Applying for Aid

The following requirements are needed to be considered for federal financial aid.

  • You must meet basic eligibility criteria.
  • You must complete the FAFSA.
  • For Direct Loans, you must be enrolled at least half-time per semester as defined by the Office of Student Services (half-time is 6 credits).
     

Due to the passing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act on December 27, 2020, as a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the FAFSA is changing for the 2024–2025 aid year.

You can expect the following changes:

  • The 2024–2025 FAFSA will not be available until December 2023.
    • The 2024–2025 FAFSA determines your financial aid eligibility for the fall 2024, spring 2025, and summer 2025 terms.
  • New terminology will be added to the FAFSA. 
  • Eligibility for federal financial aid will be expanded.

Boston College will continue to update students and families with a timeline as additional information becomes available.  

For more information about the 2024–2025 FAFSA, visit www.studentaid.gov.

International Students

International students are not eligible for Federal financial aid. Visit the International Students page for more information.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Preferred Filing Dates

  • Continuing Graduate Students: April 15, 2024
  • Continuing Law Students: April 15, 2024
  • Summer Continuing Graduate and Law Students: March 15, 2024
  • Incoming Graduate Students: March 15, 2024
  • Incoming Law Students: March 15, 2024
Print

 

Submitting Your Documents

Submit all required documents to www.bc.edu/finaidupload.

Please note that it will take 48–72 hours for your documents to be added to your financial aid file.


Please remember to write your assigned Eagle ID Number on every page of all documents you submit. 


Upload Limitations and Restrictions

  • File size is limited to 5 MB per document. If your document exceeds this size, consider the following:
    • Do not use a camera to create images of the documents
    • Do not attempt to upload color copies
    • Use a lower resolution setting when scanning documents
  • Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and .tiff documents are not acceptable. Conversion options are usually available for any file type that is not in an accepted file format.
  • Password-protected documents cannot be accepted

If you experience any issues while attempting to upload your documents, please contact the Office of Student Services at 1-800-294-0294 or at studentservices@bc.edu.


Documents may also be submitted to the following PO address as a secondary option:

Boston College Financial Aid Processing Center
PO Box 1482
Portsmouth, NH 03802   


Preferred Filing Dates

For Fall Enrollment

Submission Deadline

April 15

Award Notification

early July

For Fall Enrollment

Submission Deadline

April 15

Award Notification

early July

For Fall Enrollment

Submission Deadline

March 15

Award Notification

Early May

For Fall Enrollment

Submission Deadline

March 15

Award Notification

Mid-late May

For Fall Enrollment

Submission Deadline

March 15

Award Notification

Mid-late May

For Summer Work Enrollment

Submission Deadline

March 15

Award Notification

Mid-late May

 

 Note: this submission deadline is a hard deadline.

Boston College is committed to providing information in a manner that is accessible to all. If you are in need of a printed copy of the material presented on this web page, please contact the Office of Student Services.

Your Unique Situation

Print

Late Applicants

In order to be considered for Federal financial aid, your processed FAFSA must be received by BC before the end of the enrollment period. Application materials that are received after the following dates may not be processed, and federal financial aid may not be received before the enrollment period is over.

EnrollmentApplication Deadline 2024–2025Application Deadline 2023–2024
Summer onlyJune 17, 2024June 16, 2023
Summer and Fall onlyNovember 1, 2024November 3, 2023
Academic year only (Fall and Spring)April 7, 2025April 8, 2024

Consequences of Applying Late

  • Aid may not arrive in time to pay bill or receive refund
  • Aid may not arrive in time to pay for books and/or living expenses
  • Incomplete applications will delay process

Summer Financial Aid

Federal financial aid for Boston College's summer sessions is limited to Federal Direct loans (Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS), Work-Study, and private educational loans. Graduate students must be enrolled at least half-time for summer in order to be considered for these funds.

Appeals

The Cost of Attendance (COA) increase appeal process allows the Boston College Graduate and Law Financial Aid team to review additional educational expenses incurred during your enrolled academic period. In order to appeal, students must receive aid up to their cost of attendance, and your expenses must exceed the living allowances listed on our Cost of Attendance page.

Increases to COA are limited and are based on federal regulations. These expenses may include:

  • Rent, if it is above the amount included in the living expenses portion of the cost of attendance
  • One-time computer purchase
  • Dependent care expenses for dependents under the age of 16 (Note: please speak with your financial aid counselor first)
  • Other expenses as listed on the appeal request form.


All requests must include supporting documentation for each expense. If you list expenses without any supporting documentation, the request will not be considered, and it will be automatically denied.

Note: the Graduate and Law Financial Aid Office may limit the amount of a student’s increase for any reason. If it is determined that the cost was not incurred during the current academic enrollment period or if it is not an allowable education-related expense, the request for an increase will be declined.

Cost of Attendance Increase Form (PDF)

The following is a list of items that are not allowable expenses:

  • Costs incurred outside of the current academic year
  • Costs incurred by anyone other than the student
  • Outstanding student loan payments
  • Automobile purchase or payments, including insurance
  • Credit card payments or other consumer debt payments
  • Moving expenses, including security deposits
  • Child support and other child care expenses (except for day care)
  • Legal fees or fines, including traffic tickets, parking tickets, or bail
  • Veterinary costs
  • Test preparation fees, or exam fees not related to the current academic program

Receipts for expenses must show the identity of the buyer, the identity of the vendor, the amount of the purchase, and the date.

The Graduate Financial Aid team will notify you by email within 7 business days whether or not your request was approved.

If approved, you may apply for additional federal and/or private loans to cover approved expenses. You may visit bc.edu/altloans for more information regarding private educational loans. Approval for an increase in your cost of attendance does not guarantee an approval for an additional loan. 

If you have questions or concerns about an appeal, please contact your financial aid counselor in the Office of Student Services.

Financial Aid Application Status

Students are encouraged to monitor your financial aid status online before contacting Student Services. The following financial aid information is available online:

  • Financial aid application document status
  • Financial aid award status
  • View your financial aid award
  • Adjust your financial aid award
  • Report outside scholarships
  • Financial aid award history

How to Check the Status of Your Financial Aid Application

How to Check Your Financial Aid Award Information