FIRST-YEAR STUDENT FINANCIAL AID PROCESS

Planning for college expenses is one of the biggest decisions a student can make. As a prospective student, you may be confused by the financial aid application process. While it is true that there are many forms to complete and deadlines to meet, the Office of Financial Assistance can help you make the process more manageable with our easy step-by-step guide to financial assistance.
Merit-based scholarships are awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Admission whereas the Office of Financial Assistance handles the awarding of need-based funding.
As a mission-driven institution, our foundational Augustinian values compel us to prioritize need-based aid with the hope of creating a more equitable enrollment process.
Application Deadlines
- Early Decision I: November 15
- Early Action: December 1
- Early Decision II: January 15
- Regular Decision: January 15
- Fall Transfer Students: June 1
- Spring Transfer Students: November 1
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
US Citizens/Permanent Residents
- FAFSA
- Profile
- Federal Income Tax Returns
International Students
- Profile
- Certificate of Finances
- Income and Asset Documents
HOW TO APPLY: Citizens/Permanent Residents
You are NOT required to complete the financial aid process for admission purposes. You will want to complete the process below if you are interested in applying for Federal and Institutional Need-Based Funding.
Do not wait for your admissions decision to apply for financial aid, you should apply by the deadline listed. Incomplete or late applicants will only be aided if funds remain available.
Students who are not interested in applying for need-based institutional funding, but want their Federal Student Loan eligibility only need to submit the FAFSA and email our office at finaid@villanova.edu stating that they only want to be considered for Federal Funding.
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)* is the form that you will need to complete in order to apply for Federal and State financial assistance.
Students applying for the 2024-202 Academic Year
You will need to create a FSA Username and Password to complete the FAFSA if this is the first time you are completing a FAFSA. For step by step instructions on how to create a FSA ID Username and Password please click on the instructions.
- Complete the FAFSA online at: studentaid.gov
- Villanova's College Code number for FAFSA is 003388.
- Please note that this is a free application, no payment is required to complete this form.
*Available after December 1st - must be completed upon its release.
In order to obtain a more thorough assessment of your family’s financial position, Villanova University requires the completion of the CSS Profile form for undergraduate students. The results of this form will be used to determine your eligibility for institutional need-based aid.
Students Applying for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
- Complete the CSS Profile online at https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org *Please note that if your legal parents do not live together, both of your parents (your custodial parent and your noncustodial parent) will need to complete a separate CSS Profile.
- Villanova University CSS Profile Code 2959
Villanova's Office of Financial Assistance reviews all prospective undergraduate applicants for financial assistance. Through this process, we compare information provided on the FAFSA and Profile forms to that which students and (in the case of dependent students) parent(s)/stepparent have reported on their tax forms and reconcile any differences.
Prospective freshmen will submit documentation to the College Board Institutional Documentation (IDOC) Service not to the Office of Financial Assistance. We are unable to process any documents sent to our office via fax or postal mail at this time.
Please Note: You will need an IDOC ID Number to upload the tax documents onto IDOC. After the CSS Profile is processed you will receive an email from College Board with your IDOC ID Number and instructions regarding how to upload the documents.
The tax returns that you submit to IDOC must be the final returns that are submitted to the IRS. We cannot accept a draft or estimate.
Documents Required:
- Signed copy of parent(s)'/stepparent's (custodial/noncustodial) 2022 Federal Income Tax Returns, with all forms, schedules and W2s
- Signed copy of student's 2022 Federal Income Tax Returns, with all forms, schedules and W2s
* *If you and/or your parent(s)'/stepparent were not required to file a Federal Income Tax Return, you must submit the Non-Tax Filer Form which is available through the student's IDOC dashboard.
*If you and/or your parent(s)'/stepparent filed a non US Federal Income Tax Return, you will need to submit a copy of your taxes translated into Engligh and converted to US Dollars using the exchange rate of the day the FAFSA was filed to IDOC.
Please allow up to 2 weeks processing time on all documents submitted to IDOC.
Upon review of the financial aid applications and Federal Income Tax Returns, additional information may be requested. To ensure that you are aware of the additional information that is being requested, the student should be monitoring their Applicant Status Page. In addition, our office will email the student if their financial aid file is incomplete.
- Financial Aid Notices will be posted to the student’s Applicant Status Page.
- In the Financial Aid Notice there will be a link to the Financial Assistance Booklet. Read through this booklet carefully as it contains detailed information regarding each source of aid, costs, how aid eligibility can be impacted in future years, and financing options.
- Review your Financial Aid Checklist to determine if there are any outstanding items that are still required. If there are outstanding requirements, your aid notice is tentative and subject to change pending the receipt and review of the documents.
- Report to the Office of Financial Assistance any outside scholarships, grants, or tuition remission you will receive (a copy of the letter should be submitted).
- Once an admission deposit is paid the student will be instructed to create a MyNova account where the student must accept, decline, reduce offer of aid. The student will receive an email from our office with instructions on how to do so.
- Our office will contact you in early summer to complete Federal Student Loan Requirements
Communications from the Office of Financial Assistance
The Office of Financial Assistance sends all correspondence directly to the student using the email provided on the student's admission application. Once a student is enrolled, or has paid their deposit, emails will be sent to the student's Villanova email address. PARENTS, PLEASE NOTE: The Office of Financial Assistance sends all correspondence to the student. The student is responsible for sharing the information with their parents.
DETERMINING YOUR
AID ELIGIBILITY
The following formula is used to determine eligibility for need-based aid:
Cost of Attendance (COA)
-
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
=
Amount of Need (or Unmet Need)
We will award all federal and state aid eligibility first and then try to gap the remaining need with our institutional need-based grant.
FIRST-YEAR FAQs
If you have missed the financial aid deadline, yes you can and should still apply for financial assistance however late and/or incomplete applicants will only be aided if funds remain available.
If there has been a change in your family's financial circumstances, you will want to submit the Request for Revision Form along with all supporting documentation to our office for a re-evaluation of aid eligibility.
If you did not file taxes and/or did not work, you will want to submit the Non-Tax Filer Form which is found on your IDOC dashboard.
Aid eligibility is re-evaluated each year as financial circumstances can change from year to year. Therefore you must reapply for financial aid each year by submitting the FAFSA and Profile only. If at a later date it is determined that tax documents are needed the student will receive an email from our office.
If your financial circumstances, as well as household size and number in college, remains the same each year then you can expect to receive the same financial aid each year.
The bill is issued electronically to the student via email. The bill for Fall semester is issued in the beginning of July with a due date of August, while the bill for the Spring is issued in November with a December due date.
To find the bottom line amount that will be owed to the school, you will add the Direct Costs and then subtract all aid that has been offered (exlcuding Work Study).
It is possible that outside scholarships can affect your current aid offer. Villanova University Grant when combined with outside privately funded or non/need based gift aid, scholarships, tuition benefits, and tuition remission cannot exceed need. If need is exceeded, an adjustment is made to reduce self-help aid first (loans, Federal Work-Study) then grant funds.
If you have been notified that you will be receiving an outside scholarship, you will need to submit a copy of the letter to our office.