Applying for Financial Aid at Amherst
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the ONLY form used to determine eligibility for the more than $6 million federal dollars administered each year by Amherst College. The CSS Profile form is used to determine eligibility for all Institutional sources of assistance, which totaled more than $80 million last year.
| Submission Dates | |
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| Early Decision, CSS Profile | November 15 |
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| Regular Decision, CSS Profile | January 10 |
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| Fall Transfer | March 1 |
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| Spring Transfer | November 1 |
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| Returning Students | All materials due by March 1 |
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| FAFSA, First Time Enrolling Students | July 1 |
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Financial aid application materials will be accepted and considered without penalty even if submitted after the priority consideration date.
Financial aid professionals have flexibility in adjusting a student's eligibility for financial aid due to special or unusual circumstances.
Special circumstances include a loss of income, change in family size or additional expenses due to a student's disability.
Unusual circumstances most often require an adjustment to a student's dependency status and the information they provide on their FAFSA form based on a unique situation, such as being homeless or foster youth.
To be considered for Amherst College financial aid for the 2024-2025 academic year, all financial aid applicants must submit the following materials:
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- Federal school code: 002115
If you are a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States, its territories, or associated states (Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau), you must complete the FAFSA to be considered for federal student aid. The FAFSA may be completed on-line.
Federal tax information for 2022 is reported on the 2024-25 FAFSA by granting approval and consent for the IRS to disclose Federal Tax Information (FTI) directly to the Department of Education, as per the FUTURE Act. The FUTURE Act amended the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to mandate access to tax information held by the IRS for FAFSA applicants, their parents and spouses through the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX). The FUTURE Act also made providing consent for the exchange of FTI a requirement for receiving federal student aid.
After you submit the FAFSA, the federal government will send you a FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) which replaces the Student Aid Report (SAR). The FSS is the student’s output document summarizing data input on the FAFSA form. All federal aid eligibility is determined by the results of your FAFSA.
Canadian and other international students do not complete the FAFSA.
Federal FSA ID
You and all contributors (those whose information is required on the FAFSA) must use an FSA ID to electronically sign the FAFSA and give consent for the Direct Data Exchange (DDX) direct transfer of tax information from the IRS. Each person must have a separate StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID). You may create an FSA ID on-line. You may also use your FSA ID to access federal financial aid records, to make revisions or corrections to the FAFSA, and to view and sign loan records if you borrow a federal student loan.
This brief video outlines steps to create and access your StudentAid.gov/FSA ID account.
Two-step verification, a form of multi-factor authentication (MFA), helps protect your StudentAid.gov account. Each time you log in, you’ll be asked to provide a one-time code that is delivered to you via email, text message, or an authenticator app.
CSS Profile
- CSS Profile code number: 3003
Complete the CSS Profile form for 2024-2025 and submit it to the College Board. Amherst College’s CSS Profile code number is 3003.
If your parents are separated or divorced, both of the student's biological/adoptive parent(s) will complete their own CSS Profile. Each parent will access the CSS Profile with different log-in credentials. Parent 2 will need to create a College Board account before providing their information. It's highly recommended that the student and parent of financial record (Parent 1) start the CSS Profile first, as parent 2 can't submit information until the student selects a school that requires the submission of parent 2 information.
International students must also complete the CSS Profile for 2024-2025 and submit it to the Office of Financial Aid.
Federal Tax Returns
Your and your parents' 2022 US, Canadian, Puerto Rican, or other government's income tax return(s) will be required. All schedules and attachments must be submitted. All tax forms must be notated or translated into English. Copies of appropriate earnings statements (e.g. W-2 or 1099 forms) also must be submitted. If a return has been filed electronically, please print that information for submission to the College Board. Amherst College uses the College Board's Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC) to collect all tax information associated with applying for financial aid at Amherst.
If you or your parents did not and are not required to file an income tax return for 2022, this non-filing must be certified on the non-filer statement; include copies of earnings statements (W-2 forms) for any reported earnings.
If your parents own an interest in a business corporation, submit a copy of the corporate tax return (and/or a copy of your parents' statement of "Shareholder's Share of Income, Credits, Deductions, Etc.," IRS Form 1120S, Schedule K-1). If your parents have income from a partnership, submit a copy of the partnership tax return (and/or a copy of your parents' statement of "Partner" Share of Income, Credits, Deductions, Etc.," IRS Form 1165, Schedule K-1).
U.S. Department of Education rules stipulate that you cannot receive federal student financial aid unless proper tax forms (and appropriate filing status) have been filed with the Internal Revenue Service if required. Because of parity of treatment of all aid applicants, these rules also apply to institutional aid. More details are available here.
IF YOU WILL BE SEEKING ONLY U.S. FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID, such as a Federal Direct Stafford Loan or Federal Direct PLUS (parent) Loan, please submit the following:
- Free Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2024-25, which may be completed on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Amherst’s FAFSA code number is 002115.
Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC)
US citizens and permanent residents who file the CSS PROFILE will receive an e-mail from the College Board on behalf of Amherst College. This e-mail 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.
Canadian and other international applicants should upload tax information to Amherst College directly via the Financial Aid Portal and not to IDOC.
IDOC Processing Tips
All documents should be uploaded to the College Board (http://idoc.collegeboard.com) as one complete packet. Tax returns must be signed. Do not submit state tax returns.
In the case of divorced or separated parents, documents may be uploaded online separately and securely by each parent.
This page was last updated March 5, 2024.