $5,500 would have approximately $82.50 deducted from the gross amount borrowed. Federal regulations require us to include it as part of your cost of attendance even though it is not a College fee. If you don't borrow under the program, then the fee does not apply to you. To determine the amount of your fee, multiply the amount of your Stafford Loan eligibility by 1.5 percent.
Between federal, state, and institutional aid programs we process nearly $165 million in aid, $62 million of which is provided in the form of grant and scholarship assistance by the College. Our major merit-based institutional funds are our President's and ALANA scholarships (as well as several school-specific, named, merit-based scholarships) which have award criteria based on standard academic testing scores, rank in class, grade point average, and other qualities the College deems of value. Our need-based Ithaca Access Grant program is awarded upon demonstrated financial need.
Generally speaking, if a student qualifies for a President’s or ALANA scholarship, an Ithaca Access Grant, or one of the school-specific, named, merit-based scholarships, the combination of the scholarship and the Ithaca Access Grant varies based on the year the student matriculated to the college. Contact the Office of Student Financial Services for more information.
Our Ithaca Leadership Scholarship of is for students who possess a demonstrated record of leadership and above average academic performance. The Ithaca Premiere Talent Scholarship is awarded to students who are majoring in music or theater where artistic, technological, managerial, or theatrical talent is considered. We offer an Ithaca Sibling Grant of $500 per semester for a concurrently enrolled brother or sister attending Ithaca College; and an Ithaca Heritage Grant is for children of Ithaca College alumni.
The Flora Brown Award provides up to a $6,000 grant for selected students and has no grade point average requirement. The award is good for up to nine semesters of full-time enrollment and will be renewed automatically as long as recipients continue to make satisfactory progress toward a degree.
We offer a need-based award, the Ithaca Opportunity Grant (IOG), for students who are members of underrepresented groups. Awards can range up to the full cost of tuition. In addition, we participate in the New York State Higher Education Opportunity Program, which provides need-based assistance for students accepted under NYS HEOP guidelines.
The College is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a Division III institution and is prohibited from offering scholarships based upon athletic ability or involvement in sports.
This is the difference between our cost of attendance and your financial aid awards. It may not represent the "Expected Family Contribution" (EFC) as determined by the Department of Education, nor does it reflect what you have to pay to Ithaca College. If you wish to have an approximate idea of how much you may owe the College, use this formula:
Tuition/Fees + Room & Board (if on-campus) minus financial aid (excluding work programs)
If unusual circumstances have occurred that you have not shared with us since filing your FAFSA application, you may download a Changed Family Circumstance Report. This form will assist us in determining if other aid sources are available for you. We will review your information and respond to you in writing.
Despite the considerable commitment the College has made to financial aid funding, we still are not able to meet the full need for some of our students applying for aid. In addition, the College considers other factors in determining your family cost to attend Ithaca that the Federal Methodology does not, such as exclusion of parents attending college or other family members attending graduate school, and a $1,500 minimum student contribution expectation from earnings.
In determining your eligibility for Ithaca College grants and/or scholarships based on financial need, the College does not consider other family members who are attending graduate school nor a parent pursuing an undergraduate degree.
It is not a bill. It is an estimate of expenses that you may incur, shows your eligibility for aid programs, and the difference between your expenses and your aid. Unless otherwise noted, we are assuming full-time attendance, a room and board allowance based on the costs of an on-campus, double occupancy room and the standard board plan. Your actual expenses may differ depending on your living arrangements. Once a student has attended Ithaca College for one semester, we e-mail award notifications, reducing the need to use paper
We will require copies of parent and student federal tax returns, including W-2 forms or a non-filer statement. You also may be required to submit additional information if selected for verification by the Department of Education. Your aid package may change after we compare your tax return information to your FAFSA data. Depending on the type of aid you are eligible to receive, you may need to submit additional applications/forms.
You must re-apply for financial aid every year by the deadline dates. Depending on your need for aid, your package may change. Recipients of Ithaca College awards that are not based on financial need who are not interested in any other aid are exempt from filing the FAFSA. Awards that are not need based are generally renewed as long as the specific criteria for renewal of the awards are met. A family which experiences very little change in its financial circumstances from year to year can generally expect stable funding support from the College as long as the student continues to make satisfactory academic progress toward a degree. Changes in your funding would occur based on a change in need, academic performance, or timeliness of your application. Federal Stafford Loan eligibility increases in your sophomore and junior year. The most common reason for changes in your aid package is based upon a change in the number of family members attending college. For example, if your Ithaca funding was based upon two people in college one year and the following year you were the only person in college your need for aid would decrease. We do not consider parents attending college or other family members attending graduate school in determining your need for Ithaca aid programs.
Ithaca College reserves the right to adjust your aid package based on new information regarding your outside resources of aid. However, any outside scholarships will be allowed to go against your "unmet need" first, then against a portion of your loans, and finally any need-based Ithaca funding. Unmet need is the difference between your "Estimated Family Cost to Attend Ithaca" on your award letter and our institutional calculation of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This is not the same as your Federal EFC.
If you are a Physical Therapy major, in your fifth year of attendance, you will apply for aid twice, once for the Blocks I - IV and then again for Block V, your final term. Aid for Blocks I - IV will be based on the need analysis from your FAFSA data for that year and the institutional grant aid you received in your senior year. If you are a President’s or ALANA scholarship recipient, a National Merit Finalist Recognition or Flora Brown Award recipient, or a recipient of a school-specific, named, merit-based scholarship, you cannot receive these programs as a graduate student.
However, you may qualify for Ithaca Access Grant funds. Aid for Block V consists primarily of a Federal Stafford Loan and any state grant eligibility you may have. No institutional grant assistance is available for Block V. Occupational Therapy majors will follow a slightly different pattern. You apply for aid once in your fifth year encompassing the entire eleven-month period and institutional grant assistance will be based upon aid you received in your senior year.
While no merit-based scholarships are available in the year you complete your doctorate work, institutional grants are available.
Our website is an excellent resource as well as the undergraduate catalog. You may also contact the Office of Student Financial Services if you have any questions regarding financial aid. Our e-mail address is: finaid@ithaca.edu.
