Applying for Aid
2013-14 Financial Aid Checklist & Forms for Class of 2017 Applicants
As you complete your financial aid materials, we suggest that you keep copies of all documents in your own file at home. Please understand that you are responsible for the filing and submission of all documents, and adhering to our deadlines, in order to be considered for need-based aid. We will try to remind you, but in the end, the responsibility is entirely yours. If you do not file the CSS PROFILE on time, we cannot guarantee that any aid can be awarded to you.
1. CSS PROFILE
- on-line at profileonline.collegeboard.com (PROFILE 2013-14)
- November 21 deadline for Early Decision 1
- January 15 deadline for Regular Decision and Early Decision II
- Bucknell's CSS PROFILE code is 2050.
- This form MUST be filed if you would like to apply for need-based aid.
2. Bucknell University Non-Custodial Parent's Form
- The non-custodial parent must complete if biological parents are separated/divorced.
- same deadlines as CSS PROFILE above
STOP. If you have not already been admitted, you do not need to go further at this time. If you have been admitted, and plan to enroll, then you will also need to complete the following.
3. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
- on-line at www.fafsa.gov
- Complete after January 1, but before May 1 deadline
- FAFSA will not change your aid package, but is a required federal form.
- Using estimated figures is permissible and advisable so you can file on time.
- Bucknell's FAFSA code is 003238.
- We recommend that you utilize the "IRS Data Retrieval" option so that your tax information will automatically fill in the appropriate FAFSA questions. If you complete the FAFSA before you file your tax return, you may certainly revise your FAFSA later and use the "IRS Data Retrieval" process then. If you do not use the "IRS Data Retrieval" process, then federal regulations may require you to order a "tax transcript" from the IRS at a later date, which could delay timely disbursement of financial aid in the fall.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are "selected for verification" by the Department of Education
and need to order a tax transcript, please click here for more information.
4. Submit one complete packet of tax return/verification information to the College Board.
UPDATE REGARDING IDOC PROCESS AFTER MAY 10:
Since Bucknell's IDOC deadline of May 10 has now passed, please be sure to send your remaining required documents in this category directly to Bucknell University Office of Financial Aid, 621 St. George Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837, or fax to us at (570) 577-1481. The documents in this category include: Signed Copy of Parents' 2012 Federal Tax Return (first 2 pages, schedules A, B, C, D and K), Signed Copy of Student's 2012 Federal Tax Return, Bucknell University Verification Form, and Copies of Parents' 2012 W-2 form(s). We will mail you reminder letters over the summer listing the documents that we still need from you.
If we will need a Bucknell Verification Form from you, please download this form.
Please be aware that Bucknell's Office of Financial Aid only needs your IDOC tax and verification information if you have been admitted and have notified our Office of Admissions that you have decided to enroll by submitting your enrollment deposit. Until we know you will enroll, we will not inform the College Board that we need your IDOC information.
Bucknell University participates in the College Board's Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC). This process enables families to submit one complete packet of tax return, W-2 and verification information to the College Board, rather than multiple submissions to multiple schools.
In February, as long as you have completed the CSS PROFILE, the College Board IDOC service will notify you when to submit your complete packet to them and exactly what documents are needed. IDOC will tell you the earliest deadline date of the colleges to which you are applying, but if you decide to enroll at Bucknell, just be sure to submit your documents to IDOC by our May 10 deadline. (Keep in mind that other schools' deadlines may be earlier.)
A few questions you may have about the IDOC process:
- Where do I mail my IDOC forms?
The College Board IDOC mailing address is:
College Board IDOC
P.O. Box 4017
Mount Vernon, IL 62864
*** Be absolutely sure to include the College Board's cover sheet with your complete IDOC packet, as they cannot accept it without the cover sheet. ***
- How do I submit the Non-Custodial Form for Bucknell?
Bucknell's Office of Financial Aid has our own Bucknell University Non-Custodial Form. Please have your non-custodial parent complete it and send it directly to us.
- What if I submit a form that is not signed?
In May, Bucknell's Office of Financial Aid will review your documents and let you know if we need a signature.
- Your website says you require IDOC and that the College Board will notify me, but why didn't I hear from them?
First, you must complete the CSS PROFILE, as filers will receive notifications.
Second, the College Board will not begin sending notifications until February.
Third, until you have notified Bucknell that you will enroll and have paid your deposit, we will not inform the College Board that we need your IDOC information.
For further information on IDOC, or to check your IDOC submission status, please go to https://idoc.collegeboard.com. Or, you may call the IDOC Help Desk at 305-420-3688.
5. If you plan to borrow your Federal Direct Loan, please complete the requirements below on-line at http://www.studentloans.gov. We suggest you complete by mid-June:
- Entrance Counseling
- Master Promissory Note (MPN)
These sessions require your SSN and Department of Education PIN. If you do not have your PIN, go to www.pin.ed.gov.
Please note that only the following browsers have been certified for use with www.studentloans.gov: Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, and Mozilla FireFox 2.0. If you use a browser that has not been certified, you may encounter difficulties completing the MPN, and we will not receive notification of your submitted MPN.
The Entrance Loan Counseling and Master Promissory Note (MPN) sessions each take about 30 minutes to complete, and results will be sent to Bucknell electronically. The Promissory Note *must* be completed in one session, so be sure to give yourself enough time before you begin.
To access these sessions, go to www.studentloans.gov, navigate to the box "Manage My Direct Loan" and sign in. Then click "Complete Entrance Counseling" or "Complete Master Promissory Note" and work through the session.
6. After you receive your myBucknell log in information:
- Student Disclosure/Named Scholarship Form
You will receive your myBucknell log in information with your registration packet in mid-May.
After receiving this, log in to myBucknell, click the Banner Web Quick Link on the left side of the screen, click on the "FinAid" tab, then click on "Student Disclosure/Named Scholarship Form". When the Welcome page appears, click the "Continue" button.
NOTE: This form will be available after May 1. Please complete and submit the form by June 30. Completion of the form after the application deadline will NOT cause your financial aid file to be late..
Additional information:
If your financial aid package includes a Federal Perkins Loan, and you wish to borrow:
In late May, Educational Computer Systems Inc. (ECSI) will email information to your Bucknell email address about completing your Federal Perkins Loan Master Promissory Note. You may go to www.ecsi.net/prom3t to complete this requirement. Please note that it will not display as satisfied on myBucknell until the end of June.
If your financial aid package includes Federal Work Study, and you wish to work:
Please refer to Student Employment.
If your parents would like to apply for a Federal Direct Parent PLUS loan:
Please refer to Loans for 2013-2014.
Transfer Financial Aid Applicants
Transfer students must also complete and submit the same financial aid application materials as first-year applicants. You will receive information when Bucknell receives your application for admission. However, please be aware that we cannot guarantee institutional financial aid to transfer applicants, as our funds are limited.
International Financial Aid Applicants
Please visit the following link for more information: International Student Financial Aid Application
