CONTINUING STUDENT FAQ

1. How and when should I submit my renewal application for financial aid?
2. How do I obtain an IDOC cover sheet?
3. When will I receive my financial aid notification?
4. Why might I have less or more financial aid than last year?
5. What if my family’s financial circumstances have changed?
6. I’ve never applied for aid before. How do I get started?
7. I have loans in my financial aid package; how do I accept them?
8. How do my parents apply for a parent loan?
9. When will my financial aid credit to my Bursar account?
10. How will outside scholarships affect my aid package?
11. What if I cannot meet the Summer Savings Expectation?
12. What if my academic year expenses exceed the amount of my budget?
13. What is Federal Work-Study and Employment Earnings Expectation?
14. How do I find a job on campus?
15. What are the requirements for being considered an independent student?
16. How will my aid change if I live off-campus?
17. How will my aid change if I become a Resident Advisor?

1. How and when should I submit my renewal application for financial aid?

Determine your application checklist here. The deadline to submit renewal application materials is usually near the end of April. If your application is postmarked after the deadline, you may be subject to a late penalty. For each month or part thereof that the application is received late, your university grant aid eligibility will decrease by $500, and there will be a corresponding increase in your self-help (loans). To be considered for a waiver of the late penalty, you must include a written explanation of why your application was late.

2. How do I obtain an IDOC cover sheet?

The College Board will mail the IDOC cover sheets to your home address by the end of February. If you do not receive your IDOC cover sheet by this time, you can print another one from their website: http://idoc.collegeboard.com. You will need your date of birth and your Social Security Number.

3. When will I receive my financial aid notification?

Financial aid notices for continuing students are mailed beginning in July.

4. Why might I have less or more financial aid than last year?

A decrease/increase in aid is directly related to a decrease/increase in calculated financial need. These changes can be caused by various factors such as:

a change in your family’s total contribution due to a change in income or assets
more or fewer siblings attending an undergraduate college
transferring internally to a Cornell college that has different tuition costs

5. What if my family’s financial circumstances have changed?

If there is new information that affects your family's ability to meet the expected family contribution, or if you think we may have overlooked some aspect of your family's financial circumstances, you may request a reconsideration of your financial aid package. Please notify our office in writing (via email, fax, or US mail) of your request for aid reconsideration, making sure to clearly mark any correspondence “Appeal.” Since we offer the best aid package we can based on the initial information we’ve been given, reconsideration is based on additional supporting documentation provided by your family. This includes most recent federal tax returns if they haven’t already been sent.

6. I’ve never applied for aid before. How do I get started?

Come to our office in Day Hall at any time of the year to meet with a financial aid counselor. Our walk-in hours are Monday through Friday from 12pm-3:30pm. By explaining your situation to a counselor, we can give you an idea of the types of aid you may be eligible for as well as the necessary forms and instructions on how to apply for financial aid.

7. I have loans in my financial aid package; how do I accept them?

The loans listed in your financial aid package are loan funds offered through Cornell University. If you do not wish to accept a particular loan, notify our office in writing of the loan you do not wish to receive. To accept the loans in your financial aid package, follow the instructions below:

Note: if you signed a master promissory note for the Direct, Perkins or University Loans in the past, you will not need to repeat this process.
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Subsidized or Unsubsidized) You can accept this loan by following the instructions to sign the Electronic Master Promissory Note (EMPN) online at http://dlenote.ed.gov. You will also need to complete the Direct Loan Entrance Counseling Interview online at www.dlssonline.com.
Federal Perkins or Cornell University Loan You can accept either of these loans by following the instructions to sign the Electronic Master Promissory Note (EMPN) online at www.ecsi.net/promM3
Recommended Alternative Loan Any Cornell undergraduate student may apply for an alternative loan through an outside lender to help cover educational expenses.

8. How do my parents apply for a parent loan?

Parents wishing to apply for a Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS Loan) will be required to apply through Cornell and the Department of Education. To apply, complete the PLUS application and return it to our office. When you are notified of the approved amount, follow the instructions on the Department of Education's website, http://dlenote.ed.gov to sign the Electronic Master Promissory Note (EMPN) for parents. Parents will need their FAFSA PIN to complete this process. To obtain a forgotten PIN, visit www.pin.ed.gov.

9. When will my financial aid credit to my Bursar account?

Many different factors can determine when your financial aid will credit to your student account. The disbursement date for federal funds is usually 10 days before the start of classes each semester. Federal aid will not credit until you are fully registered. Check Just the Facts to find out why you may not be registered. Loans will remain pending credits until the necessary steps are completed by you (i.e. signing the loan note, completing the entrance counseling interview) If no action is taken, the pending credits will eventually be removed from the bursar bill and any remaining balance will be your responsibility

10. How will outside scholarships affect my aid package?

At Cornell, outside scholarships, grants, and tuition benefits reduce the self-help component of your financial aid package (first loans, then work eligibility). If the amount you’re receiving in outside scholarship funding exceeds the amount of work and loan in your aid package, remaining outside scholarship funds may be used to reduce your Cornell grant funding. Since outside awards are additional resources which reduce your need, they cannot be used to reduce the parent contribution or other expected family resources. Please be aware that any state grants will reduce your Cornell grant, dollar for dollar, with the exception of merit-based state awards. Scholarship checks received by our office will be divided equally between fall and spring semesters, unless otherwise indicated in writing by the donor. We can make adjustments to your aid package at any time of the year, and we encourage students to seek as many outside awards as possible. Please notify the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment in writing of any outside awards you anticipate to receive.

All outside scholarship checks should be sent to:
Cornell University
Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment
Scholarship Division
P.O. Box 752
Ithaca, New York 14851

Click here for information on free outside scholarship searches

11. What if I cannot meet the Summer Savings Expectation?

If you were not able to work or earn the full amount, an adjustment may be available. This adjustment will provide eligibility for additional loan or work-study to cover the portion of your SSE that you do not have. The adjustment form is available at the end of the summer and the deadline to submit the form is usually at the beginning of October.

12. What if my academic year expenses exceed the amount of my budget?

If you find that your cost of attendance (the budget) is more than you expected, you may apply for an increase to that budget for allowable expenses (i.e. housing costs, required supplies, lab fees, etc). We will consider requests for increases when you have documented that your allowable expenses exceed the standard budget (please refer to your financial aid award letter for these standard amounts). The budget increase application form lists items that are and are not allowable

13. What is Federal Work-Study and Employment Earnings Expectation?

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a federally funded wage subsidy program designed to create jobs to help students meet their educational expenses. FWS may be awarded to students as part of their aid package based on the student’s eligibility as defined by federal regulations. Through the FWS Program, the federal government pays a percentage of an eligible student’s wages, making the student an appealing job applicant. Students not eligible for FWS may have an Employment Earnings Expectation (EEE) amount listed in their financial aid package. EEE is an estimate of the amount you are expected to earn through part-time employment during the academic year to help meet educational expenses. When you work, you are paid bi-weekly in the form of a paycheck, and you determine how best to use those earnings toward your educational expenses.

14. How do I find a job on campus?

Cornell does not place students in jobs. Students conduct their own job search to identify opportunities that best fit their interests, skills, and class schedules. You can access the job postings (through Bear Access) once you have obtained a valid Cornell ID/NetID. Most academic year jobs are advertised starting in August.

15. What are the requirements for being considered an independent student?

There are two types of independent status for aid purposes: Cornell independent status and Federal independent status. For Cornell aid purpose: If you are admitted as a dependent student, you will always be a dependent student while you are an undergraduate student.
For Federal aid purposes: You must be able to answer yes to one of the following questions:

Are you married?
Are you 24 by December 31st of the award year?
Are you an orphan or ward of the court?
Are you a veteran of the US Armed Forces?
Do you have children or other dependents who receive more than half of their support from you?

If the student is federally independent, this does not mean that the student is automatically Cornell independent. If you have additional questions or would like to request the Independent Student Certification form, please contact our office.

16. How will my aid change if I live off-campus?

If you live off-campus, your financial need is calculated exactly the same way as if you lived on campus. Room and Board expenses are still included in your budget. The major difference is that the bursar will not charge you for your housing expenses. The housing expense will need to be paid directly to your landlord, as outlined in your lease. If your financial aid credits exceed your charges, you will receive a refund check from the Office of the Bursar to assist you with off-campus living expenses. On the other hand, if your bursar charges exceed the financial aid credits, your family contribution will be used to pay off the bursar, Cornell Card charges and off-campus living expenses.

17. How will my aid change if I become a Resident Advisor?

As an RA, you will not be charged for your housing, so your bursar charges will not include the cost of your room. Your financial aid is adjusted to reflect your lower charges, and you will see “Rent Free Housing” as part of your financial aid package. We will reduce the self-help portion of your financial aid package, beginning with the employment component. If the amount you're receiving in rent free housing (plus any other outside scholarship funding you may receive) exceeds the amount of work and loan in your aid package, remaining funds may be used to reduce your Cornell grant.