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Understanding Financial-Aid Eligibility and Award Packages

A student’s financial-aid eligibility is the difference between the estimated family contribution (EFC) and the financial aid cost of attendance (COA, estimated to be $54,450 for the 2010-11 academic year). The estimated family contribution is calculated from information that the family submits on the CSS PROFILE or the International Student Financial Aid Application and the Certificate of Finances form. Eligibility, then, is determined as follows: COA minus EFC equals Eligibility (“financial need”).

Note: all international students whether applying for financial aid or not or who have submitted the CSS profile in place of the ISFAA are required to submit the Certification of Finances form as part of the application process.

Financial Aid Award Packages

The following are examples of Dickinson international financial-aid award packages. Financial-aid awards examples for U.S. citizens can be found on the Financial Aid site.

Example 1

Eva applies to Dickinson College and certifies that her family will be able to contribute $10,000 to her 2010-11 cost of attendance. She also meets all the criteria and passes the highly selective process to be awarded a John Dickinson Merit Scholarship which is part of her financial aid award.

Eligibility Determination

Cost: $54,450
Minus Contribution: -$ 10,000
Financial Aid Eligibility: $44,450

Financial Aid Award

John Dickinson Merit Scholarship: $20,000
Dickinson Grant: $18,950
Hurwitz Loan: $3,000
Institutional job capacity: $2,500
Total Financial Aid Award: $44,450

Example 2

John applies to Dickinson and certifies that his family can contribute $40,000 toward
the Cost of Attendance:

Cost: $54,450
Minus Contribution: -$ 40,000
Financial Aid Eligibility: $14,450

Financial Aid Award

John Dickinson Merit Scholarship: $8,950
Dickinson Grant: $3,000
Hurwitz Loan: $3,000
Institutional job capacity: $2,500
Total Financial Aid Award: $14,450

Additional Explanation

Since neither Eva nor John has U.S. health insurance, both will need to have an additional $1,000 available for health insurance as well as funds for one or two round-trip airfare tickets between the student’s home and the U.S. These amounts are not included in the family’s contribution or in the financial-aid award. The annual airfare for Eva and John was estimated at $2,000.

Therefore,  Eva’s family would need to have a minimum of $13,000 available each year to cover the direct and non direct costs of attendance: $10,000 that she will certify as her contribution on her Certification of Finances (COF) form and International Student Financial Aid Application (ISFAA),$1,000 for health insurance, and $2,000 for airfare. John’s family will need to allow a minimum of $43,000 each year: $40,000 that he will certify as his contribution on the COF and ISFAA, $1,000 for health insurance and $2,000 for airfare.

Self help (Hurwitz Loan and Institutional job capacity) is typically included in all international student aid packages. A student can decline the loan or work but should be prepared to make up for the difference by increasing the family contribution by that amount.

Find more details and definitions regarding the financial terms used above on the Financial Glossary of Terms page.