This free service can help you plan more effectively to meet college costs. The Financial Aid Need Estimator allows you to calculate both your family contribution and costs at specific institutions by taking you through two steps.
Step 1: During the first step, the Financial Aid Need Estimator will help you estimate how much you and your family will be expected to pay. The result of this calculation is your expected family contribution which will be the same for all colleges you may consider attending.
Step 2: Using the second step, you may estimate the costs of attending specific institutions. Your results will show your eligibility for federal need-based financial aid based on both your expected family contribution and the costs of attending the institution you selected. By selecting another institution, you may repeat these calculations for as many institutions as you wish without re-entering your personal information.
- The Financial Aid Need Estimator does not ask you to identify yourself and will not retain any of the information you enter.
- Because international students are not eligible for federal need-based financial aid programs, results from the Financial Aid Need Estimator will apply only to students who are U.S. citizens.
- SPECIAL NOTE: The Financial Aid Need Estimator does not substitute for a federally approved financial aid application. If you want to apply for financial aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (opens new window).
Disclaimer
The Financial Aid Need Estimator does not provide official results. Only official results will be used by a postsecondary educational institution to award student aid. The "estimate" you receive, however, has been calculated by means of the federal financial aid formula used in calculating "official" results.
The accuracy of the estimate you receive will depend on the accuracy of the information you provide.
General Instructions
Please fill out the form as completely as possible. Wherever you do not provide an answer, the Estimator will automatically supply a value of "0." In some cases, this may affect the accuracy of the estimate you receive.
Round all figures to the nearest dollar. Do NOT enter the cents amount.
For the most accurate results, use the most recent income tax information or estimated current-year values. You may wish to print out the form, collect all the information you need, and then return to this application for the calculation.
Do not leave fields blank. If a value is zero, enter "0."
It usually takes less than 10 minutes to fill out and process the form if you have all the necessary information.
If your browser does not support JavaScript, some data entry edits will not occur. Calculation results will still be correct.
You must determine your dependency status. Please answer the following questions:
- Were you born before January 1, 1985?
- Will you be enrolled in a master's or doctoral program (beyond a bachelor's degree) during the upcoming academic year?
- Are you married? (Answer "Yes" if you are separated but not divorced.)
- Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?
- Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you?
- Are you an orphan, or are you or were you (until age 18) a ward/dependent of the court?
- Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
- Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
NOTE: Individuals serving in active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training are considered independent students.
If you answered "Yes" to any question, choose "Independent" below.
If you answered "No" to all questions, choose "Dependent" below.
My dependency status is:
| Dependent I answered "No" to all questions. |
Independent I answered "Yes" to one or more questions. |