Let’s first define Financial Aid: Financial Aid is any grant or scholarship, loan, or paid employment offered to help a student meet his/her college expenses.
Financial aid, as defined above, comes from a variety of sources. These sources include federal, state, colleges and other agencies such as the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA.gov) is the application to apply for federal financial aid. Federal financial aid includes the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Direct Loans, and Federal Work-Study. Additionally, most states receive the FAFSA information to determine state sponsored financial aid. New York State provides a link at the end of the FAFSA to complete the New York State Tuition Award Program (TAP) application. If you missed this link, you can complete the TAP application on-line at www.hesc.ny.gov and click on “Applying for Financial Aid, then click on “Apply for TAP Now”.
At RIT, the FAFSA is the only required application to apply for RIT need-based grants. Essentially, by completing the FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov, you are applying for federal, state and RIT need-based financial aid including grants, loans and employment.
Also, RIT awards merit scholarships based on high school performance and on other criteria such as SAT/ACT scores and demonstration of leadership. Every applicant for admission to RIT is automatically considered for a merit scholarship. Information and eligibility criteria are outlined on our web site.
By this time, you may have been notified of your admission acceptance for the fall 2014 term. Congratulations! And, some of you may have received notification of a scholarship from RIT. Great job!
If you completed the FAFSA you might have even received a financial aid award from RIT. This financial aid award lists all of the grants, scholarships, loans and employment to help meet the costs of attending RIT. Enclosed with the financial aid award is a booklet, “Understanding Your Undergraduate Financial Aid Award”. This booklet gives an overview of the financial aid in your award and explains your next steps.
Our financial aid staff understands that financial aid can be confusing, especially if you are trying to compare financial aid awards and trying to select a college. We want to make sure you understand the financial aid awarded by RIT. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have about your award.
Our financial aid counselors are assigned to individual colleges and are here to help answer any questions you may have. You can find your counselors contact information on our web site.