General Aid Policies
The University reserves the right to adjust its
award, in compliance with federal regulations and
institutional policy, if outside aid is received
after it is estimated that a student’s need has been
met. You are required to notify the aid office if
you receive any outside aid, or if the outside aid
award differs from the amount estimated on the aid
notice.
NOTE: Outside aid will not replace any
Unsubsidized student loan, nor will it normally
replace your family contribution .
Your loan (Perkins and Tufts loans first) and/or campus work will be reduced before any necessary adjustment is made to Tufts grants, therefore
it is to your advantage to apply for all outside aid for which you may qualify in order to decrease or eliminate
your loan debt.
Federal Pell and State grants are estimated on student aid award notices.
The Tufts Grant will be increased, or reduced, if necessary, when the actual grant amounts are confirmed,
based on government and state criteria. An unexpected PELL or State grant will result in a reduction of Tufts
grant.
Students must apply for State grants by the applicable deadlines as outlined on the FAFSA.
*** Tufts grant will not be used to replace loss of State grants if due to missing information or a missed deadline.
The MA state grant agency can be contacted via phone at (617) 727-9420, or via fax at 727-0667.
NOTE: If you want a credit placed on your
account for a scholarship that will arrive after the
bill due date, please submit to Student Financial
Services documentation of the amount to be sent
directly to Tufts (not sent to student),
and a credit will be put on your account, pending
receipt of the actual funds. A provisional
credit can be placed on your account only if a check will be sent by the
organization directly to the school.
The U.S. Department of Education requires that some applicants and their families provide
verification of information in order to obtain or confirm financial aid. "Verification" is
a process through which a family reaffirms or corrects information submitted on the original
application. Applicants are required to submit
verification documentation, as requested, within 60 days from the start of
the semester. All federal financial aid awarded must be cancelled
if required documentation is not submitted within
the above time frame.
In order top receive federal aid you must be a
U.S. citizen, or an eligible noncitizen.
Generally, you are an eligible noncitizen if you are
(1) a permanent U.S. resident with a Permanent
Resident Card (I-551); (2) a conditional permanent
resident (I-551C); or (3) the holder of an
Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department
of Homeland Security showing any one of the
following designations: “Refugee,” “Asylum Granted,”
“Parolee” (I-94 confirms that you were paroled for a
minimum of one year and status has not expired),
“Victim of human trafficking,” T-Visa holder (T-1,
T-2, T-3, etc.), or “Cuban-Haitian Entrant.”
If the government cannot confirm your citizenship
status you will be asked to provide documentation of
your eligibility. The Student Aid Report you
receive after filing the FAFSA will have a notation
if your citizenship status requires that you provide
further documentation to the Financial Aid office.
Male students over the age of 18 are required to
be registered with
Selective Service in order to receive federal
aid. If you are not registered the FAFSA
allows a space for you to do so right on the
application itself. If the Student Aid report
you receive when you complete the FAFSA has a
notation that you are not registered, you must do so
before you can receive any federal aid.
Tufts awards aid based on the information provided by parents on both the FAFSA and the
CSS PROFILE. When information is provided that more than one sibling will be attending a
college or university, the family contribution
(as determined by our institutional analysis) is
divided based on the educational
costs expected for that sibling.
Confirmation of
sibling enrollment will be required.
If a family is unable to verify sibling enrollment,
financial aid will be adjusted accordingly. If
the number of family members enrolled in college
will decrease in future years, a higher parental
contribution will be expected (because family
educational expenses will be less), and grant aid
may decrease.
Tufts University upholds the belief that parents
have the primary responsibility for educating their
children. To this end, Tufts requires information
from both the custodial parent and the non-custodial
parent (the parent with whom the student does not
live) in order to determine eligibility for Tufts
financial assistance. We will use a parent
contribution from the higher of the federal
methodology (custodial household, as required by
government policy) or institutional methodology
(from the analysis of each biological parent only.)
While we understand that some families have
prenuptial agreements in place, Tufts nevertheless
will use our standard policy to determine a total
family contribution. Families may take our
calculated contribution and apply it to their
individual circumstances as they see fit.
The non custodial parent is required to complete
a Non Custodial Parent (NCP) form, which is made
available at the time the student completes the CSS
PROFILE. For entering first year students, the NCP
form must be completed electronically.
The university believes that the primary responsibility for an undergraduate education lies with
the student and parent, to whatever extent possible. Therefore, all undergraduates applying for
Tufts aid are required to provide parental information regardless of federal dependency status.
If you have extenuating circumstances, you should consult with an aid officer.
You are entitled to see your applications, grade transcripts, notice of awards and terms, and yearly reports.
Also, the Tufts copy of your Federal Perkins Loan promissory note is open for inspection at the Student
Loan Office in Dowling Hall. Universities are not required to show parents and students notes and records
kept solely for aid office use in reaching an aid decision, or to show students parental tax forms
unless authorized by parents. Aid officers may discuss family finances with a student, unless
specifically requested by a parent not to do so.
According to federal
policy, students convicted of drug offenses
committed while receiving Title IV federal financial
aid may be ineligible for federal financial aid for
one or more years from the date of conviction.
|
Offense |
Disqualification for Title IV Federal Aid
____________________________ |
|
1st Conviction |
2nd Conviction |
3rd Conviction |
|
Possession |
1 year |
2 years |
permanent |
|
Sales |
2 years |
permanent |
|
The law does not
apply to juvenile records, and students may regain
eligibility by completing an acceptable drug
rehabilitation program or by having their
convictions overturned.
If you have been
convicted of a drug offense while receiving Title IV
federal financial aid, you
are required to
report it on the FAFSA. For additional information
on this requirement call a federal representative at
1-800-433-3243.
Students who have been convicted of, or who have
pled guilty (or nolo contendere ) to, a crime
involving fraud in obtaining Title IV federal
financial aid are not eligible for additional aid
until they have repaid the fraudulently obtained
funds.
|
