Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about Villanova's Financial Assistance process? Check below for some of our most frequently asked questions.
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GENERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FAQs
Go to your undergraduate admission login.
For additional information please visit the applicant status page.
Go to https://mynova.villanova.edu and you will see a Sign In option in the top right area of the page. Your username and password is the same as your Villanova email login/password.
If you are having difficulty logging into your MyNova account, please contact Villanova's Help Desk at 610-519-7777.
The CSS Profile is required to be filed by posted deadlines every year by prospective freshmen and returning full-time undergraduate students.
If you make an error on the Profile, you can make an electronic correction.
Shortly after the Profile is submitted, the student will receive confirmation from the College Board that it has been processed. Included with the confirmation will be a unique code and instructions about how to upload the required forms to the College Board IDOC (the College Board secure document tracking site.) The confirmation is sent to the student. If you do not receive your unique code, then you must contact the College Board for assistance by calling 1-866-897-9881.
At Villanova University, outside scholarships are considered a resource and must be included in the students' overall financial aid. We will allow students to retain their outside aid IF financial need has not been met. If a student's need is met, we will reduce the Federal Work Study, then reduce the Federal Direct Subsidized Loan. However, once those options are exhausted, we are required to reduce Villanova Grant/Scholarship funds that have been awarded to the student. If any changes are made to the student's financial aid, it will be reflected on their MyNova account as well as a revised financial aid notice will be sent to the student. For additional information, please view our Packaging Policies.
Prospective Freshmen are notified by access to their Applicant Status Page account and via a financial aid notice from our office prior to the start of classes. Once classes begin, all communications regarding financial aid are made via email to the student and MyNova. Upperclassmen receive emails to their Villanova email account informing them to check MyNova for their financial notice. Overall, students are expected to consistently review MyNova or their Villanova email accounts for any updates pertaining to financial assistance. 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.
This is distributed by the Bursar’s Office. You may contact them for more information at 610-519-4258 or bursar@villanova.edu.
According to federal tax law: "Scholarship amounts that exceed the cost of tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for attendance and coursework are considered taxable income to the recipient. Amounts which would be considered taxable include scholarship funds which cover costs of room and board, travel, and optional equipment. "
Please consult your tax advisor for information regarding filing a tax return and reporting these amounts.
Information regarding the Yellow Ribbon Program can be found by visiting the Office of Veterans and Military Service Members webpage.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS FAQs
If the student did not file a Federal Income Tax Return, then the student must complete the Non-Tax Filer Form found on their IDOC Dashboard.
There is a link in your financial aid notice to our Financial Assistance Booklet. This booklet provides detailed explanations of each fund, financing options, and costs, as well as how aid eligibility can be impacted in future years.
You may also LiveChat with our office or call to speak with someone.
Scholarships at Villanova University typically are selected by committees. Although completing the financial aid process is not a requirement in order to be considered and offered a scholarship, students are encouraged to complete the financial aid application process in case they qualify for other financial assistance
Villanova University provides special consideration for applicants whose families are experiencing a reduction in income. Review the Request for Revision Form found on our Dropbox/Important Forms page.
If you complete and submit this form to our office, you must include supporting documentation. We will not consider your request if the form is incomplete or required documentation as mentioned on the form is missing
No, per federal guidelines students must present the original documentation of their proof of citizenship in person to the Office of Financial Assistance. You may bring your proof of citizenship the next time you are on campus or during freshman orientation. We will still be able to continue with the review of your aid application and provide a tentative financial aid notice.
Direct Costs
What Villanova University bills directly to you for full-time enrollment for the academic year (Fall and Spring semesters). For the complete list of direct costs (tuition, fees, housing, and meals) for the academic year, please visit the Bursar's Webpage.
Indirect Costs
These are the additional costs for the University does not bill you such as, books, supplies, personal, transportation; however, they are included in the cost of attending Villanova in order calculate your aid eligibility.
Total Cost of Attendance = Direct + Indirect Costs.
Your Financial Aid usually remains consistent over the four years of your education, assuming your financial situation remains consistent. However, Financial Aid is re-evaluated every year and therefore can change if there has been a change in income, assets, household size, or number enrolled in college. Financial Need is calculated by both Federal Methodology (FAFSA), CSS Profile and Institutional Methodology (Villanova University). Federal Methodology, determined by the calculation of the information submitted on the FAFSA application is used when awarding Federal Pell, Federal Supplemental Education Grant (FSEOG), Direct Loans, and Federal Perkins/Nursing Loans. Institutional Methodology is used when awarding the need-based Villanova Grant. Institutional Methodology, is a separate calculation based on household size, number of household members enrolled full-time in an undergraduate program, taxable and untaxable income, home and business/farm value, is used when awarding need-based Villanova grant funds. Please view our Packaging Policies to understand how need-based aid is determined and what elements can affect institutional grant eligibility. Please Note: how aid eligibility can be affected in future years can also be found in the Financial Assistance Booklet.
As a part-time matriculated student, you would be eligible for certain forms of aid if you registered for at least six credits per semester. This would include Federal Pell Grant, PA State Grant (for Pennsylvania residents) and Direct Loans. In addition, all part-time students have the option of utilizing our alternative tuition payment plan and/or other alternative loans. Financial aid forms and information on federal or state grants, loans, and scholarships are available through the Office of Financial Assistance. Although students enrolled on a part-time basis are not eligible for Villanova University Grant, there are a limited number of scholarships available to part-time students. Please access the College Of Professional Studies webpage for the latest information.
Domestic undergraduate students may submit CSS Profile for free if:
- Family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000
- The student qualified for an SAT fee waiver
- The student is an orphan or ward of the court under the age of 24
International students may email our office to see if they can receive a fee waiver.
RETURNING STUDENTS FAQs
Because most Villanova students are not guaranteed housing in their fourth year, the Office of Financial Assistance will review, process, and disburse your aid as an on-campus student, you will see that your total cost of attendance will still include a meal and housing allowance. The only difference is that when living off-campus (not residing at your parents' home), you are paying rent to a landlord. In this case, students often receive a refund from our Bursar’s office. This refund can be used for rent and meals (room and board).
Students who study abroad are charged Villanova University’s tuition rate which allows financial assistance to be used for the Fall Semester, Spring Semester, or a combination of the Fall & Spring Semesters. Other program costs (e.g. room, board, transportation in a foreign country, airfare, visas, etc.) are recalculated according to the individual study abroad program to determine your cost of attendance. This recalculation of program costs can possibly result in a reduction of financial aid or an increase in loan eligibility.
After reviewing your financial aid file for any changes to your financial aid eligibility, grants and federal funds will be credited to your account as if you had stayed at Villanova. In addition, Villanova University academic scholarships are applicable for study abroad semesters.
Please Note: If you are a recipient of Tuition Remission, Tuition Exchange, or an Augustinian Relative Remission Grant, the value of these remissions do NOT apply for any study abroad programs. In these cases, the student will be charged the tuition of the sending school and not that of Villanova University, as well as a processing fee charged by our Bursar’s Office.
We strongly encourage students to visit the Office of Financial Assistance to discuss funding before making a final decision on a study abroad program.
Because Residential Assistants receive a stipend for their room and board, we need to include assistance received as an RA in the overall financial aid package. This could mean that some changes are made to the student’s financial aid. Students are encouraged to meet with a Financial Assistance Counselor before making their final decision regarding the acceptance of an RA position.
Federal aid is reviewed under a federal process called “Return of Title IV Funds." The premise is that even though aid is packaged before the beginning of the semester, the aid is actually earned through being enrolled. The percentage of the semester that a student remains enrolled correlates to the percentage of federal aid “earned” as of that point. Please view our Return of Title IV Policy for additional information.
For example, a student withdrawing at the 20% point in the semester has only earned 20% of the federal aid awarded, thus is at risk of having 80% of the federal aid returned. This may, in some cases, result in a fairly large balance, as tuition is adjusted according to a different schedule. See the Bursar’s Office website for more information about tuition adjustments for withdrawal.
Yes, it will affect your financial aid. If you begin a semester full-time and then drop to half-time, aid will need to be adjusted and some sources may be reduced or canceled entirely. In general, we only offer Federal Pell grant (to those who are eligible), Direct Loans, and Alternative (Private Bank) Educational Loans to our part-time students. Villanova Grant assistance is not offered to students enrolled on a part-time basis; however, Villanova Grant consideration may be given to students who were enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student, but are now last-semester seniors enrolled in at least nine credits. Students are encouraged to meet with a Financial Aid Counselor before making a final decision to go to a part-time status.
Need-based financial aid is awarded for eight semesters as a full-time, day undergraduate student. In your last year, you will be considered to be a graduate student and would only be eligible for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans of $20,500 per academic year, unless you are provided a graduate assistantship.
Financial aid is not applicable to the summer term with the exception of the Federal Pell Grant. However, parents can apply for the Direct PLUS loan to cover the summer educational expenses and/or students can apply for an educational alternative loan for this time period. BSN Express students and graduate students are also an exception, and Direct Loans can be certified for the summer term.
Graduating seniors, in their last semester, may keep the Villanova Grant eligibility if they are enrolled for 9 or more credits. If less than 9 credits, the student will NOT be eligible for the Villanova Grant.
GRADUATE STUDENTS FAQs
No. During these unprecedented times, Villanova University is fully aware of how each student's curriculum has been impacted. For example, Villanova offered our current students the ability to take classes with grades of satisfactory/unsatisfactory this past spring semester.
Any shifts to your grading scale over this period of time will be considered in our review of transcripts. We are mindful of all of the adjustments that have been made in response to our current global climate, and you will not be penalized for any changes made outside of your control.
BSN EXPRESS FAQs
No. During these unprecedented times, Villanova University is fully aware of how each student's curriculum has been impacted. For example, Villanova offered our current students the ability to take classes with grades of satisfactory/unsatisfactory this past spring semester.
Any shifts to your grading scale over this period of time will be considered in our review of transcripts. We are mindful of all of the adjustments that have been made in response to our current global climate, and you will not be penalized for any changes made outside of your control.
COLLEGE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES FAQs
No. During these unprecedented times, Villanova University is fully aware of how each student's curriculum has been impacted. For example, Villanova offered our current students the ability to take classes with grades of satisfactory/unsatisfactory this past spring semester.
Any shifts to your grading scale over this period of time will be considered in our review of transcripts. We are mindful of all of the adjustments that have been made in response to our current global climate, and you will not be penalized for any changes made outside of your control.