Current Student FAQ

What type of financial aid is available?
A financial aid "package" usually includes grants, a campus job, and a loan. Student aid funds come from a variety of sources including Skidmore's own grants, as well as many federal financial aid programs such as Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), the Federal Work-Study Program, Perkins Loans, and Federal Direct Loans. A Skidmore financial aid package may also include a state scholarship or a grant from some other public or private organization.


How do I apply for aid as a current student?
Complete instructions on how to apply along with links to online forms can be found at the Financial Aid website.


What happens if I did not initially receive financial aid from Skidmore College as a freshman, but later find out I need to apply?
Those students admitted without Skidmore College grant assistance are normally first eligible to receive such aid, if need is demonstrated, in their junior year.


Does Skidmore College offer any merit-based aid?
The Filene Music Scholarship is awarded annually on the basis of a competition to at least four gifted incoming freshman musicians who seek to further their musical studies in a liberal arts setting. Registration forms and brochures are included in the admissions packet. The Filene Music Scholarship meets demonstrated financial need with grant assistance for those students who are eligible for need-based Skidmore grant aid, thus eliminating the necessity of campus employment and student loans. It is also awarded to winners who do not demonstrate financial need in the amount of $12,000 per year. These scholarships are renewed annually for four years.

Skidmore's Porter Presidential Scholarships are awarded without regard to financial need to incoming freshmen excelling in the sciences and/or mathematics. A $60,000 scholarship ($15,000 per year) is awarded to each of the five candidates who demonstrate exceptional promise for study in these areas.


How much does it cost to attend Skidmore College?
Please visit the Bursar's website for basic annual costs of attendance.


How is my financial aid need determined?
Financial assistance at Skidmore College is awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need. Your financial need is determined from data you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the PROFILE application of the College Scholarship Service. After analyzing the information on PROFILE, the College Scholarship Service will send a report to you, Skidmore College, and other colleges you list as recipients of the data.  Financial need is determined by subtracting from Skidmore's cost how much you and your family can afford to pay towards your education. If the amount of your family contribution is lower than the total cost of attending Skidmore, you are considered to have financial need. While colleges expect you and your family to assume primary responsibility for your education costs, we will work closely with you to develop a package of aid and/or a financing plan. Whatever your income, factors such as family size, the number of dependent children attending college, family assets (including home equity), extraordinary medical expenses, and any unusual circumstances will be considered. (If your parents are divorced or separated, this process can be slightly more complex, as we generally require financial data from both natural parents.)


What are Skidmore College's financial application codes?
Skidmore's PROFILE code is 2815, FAFSA code is 002814, and TAP code (NYS residents only) is 0855.

 
Does Skidmore College allow graduate students or parents to be counted as family members in college?
No. Parent contributions for graduate students and parent(s) in college are not considered.

 
Is consumer debt considered part of the calculation in determining the family contribution?
No. Allowing for consumer debt would give families who owe money an unfair advantage over families who do not.

 
What should I do if my family has special circumstances that are not indicated on the FAFSA and PROFILE?
The Office of Financial Aid recommends sending a letter to the office outlining the special circumstances that were not able to be indicated on the FAFSA and/or PROFILE. The letter of special circumstances can be sent to the Office of Financial Aid, Skidmore College, 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866; faxed to the office at 518-580-5752 OR 518-580-5753; or emailed to finaid@skidmore.edu.

 
What should I do if my parents are divorced, separated, and/or never married?
Skidmore requires information from both natural parents, regardless of current marital status. In cases of nonsupport or unwillingness to pay, Skidmore still requires the information from the parent you do not live with. Students with extenuating circumstances can contact the Office of Financial Aid.


My parents are separated/divorced/never married.  Who should be filling out which forms?
If your natural (or adoptive) parents were never married to each other or are either separated or divorced, answer the questions (about parents) for the parent you lived with the most in the last 12 months. This person is referred to as the custodial parent. The custodial parent should complete the parent information on the CSS PROFILE application online and submit to CSS. This parent should also complete the parent information on the FASFA online. The noncustodial parent (the natural or adoptive parent who does not reside in the same household as the student) should complete the Noncustodial Parent's PROFILE. If the parent you lived with the most in the last 12 months has married or remarried, you must also include your stepparent's information (even if the parent and stepparent were not married in the last tax year.) If you are reporting information about your stepparent, note that whenever the word "parents" is used on the CSS PROFILE and FAFSA it also means your stepparent.

 
My parents do not want to pay for college; can I apply for financial aid as an independent student?
Skidmore does not offer financial assistance to students who declare themselves independent of their parents, nor are we able to offer assistance if parents decide that they no longer wish to support a student at Skidmore College.


When will I be notified of my financial aid for next year?
We begin notifying students of their award status after June 1st and continue notifications throughout the summer.
 

Will my financial aid change from year to year?
If family circumstances remain relatively unchanged, you can expect a comparable aid package that meets your demonstrated need in your upperclass years. The upperclass award will reflect yearly changes in costs, family circumstances, income, private scholarship, and number of children attending college. Work-study awards, student loan amounts, and student summer earnings will increase each year after the initial aid award. You must update your financial aid records by filing renewal applications every year. Your aid is not contingent upon maintaining a target grade-point average, other than to meet Skidmore standards for minimum satisfactory academic progress.

If I receive outside scholarships, how do they affect my financial aid?
Skidmore College allows a student to receive the full benefit of an outside scholarship and will reduce a student's loan and/or workstudy and/or family contribution by the full amount of the outside scholarship. A student's total aid package cannot exceed a student's cost of attendance in a given year. When all grants and scholarships exceed the cost of attendance, the Skidmore grant will be reduced.


How does financial aid work when a student studies abroad?
Study-abroad programs at Skidmore fall into one of two categories. The program may be a Skidmore-administered program or an outside approved program. For listings, visit the Office of Off-Campus Study and Exchanges. Students participating in either type of program will be charged the Skidmore comprehensive fee (equal to tuition and room and board at the Scribner Apartment rate). Students may use all financial aid, except workstudy for both. Adjustments will also be made to a student's cost of attendance to assist with additional indirect costs such as airfare. If students want to meet with an FAO representative, they can certainly do so.


If I do not qualify for federal work-study, can I still get a job on campus?
Yes, there are many part-time jobs available on campus that are not limited to students on financial aid.


How do I apply for a Federal Direct PLUS loan?
Complete instructions on how to apply can be found on our website under Loan Information.


Why is the Federal Direct PLUS loan amount on my student bill less than the amount my parents borrowed?
There is a .5% origination fee and a 1% default fee that is deducted from the amount that a student receives in loan funds. Therefore, the total amount disbursed is less than the actual amount borrowed.


How do I apply for a Federal Direct Student loan?
Complete instructions on how to apply can be found on our website under Loan Information.


Why is the Federal Direct Loan amount on my student bill less than the amount on my financial aid award letter?
There is a 1% origination fee and a 1% default fee that is deducted from the amount that a student receives in loan funds. Therefore, the total amount disbursed is less than the actual amount borrowed.

What happens if I choose to live in a single, in an apartment, or off campus?
Generally, your financial aid is based on occupancy in a standard, double room along with the Unlimited Meal Plan.  If you live in a single room, you will be charged a premium* that will not be covered with additional grant aid.

If you live in Slopeside, Scribner or Northwoods apartments, you will be charged a higher room rate* that will not be covered with additional grant aid. Normally students living in an apartment setting sign up for a reduced meal plan or possibly no meal plan since kitchen facilities are provided within the apartments. Hence the additional cost for the apartment is often offset by the reduced cost of a lesser meal plan or in many cases, no meal plan.

If you live off campus, the Financial Aid Office will use a reduced room and board component in your cost of attendance when determining your aid eligibility. Instead of these costs being direct -- that is, being charged by the College -- they are now indirect costs to you, which the Office of Financial Aid will continue to consider.

*For more detailed information on the costs associated with room choices and meal choices, see Cost of Attendance.


Is there financial aid for summer courses?
Skidmore grant assistance is not available for summer study. Matriculated Skidmore students who receive federal Pell Grant funding may be eligible for summer Pell Grant funding.

Students are encouraged to meet with a financial aid representative to learn more about their available options.

The Office of the Dean of Special Programs oversees Skidmore College's summer term. Visit their website for details on sessions, courses, procedures/forms, and costs.

When is the tuition bill due?
The fall semester bill is due August 1 and the spring semester bill is due December 15.