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 1
- Early Action: December 1
- Early Decision II: January 15
- Regular Decision: January 15
- Fall Transfer Students: May 1
- Spring Transfer Students: November 1
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
US Citizens/Permanent Residents
- FAFSA
- CSS Profile
- Federal Income Tax Returns
International Students
- CSS Profile
- Certificate of Finances
- Income and Asset Documents
NET PRICE CALCULATOR
The Net Price Calculator is designed to give you an early estimated indication of how much and what types of financial aid you might qualify for if you were an entering undergraduate Villanova first-year student who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident attending school full-time in the academic year indicated.
It is important to know that this provides only an estimate of your eligibility. The Office of Financial Assistance has the final word on your need-based financial aid offer. Villanova University offers limited merit-based scholarships that are awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Merit scholarship eligibility will not be reflected on the Net Price Calculator.
HOW TO APPLY: Citizens/Permanent Residents
Important notes and considerations:
- By completing the financial aid application process, you are applying for federal and institutional need-based funding handled by the Office of Financial Assistance.
- The Office of Undergraduate Admission manages the application process and eligibility for all merit-Based scholarships.
- You are NOT required to complete the financial aid process for admission purposes.
- 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 2025-2026 Academic Year
- The 2025-2025 FAFSA will be available on or before December 1
- If this is your first time completing a FAFSA, you will start by creating a Studentaid.gov account.
- You will then complete the FAFSA online. Tip: Use these step by step instructions provided by the U.S. Department of Education to guide you through the process.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- *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 first-year students 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 for the 2025-2026 Academic Year
- Signed copy of parent(s)'/stepparent's (custodial/noncustodial) 2023 Federal Income Tax Returns, with all forms, schedules and W2s
- Signed copy of student's 2023 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 English 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 2025-2026 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 2025-2026 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
There are a number of ways to manage your educational expenses from payment plans to federal or private education loans. We can help you develop a strategy to choose the best available financing options to meet your needs.
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. Villanova does not currently meet 100% of demonstrated financial need.
FIRST-YEAR FAQs
Students must still submit the 2025-2026 Profile and 2023 Federal Tax documents by the deadline. Once the 2025-2026 FAFSA is available, students must complete and submit the FAFSA.
Due to the delayed release of the 2025-2026 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.
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.
Once your FAFSA has been processed, you will be able to make a correction.
Our office will provide admitted students with an estimated aid notice based on the Profile and tax documents. We believe that our estimates are accurate as we have used the actual 2023 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. Submission of this form does not guarantee an offer of additional funding. You must submit the supporting documentation of the change and documentation of current income, along with the Request for Revision form for a re-evaluation.
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 (income and assets), 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 (excluding 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.