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: May 1
- Spring Transfer Students: November 1
*The 2024-2025 FAFSA is available as of December 31st.
After originally stating that schools were to receive processed FAFSA data in late January, The U.S. Department of Education has announced that there will be significant processing delays related to the delivery of FAFSA data to schools. As a result, we will not begin to receive FAFSA submissions until mid-March at the earliest. While this delay may present several challenges, we are happy to inform you that we will be providing estimated financial aid offers to admitted students based on the results of the CSS Profile and other required documents.
We encourage families to complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA and CSS Profile as soon as possible so that we can do our best to provide an estimated aid package by our posted notification dates. Final aid notices will be provided upon receipt and review of the FAFSA and any outstanding documents at a later date.
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 2024-2025 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 how to complete the FAFSA, visit their website the FAFSA website..
- 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 as of December 31st
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.
- Due to the delayed release of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, you may receive an estimated aid notice. Final aid notices will be provided upon receipt and review of the completed FAFSA and any outstanding documents at a later date.
- Due to the delayed release of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, you may receive an estimated aid notice. Final aid notices will be provided upon receipt and review of the completed FAFSA and any outstanding documents at a later date.
- 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
- The bill is handled by the Bursar's Office. The annual tuition charge is billed half in the Fall and half in the Spring. Fall semester bills are processed in July with an August due date: Spring semester bills are processed in November with a December due date. Bills can be accessed through your myNova account in the Student Tab under Bursar Links.
- PLEASE NOTE: Students will not receive a paper bill. Students must access their bills using our electronic V-bill service.
Financing Options
In partnership with Nelnet Campus Commerce, Villanova provides payment options that help you afford your education. The Monthly Payment Plan allows you to divide tuition and other expenses into smaller monthly payments. Simply visit Nelnet for more information.
Payment plans are available for the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. Monthly payment plans allow you to spread your educational expenses over smaller monthly installments.
Through our experience, we have found that many students find it convenient to pay for college expenses through a monthly payment plan, which we offer exclusively through NelNet.
NelNet is a company that works with many colleges and universities to offer monthly payment options to students instead of paying in one lump sum.
Payments are made through an automatic monthly withdrawal from a bank account or credit card. The plan is term based and enables you to pay for all or part of your charges for a $40 enrollment fee.
To learn more please visit NelNet. You can also contact NelNet customer service at 1-800-609-8056. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
The Federal Direct Loans are funded by the US Department of Education through Villanova University and are managed by federal loan servicers, under the supervision of the Department of Education.
The Direct PLUS loan, provides parents of dependent students (Direct PLUS) and graduate students (Direct Graduate PLUS) with competitive rates and repayment terms. The parent(s)’ creditworthiness is considered in determining their eligibility.
If a parent of a dependent student is denied the PLUS Loan, the student is then eligible for additional Unsubsidized Loan funding:
- Freshman and Sophomore: additional $4,000
- Junior and Senior: additional $5,000
The maximum amount that can be borrowed is the cost of education less all other financial aid received. Loans are not based on need but rather on the borrower's creditworthiness.
Interest rates on federal student loans are set by federal law. The Department of Education will release the upcoming year's interest rate on July 1.
All loans disbursed between 7/1/23 through 6/30/24 will be subject to a fixed interest rate of 8.05%.
To view how the interest is calculated on the loan, please visit: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/interest-rates
For the most up to date information please visit studentaid.gov.
Before the loan funds are sent to the school (disbursed), a percentage of the loan amount is kept as an origination fee. Therefore the amount that school will receive is less than the amount borrowed, however you are responsible for repaying the entire amount borrowed and not just the amount received by the school.
Generally loans funds are disbursed twice a year: one-half for the Fall semseter and the other half for the Spring semester. Therefore an origination fee would be assessed from the 2 disbursements.
The US Department of Education charges a loan fee of 4.228 percent for loans 1st disbursed on or after October 1, 2020. This fee is deducted proportionately from each disbursement of your loan.
For parents of dependent undergraduate students, repayment normally begins within 60 days after the loan has been fully disbursed. Parents may request an in-school deferment of repayment until after the student's graduation during the PLUS Loan application process.
- A completed FAFSA must be on file for the student
- Go to https://studentaid.gov to complete the Direct PLUS Loan application*.
- For an Undergraduate student, the parent will need to sign in using their FSA ID and Password
- Complete and sign the MPN at https://studentaid.gov.
*NOTE: Your loan is not complete and will not be certified by the Office of Financial Assistance until ALL of the above steps have been completed.
If you have any questions about the Federal Direct PLUS or Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan, please send us an email with your question, name, and Villanova University number to finaidloan@villanova.edu.
Master Promissory Note
All borrowers seeking a Direct PLUS Loan must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) with the US Department of Education. Through a Direct PLUS Loan MPN, you may receive multiple PLUS loans over a maximum 10 year period. You have to complete the promissory note only once. Thereafter, all you need to do is supply the amount you want to borrow each year and successfully complete the credit-check process. An MPN must be completed for each student enrolled.
If borrowing a Direct PLUS loan with an endorser, please note that a new MPN will need to be signed each academic year.
You may complete your Direct PLUS MPN at https://studentaid.gov.
*Credit Check
When you apply for a Direct PLUS Loan, the Department of Education will check your credit history. To be eligible for a Direct PLUS Loan, you must not have an adverse credit history. If you are found to have an adverse credit history, you may still borrow a Direct PLUS Loan if you get an endorser who does not have an adverse credit history.
Private Educational Loans are administered by private lenders and there are a variety of lending institutions that offer these.
You should first apply for a Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan and then consider the Direct PLUS Loan (if the student is dependent) or the Direct Graduate PLUS (if the student is a graduate student) and then, if additional funding is needed, apply for one of these loans.
Please allow at least four weeks from the start of the application process to disbursement of funds due to numerous disclosures now required by lending institutions.
You may choose to use any lender that offers a Private Educational Loan. You may want to contact the bank, savings and loan, or credit union with whom you do business.
- Students and families will need to conduct research to find the best private educational loan to suit their needs. (i.e. identifying lenders who will approve loans for non-matriculated students, certificate programs, prior balances, etc.) Students apply directly through the lenders.
- Once approved for an alternative loan, the Office of Financial Assistance will review the loan for school certification. This process includes confirming enrollment and verifying the eligibility for the type of loan requested and the borrowing amount requested.
- Each aid applicant will receive a notice of eligibility from the Office of Financial Assistance.
- Loan funds will be disbursed in accordance with the disbursement schedule once all necessary paperwork has been completed.
The Office of Financial Assistance has selected a group of Preferred Lenders based on quality customer service, borrower benefits, and financing options. However, if you wish to use another lender that is not on this list, you may. As a borrower, you have the right to select any lender you choose.
ELM Select is an external webpage where you will be able to review and compare Villanova University’s Preferred Lender information, and apply for private loans.
The Office of Financial Assistance will continue to meet with lenders on a regular basis to examine new products, services, and benefits for our students to make sure we are providing the best options.
Notes: Due to the numerous disclosures required by the Department of Education, students need to remain in contact with their lender to ensure timely disbursement of funds. Applying for the loan late, or failure to complete required disclosures may delay your funds and possibly cause you to incur University late fees, if your bills are not paid on time.
Click here for more information on the Office of Financial Assistance Code of Conduct
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
-
Student Aid Index (Federal Aid Eligibility)/ Expected Family Contribution (Institutional Need-Based Grant Eligibility)
=
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
Students must still submit the 2024-2025 Profile and 2022 Federal Tax documents by the deadline. Once the 2024-2025 FAFSA is available, students must complete and submit the FAFSA.
Due to the delayed release of the 2024-2025 FAFSA data, students may receive an estimated financial aid notice. Final aid notices will be provided upon receipt and review of the completed FAFSA and any outstanding documents at a later date.
On January 30, 2024, the Department of Education announced that schools will begin to receive FAFSAs, “the first half of March.” Therefore, our office, and your student portal, will not reflect the receipt of your FAFSA until that time.
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.
Yes, you must submit the required applications and documents by our published deadlines. Failure to submit the applications and documents by the deadline may result in the delayed release of your aid notice. In addition, incomplete or late applicants will only be aided if funds remain available.
Due to the new 2024-2025 FAFSA, the Department of Education is still making adjustments to the applications. Once your FAFSA has been processed, you will be able to make a correction. As of January 30, 2024 students will not be able to make corrections to their FAFSAs until, “the first half of March.”
Our office has provided admitted students with an estimated aid notice based on the Profile and tax documents. We believe that our estimates are accurate as we have use the actual 2022 tax data to provide the aid notice.
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.
