Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers about fee waivers, how to check your application status, and more.
Students who wish to be considered for financial aid must apply each year. To apply for financial aid as a Boston College student, there are several forms that must be completed:
- To apply for federal and/or state aid, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), using your FSA ID. Federal aid includes Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Direct Loans, both subsidized and unsubsidized, Nursing loans, and Work-Study. State aid varies by state. Once the FAFSA is completed, you may be selected by the Federal Processor for a process called Verification, which means you will have to provide additional requirements to verify actual tax data. For more information, visit the Policies and Eligibility web page.
- By completing only the FAFSA, Boston College is not able to determine your eligibility for institutional need-based grants. In order to be considered for all institutional need-based aid as well as all federal and state aid, you must complete the FAFSA and additional forms, if applicable to your situation.
You may check the status of your application at bc.edu/finaidapp.
Boston College has a need-blind admissions policy, which means that our Admissions Office evaluates each student's academic and extra-curricular credentials without knowledge of a family's financial circumstance. Your application for aid will in no way affect your chances of admission to Boston College.
You should complete the CSS Profile with your information. After submitting this data, CSS will determine if you are eligible for a fee waiver. This determination is made solely by The College Board and not by Boston College.
If you did not file a tax return, submit the student Income Tax Non-Filer Verification form.
Yes, you may apply anytime during your period of enrollment at Boston College.
Boston College is committed to meeting your full demonstrated institutional financial need throughout your undergraduate years. However, your need may change from year to year. Circumstances in which your need may change could include an increase or decrease in the parent's or student's income or assets, family size, or number of family members attending college. Your financial aid award will change to reflect these changes in circumstances. If the family's circumstances remain relatively constant over the four years of attendance, the total financial aid received should not change significantly. Self-help expectations (Federal Work-Study and Federal Loan amounts) may change with grade level advances.
Yes, your custodial parent should file the FAFSA and the CSS Profile Application, and your noncustodial parent should complete the Noncustodial Parent's Profile. It is the position of the University that the responsibility for funding a student's education rests primarily with the student and family. Reluctance on the part of a parent, whether custodial or noncustodial, to assist with these costs is not sufficient reason to exclude their income/assets from our analysis. Consequently, while we will use only the student's and the custodial parent's information when determining eligibility for federal financial aid, we will continue to require the noncustodial parent's information before we will review eligibility for institutional funds. We look at each case individually, and we make every effort to be sensitive to particular family circumstances. If either parent is remarried, financial information about their new spouse and dependents, if any, should be provided.
It is really up to you, your mother, and your father to decide how to divide the responsibility for paying the term bills.
If your award file status is conditional, that means we have prepared an estimated award for you based on the information currently on file. Your award status will change to verified once all documents are received and reviewed. Once your financial aid award is verified, institutional grant funds can be disbursed to the student account. Federal and state grant funding may take longer to be disbursed. Federal and state loans require Entrance Counseling to be completed and a Master Promissory Note to be signed before funds can be disbursed.
If this verification process results in a change in eligibility for need-based financial aid, your award will be revised, and you will be notified via an updated award notification.
If your award file status is verified, all required documents have been received, and your application has been verified.
Visit the Types of Financial Aid page for more information.
Boston College-sponsored National Merit awards are determined each year from rosters of finalists who have selected Boston College as their first-choice institution. The award, in the amount of $1,000, is awarded to seven students each year. Boston College selects eligible students from the first National Merit Scholarship roster only, which is generally received in early March. Students whose names appear on subsequent rosters are not considered. Boston College-sponsored National Merit Scholarships are renewable.
There are two different methodologies used to determine financial aid at Boston College. Federal Methodology is used to determine your eligibility for federal and state funds. Boston College uses an institutional methodology to award Boston College funds. This methodology takes into account home equity and other information that the federal methodology does not. Therefore, Boston College's expected family contributions are often different from the federal Student Aid Index (SAI).
It is the expectation that each student will work during the summer to invest in his or her own education. Standard expected amounts are $2,400 for incoming students and $2,500 for returning students. The Expected Student Contribution can be replaced with additional sources of financial aid, generally loans, if necessary.
The cost of attendance is an average cost based on whether you will be living on campus, off campus, or commuting. The cost of attendance includes costs that will appear directly on your bill, such as tuition, fees, housing, and food. It also includes indirect expenses that will not appear on your Boston College bill, such as books and personal and travel expenses. Your cost of attendance will not match your bill because it includes these indirect costs that are not billed directly by Boston College.
All financial aid offered at Boston College is need-based. The Office of Student Services does not offer merit-based financial aid. If your family's financial situation has changed significantly since the time of your financial aid application, please contact your financial aid counselor to discuss the specific details to determine if your analysis should be reviewed. Boston College does not "match" other school's financial aid offers.
Federal Work-Study is a type of self-help financial aid that is awarded based on financial need. Students may earn up to the amount awarded through their work-study position. It is important to note that funds earned from a work-study position are paid directly to the student and do not reduce the student account bill. Work-study positions are typically posted just before the start of the fall semester. Students can search the job database through the Student Services Student Employment web page at bc.edu/studentemployment.
Your scholarship, grants, and/or loans will pay your bill or direct expenses first. If your financial aid covers more than the charges on your bill, a refund can be requested and funds may be used to pay for your indirect expenses such as books and personal and travel expenses. If your total scholarships, grants, and/or loans are less than the total charges on your bill, your expected family contribution is used to cover the remaining balance and all of the indirect expenses.
Students need to set up direct deposit through the Agora Portal. Refunds are also requested through the portal and are not issued until the first day of classes each semester. Students should plan ahead and be prepared to pay for books and/or off-campus living expenses until the funds have been disbursed.
Successful Start is a program offered at Boston College to ensure that students are financially literate for their lifetime by offering a series of workshops and seminars, led by Boston College employees and expert guest speakers, related to all aspects of personal financial management. Visit bc.edu/successfulstart for more information.
Submit all financial aid documents using the CollegeBoard's IDOC service. For more information on using this service, visit pages.collegeboard.org/idoc.
Students who wish to be considered for financial aid must apply each year. To apply for financial aid as a Boston College student, there are several forms that must be completed:
- All students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Current Undergraduates must complete the BC Financial Aid Application (in lieu of the CSS Profile)
- All students and parents must submit their IRS tax returns, including all schedules and W-2 forms.
- Additional forms may be required depending on your family situation
Current students should visit the Applying For Aid web page for a complete list of required forms and their submission deadlines.
Based on extensive research done by Residential Life and Enrollment Management on local cost of living, it is less expensive to live off campus than on campus. As a result, the amount of financial aid will decrease in the year the student spends off-campus. Financial aid can only be awarded for the 9-month academic year, so the summer months are the families responsibility. For additional information on off-campus housing and financial aid, visit the Policies and Eligibility web page.
If you study abroad through a Boston College Program or Approved External Program, you will be considered for all of the same need-based grants and loans you would be considered for if you were studying at BC. You will also be considered for BC tuition remission, FACHEX, the Gabelli Presidential Scholarship, and Allston/Brighton Scholarship, if applicable.
If your study abroad program costs less than a BC semester, your financial aid must be based on this lower cost, and your award may be adjusted. If your study abroad program costs more than a BC semester, you are eligible for financial aid up to the level that you would receive if you were at BC for that semester. It is your responsibility to cover any additional cost.
For additional information on financial aid and study abroad, refer to the Policies and Eligibility web page.
If you are selected to be a RA, neither your Parent Contribution nor Student Contribution will be reduced. The value of your housing plus the RA stipend will be considered as aid, and will be included in your financial aid award in the same manner as an outside scholarship. For additional information on RA benefits and financial aid, visit the Policies and Eligibility web page.
All completed financial aid documents must be submitted 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.
Boston College's federal school code is 002128.
The status of your financial aid application, including any outstanding requirements, can be viewed at bc.edu/finaidapp or in the Agora Portal.
Almost all communication from our office is coordinated via email. Emails are sent directly to the student at their Boston College email address.
Since income is only one factor taken into consideration in determining eligibility for financial aid, there is no income cut-off. In addition to income, we take into consideration many factors, including parent and student assets, family size, tax liability, the number of students in college, business investments, rental property, and student earnings. The only way to determine eligibility for financial aid is to submit an application.
For federal aid, review the questions in step three of the FAFSA to determine if you meet the federal definition of an independent student. Even if you meet that federal definition, you still must provide your parents' financial information on the BC Financial Aid Application or the CSS Profile. Your parents' tax returns and related documentation are also required to be considered for Boston College Grant funds.
We believe students and their parents have primary responsibility to cover the cost of a Boston College education to the extent they are able to do so. Financial aid decisions are based on ability, not willingness to pay. You may wish to explain to an unwilling parent that we will not share his/her financial information with others. Also, by submitting the necessary financial information on the FAFSA and BC Financial Aid Application or CSS Profile, the parent is in no way obligated to contribute to educational costs. The information is simply used to determine eligibility for need-based aid. We cannot increase financial aid because of a parent's unwillingness to contribute, so a student may be faced with taking out loans to finance the parent's expected contribution.
If there are no changes in your financial circumstances and no additional information that you did not originally share with Boston College, then your parents will need to consider ways to pay based on their income, assets, ability to borrow, and their own financial priorities. In addition to private loans, there are a number of alternative payment methods that can help make paying for Boston College more manageable.
Boston College offers a monthly payment plan. You can learn more about the plan on our Billing web page.
The Federal Direct Subsidized Loan is awarded on the basis of need according to federal eligibility standards. Interest on this loan does not accrue while the student remains in school at least half-time. If other forms of financial aid do not meet the total costs of education, any degree-seeking U.S. citizen or permanent resident, regardless of need, can qualify for a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan by completing the financial aid application process. Interest on an unsubsidized loan accrues while the student attends college. For more information on Federal Direct Loans visit our Types of Financial Aid web page.
Outside scholarship checks must be mailed to the Office of Student Services at:
Boston College
Office of Student Services
Lyons Hall, Room 103
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Your bill can be accessed in the Agora Portal by clicking on "My Bill" under "Account and Personal Info."
You can request a refund in the Agora Portal by clicking on "Request Student Account Refund" under "Account and Personal Info."
First-time borrowers need to complete Entrance Counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note for Direct and Nursing loans. Please visit the Department of Education website at studentaid.gov to complete Direct loan requirements. To complete Nursing loan requirements, visit home.ecsi.net. For additional information on the Nursing loan, visit our Types of Financial Aid web page.
Your work-study award is never deducted from your bill; it must be earned. You are paid weekly for the hours you have worked.
The amount of your work-study award listed on your award letter is the maximum eligibility level, not a guarantee. Actual earnings depend on your hours worked and the pay rate of your position.
Verification is a process by which the Department of Education or the Institution verifies the information provided on your FAFSA through collecting federal income tax data. For more information, visit the Policies and Eligibility page.
An FSA ID is an official username and password that serves as confirmation of a student's or parent's identity and allows for access on the U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID allows you to electronically sign your FAFSA and other federal student aid documents. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid website.
The IRS Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) will allow you and/or your parents to upload Federal income tax return data directly to your FAFSA. For more information, visit the Policies and Eligibility page.
For more information about Federal financial aid, visit studentaid.gov.