Renewing Financial Aid

Any student may apply for student financial aid for the 2008-09 academic year regardless of whether he or she is currently receiving assistance. The renewal application deadline is April 25, 2008.

Applications that remain incomplete after June 1 will incur a late fee of $50; after July 1, an additional fee of $50; after the due date for payment of the semester bill, an additional $50; and as of the first day of registration, an additional $100.

To apply for assistance from Amherst College, you are expected to submit the following materials:

• Amherst Application for Renewal of Financial Aid
  You may download and print the form from our Web site. The form should be completed by you and your parent(s) and returned to the Office of Financial Aid. The same form is used by enrolled students who are not currently receiving financial aid.
  
  
• Financial Aid PROFILE form for 2008-09, if you are a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States or Canada, or if you reside in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada.
  
  Submit the PROFILE form with the appropriate fee to the College Scholarship Service (CSS) and designate Amherst College to receive information from the form. Amherst's CSS code number is 3003. You may register for the Financial Aid PROFILE form at http://profileonline.collegeboard.com/. If you register on-line, you may complete the form on-line, or you may ask that a paper copy of the form be sent to you.
  
  If your parents own a business or farm, also submit the CSS Business/Farm Supplement to the College Board. You may download the form from our website or from the College Board (https://idoc.collegeboard.com/idoc/DocumentationServiceServlet/DocumentationServiceServlet.srv). The completed Supplement should be submitted as part of the IDOC application packet sent to the College Board, as described below.
  
  If your parents are separated or divorced, the PROFILE form should be completed by you and the parent with whom you live. Your "noncustodial" parent should submit the Noncustodial Parent Profile form electronically to the College Board. Appropriate tax forms and CSS Business/Farm Supplement, if applicable, should be submitted through the IDOC Service, as described below. Information about the Noncustodial Parent Profile will be sent to you by The College Board after you have submitted the CSS/Financial Aid Profile form. You should forward the information to your custodial parent and request that he or she complete the form on-line with The College Board.
  
  
• Income Documentation
  Everyone who files the CSS PROFILE will receive a letter from the College Board on behalf of Amherst College. This letter will outline the Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC) which Amherst College uses to collect all tax information and supplements associated with applying for financial aid at Amherst.
  
  IDOC Processing Tips
  All documents should be submitted to the College Board as one complete packet and must have an IDOC cover sheet. Tax returns and the cover sheet must be signed. All documents should display your IDOC ID number (printed on your cover letter from the College Board). Duplicate cover letters and cover sheets are available from the College Board's website http://idoc.collegeboard.com/index.jsp.
  
  In the case of divorced or separated parents, you may submit your non-custodial parent tax information and non-custodial parent statement along with the remainder of your application materials to the College Board. Alternatively, you may forward a copy of the IDOC coversheet to your noncustodial parent and request that he or she submit the requested materials directly to The College Board. Documentation includes the 2005 federal tax return (including all schedules, attachments, and W-2 or 1099 forms).
  
  A signed and dated copy of all pages of your (student) 2007 income tax return or, if you did not file one, a signed and dated statement that you did not and will not file and indicating what, if any, income you did have for 2007. Also, a copy of your Form(s) W-2 (or other wage statements), as appropriate, regardless of whether you filed or did not file an income tax return.
  
  A signed and dated copy if all pages of your parents' 2007 income tax return(s) (IRS Form 1040 or 1040A, or equivalent forms for Canada, Puerto Rico, or your home country), if you are dependent on your parents. Include a copy of your parents' Form(s) W-2 (or other wage statements), regardless of whether an income tax return was or was not filed.
  
  If your parents own an interest in a business corporation, submit a copy of the corporate return (IRS Form 1120, 1120A, 1120-S, and/or Schedule K-1). If your parents have income from a partnership, submit a copy of the partnership return and/or a copy of the statement of partner's share of income (IRS Form 1065 and/or Schedule K-1).
  
  If your parents have been granted an extension for filing their tax return(s), submit a copy of the extension request form and a copy of the completed return(s) as soon as possible after filing.
  
  If you or your parents did not and will not file an income tax return for 2007, this should be certified on the IDOC coversheet.
  
  
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2008-09, if you are a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States or Puerto Rico. The FAFSA should be submitted to the federal FAFSA processor. Amherst's FAFSA code number is 002115. The FAFSA may also be completed on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. After submitting the FAFSA, the federal government will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR). International students do not complete the FAFSA.
  
  
• State scholarship or grant application, if appropriate. Aid applicants who are residents of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont may be eligible for state scholarships or grants and are required to apply. In some instances, filing a FAFSA is all that is necessary to apply for a state scholarship or grant. Applicants should observe the specific application procedures and deadlines established by the various state agencies.
  
  
• Information about any "outside" scholarships to be received. Students who may qualify for "outside" scholarships should comply with all deadlines and special procedures. Aid applicants who receive outside scholarships are reminded that the Office of Financial Aid must be informed of any such awards, regardless of amount.
  
  
• International students should submit the International Student Financial Aid Application (available at http://www.amherst.edu/~finaid/forms/) instead of the Financial Aid PROFILE form.

IF YOU WILL BE SEEKING ONLY FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID, such as a Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loan, please submit the following:

• Free Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2008-09, which should be submitted to the federal FAFSA processor. Amherst's FAFSA code number is 002115.
  
  
• A signed and dated copy of all pages of your 2007 income tax return or, if did not and will not file one, a signed and dated statement certifying this and indicating what, if any, income you did have in 2007. Also submit a copy of Form(s) W-2, as appropriate.
  
  
• A signed and dated copy of all pages of your parents' 2007 income tax return(s), if you are a dependent student. Also submit a copy of Form(s) W-2, as appropriate.

If you have questions about financial aid at Amherst or the procedure for applying, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at B-5 Converse Hall — extension 2781 (from on campus) or (413) 542-2296 (from off campus).

This page was last updated February 20, 2008.