Financial Aid
Apply for Financial Aid
Elmhurst College recognizes that the cost of a college education often is greater than a student's resources. The College offers a variety of need- and merit-based financial aid programs, including scholarships, grants, loans and student employment to assist the student in paying for an Elmhurst College education. Admission decisions are made independently from any consideration of financial need.
File the FAFSA
Financial Aid Application Checklist
Early Estimate
Financial Aid Awards
Verification
Special Student Circumstances
Study Off-Campus and Abroad
Veterans' Benefits
Contact Us
File the FAFSA
Elmhurst College strongly encourages every student to apply for financial aid. Students will not know if they qualify for financial aid unless they apply.
Application is made by filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is a financial aid application prepared by the U. S. Department of Education to detemine eligiblity for federal, state and college sponsored financial aid.
The FAFSA can be filed online at www.fafsa.gov . Students may file the FAFSA after January 1 for the following academic year. It is recommended that the FAFSA be filed by April 15. The FAFSA must be filed each academic year. Both the student and one parent will need a PIN number to file the FAFSA online. Apply for a PIN number at www.pin.ed.gov
There are eligiblity requirements to receive federal financial aid.
Information needed for the FAFSA includes: federal income tax information from 2011 (if applying for the 2012–13 academic year), student's social security number and birth date, parent's social security numbers and birth dates and asset information for both parents and student. It is recommeded that completed income tax forms be used to complete the FAFSA.
The Elmhurst College school code for the FAFSA is 001676.
A FAFSA on the web worksheet is available online This worksheet lists many of the questions contained on the FAFSA. Printing out and completing the FAFSA worksheet is a good way to eliminate mistakes when filing the FAFSA. In addition, much helpful information about filing can be found on the FAFSA web site Students or parents can also call the FAFSA help line at 1-800-433-3243.
You may wish to view the following online tutorial before completing the FAFSA: Seven Easy Steps to the FAFSA .
Financial Aid Application Checklist
Use this checklist to make sure that you complete all steps in the Financial Aid application process in a timely fashion and do not miss any deadlines.
Early Estimate
Elmhurst cannot provide financial aid award notices until students are admitted to the College and they file the FAFSA. However, our Net Price Calculator provides applicants with an estimate of their aid eligiblity and calculates estimated payments.
Financial Aid Awards
Students must be admitted to the College to receive an award notice.
New students who receive aid will receive an award notice which lists the combination of different types of financial aid used to meet a student's need. Financial aid awards may include grants, scholarships, loans and federal work-study. The amounts and types of financial aid included in the award are based on both the student's need and academic record.
New student award notices are mailed out starting in late February. Continuing students will receive an email notifying them to check BlueNet to view their award notice online after April 1.
Students who choose to defer enrollment after receiving a financial aid award should not assume that the same types and amounts of financial aid would be available for a subsequent period of enrollment.
Verification
About 35 percent of students who file a FAFSA are randomly selected for verification by the U. S. Department of Education. If your file is selected, you will be required to supply Elmhurst College with the documents necessary to verify the information submitted on the FAFSA. The student will recieve a written or email request for information from the Office of Financial Aid if anything is required. The student's financial aid award can not be applied to the student's account until all requested materials are received and verification has been completed.
1. Use the IRS Retrieval Tool that is part of FAFSA on the Web. If you have not already used the tool, go to www.fafsa.gov, log in to your FAFSA record, select "Make FAFSA Corrections" and navigate to the Financial Information section of the form. From there, follow the instructions to determine if you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to transfer 2011 IRS income tax information into your FAFSA. It takes up to two weeks for IRS income information to be available for the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for electronic IRS tax return filers, and up to eight weeks for paper IRS tax return filers. If you need more information about when, or how to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, please contact our office.
OR
2. Submit a 2011 IRS Tax Return Transcript To obtain an IRS tax return transcript, go to www.IRS.gov and click on the "Order a Return or Account Transcript" link, or call 1-800-908-9946. Make sure to request the "IRS tax return transcript" and not the "IRS tax account transcript". You will need your Social Security Number, date of birth, and the address on file with the IRS (normally this wiill be the address used when your 2011 IRS tax return was filed). It takes up to two weeks for IRS income information to be available for electronic IRS tax filers, and up to eight weeks for paper IRS tax return filers. If you are married and you and your spouse filed separate 2011 tax returns, you must submit tax return transcripts for both you and your spouse.
Special Student Circumstances
A serious illness or unusual financial hardship are examples of special circumstances that may have serious financial impact on a student. If a student believes their circumstances qualify, inform the Office of Financial Aid. The student should complete a Special Circumstances form and submit it to the Office fo Financial Aid for consideration.
Study Off-Campus and Abroad
Additional financial aid consideration may be given to students taking international or other off-campus courses. For term-length study abroad, a student should submit a financial aid application for long term off campus study to the Office of Financial Aid. For a January or Summer Term study abroad financial aid application, please see the Center for Professional Excellence. The appropriate application should be submitted as soon as academic plans are finalized. For consideration for need based loans, a FAFSA must be on file.
Veterans' Benefits
Elmhurst College participates in all applicable federal programs for veterans, servicepersons and their dependents. We encourage all persons who are potentially eligible for these benefits to apply. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or other agency, as appropriate, makes the final determination of eligibilty. For more information on veteran eligibility for educational benefits, please visit the VA web site.
You must be a degree seeking student in order to receive these education benefits. Elmhurst College does not participate in the Illinois Veterans Grant (IVG). IVG is only available at Illinois public institutions. All veterans new to Elmhurst College must complete the VA Education Benefits Enrollment form. For more information about enrollment certification for VA benefits at Elmhurst College, please contact the Veterans Certifying Official at (630) 617-3079.
Additional information for veterans:
Post 9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program
Applying for VA Educational Benefits at Elmhurst College
Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits booklet
Contact Us
You can send an email message to the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@elmhurst.edu. You can also call the Office of Financial Aid at (630) 617-3075. The office is located in Goebel Hall. Our current office hours are Monday–Thursday 8:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. The office fax number is (630) 617-5188.
