Financial Aid Policies & FAQ
Every financial aid situation is unique, and therefore no list of frequently asked questions about financial aid could cover everything.
If your question isn't answered in the list below, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 570-577-1331 or finaid@bucknell.edu.
We want to hear from you with any questions you might have as you navigate the process of applying for aid, submitting documents to our office, learning your financial aid options and more.
Get in Touch With Our Team
At the Office of Financial Aid, we welcome your questions throughout your financial aid journey with Bucknell.
In person: 621 St. George Street
By email: finaid@bucknell.edu
On the phone: 570-577-1331
About Applying For Aid
If you miss our filing deadline but wish to apply for financial aid late, you may still do so. However, it it is important to be aware that Bucknell Need-based Grant funds are limited. Therefore, it is possible that this funding will not be available if you should apply late.
If you apply late, we will try to award what we can, but the funding will be limited. For returning students who have received Bucknell Need-based Grant aid in the previous year, our financial aid application deadline is Feb. 15. If you apply late, we will try to award what we can, but the funding will be limited. If you do not complete your financial aid file until after the deadline, please know that we will not be able to award the same amount of grant as in the previous year.
Because so many variables (parent/guardian and student income, parent/guardian and student assets, number of family members in the household, number of children enrolled at least half-time in undergraduate degree-seeking programs) are included in the calculation of financial need, there is no specific income cutoff in the determination of financial aid eligibility.
After you complete the FAFSA, you may be notified by the Department of Education that your file was selected for a process called federal verification.
For Bucknell's verification process, we need copies of tax returns, W-2s and our verification form, but the Department of Education's verification process is a little different. Federal regulations may require you to order a "tax transcript" from the IRS, which could take time and delay timely disbursement of financial aid in the fall.
We will inform you by email if you are selected for verification, and if so, we will tell you exactly what you need to do in order to complete the process.
You must be enrolled full-time to be eligible for Bucknell grants and scholarships.
For federal or state aid, you must be enrolled at least half-time.
Bucknell is currently not "need-blind" for international and undocumented students. A family's financial contribution toward a student's educational costs at Bucknell is part of the admissions review process, along with the other factors such as academic achievement, standardized test scores, leadership and service, unique perspectives and character qualities, special talents and geographic background.
Undocumented students who wish to apply for financial aid must complete the following process:
- If you have a valid social security number, complete the most current FAFSA application at fafsa.gov. If you do not have a valid social security number, move to step 2.
- Complete the most current College Board CSS Profile at collegeboard.org (make sure you complete the domestic version of the CSS Profile. If you are DACA eligible, please indicate that in the “notes” section of the CSS Profile.
- If your parents have filed a U.S. federal tax return, please upload that document (including all schedules and W-2s).
If you and your parents feel that your family has special financial circumstances, you and your parents may send a letter of appeal to the Office of Financial Aid. We only accept appeal letters from you and your parents, since you know the most about your own family's situation. Please clearly explain the situation in writing, including as many facts and figures as possible, and send the letter to the attention of the Director of Financial Aid.
Your file will be reviewed, and a determination will be made to see if you may be eligible for additional assistance. This process can take a bit of time, especially if your situation is complicated or we need to ask you for additional information.
Please be aware that Bucknell's financial aid resources are limited, and increases in Bucknell Need-based Grants are rare. In most cases, the only additional aid we can suggest will be loans.
Finally, please note that we expect you to borrow the maximum in Federal Direct Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) for which you are eligible before you may be considered for additional aid from University sources.
Federal regulations and Bucknell policy stipulate that the total gift aid from any source (grants, scholarships, stipends, educational awards, tuition benefits, VA benefits and any other funding for educational expenses that is free money and not required to be repaid) cannot exceed Bucknell's cost of attendance. If a student is selected to receive Alston funding and is only receiving athletic funding along with a Pell Grant, the Alston funding will be excluded from our gift aid policy. Included in our cost of attendance are tuition, a student activity fee, housing, a meal plan, and allowances for books, supplies and incidentals. If this cost is reached with total gift aid, Bucknell aid (need-based and/or merit-based) will be reduced dollar for dollar to prevent an award surplus. Based on actual determined financial need, federal/state/other aid may need to be adjusted as well.
If you are accepted to Bucknell, we assume that you will accept any need-based aid. (See your admit letter for how to accept merit scholarships.) If you would like to decline work-study, please email the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@bucknell.edu. You will be required to actively accept or decline the loan(s) on myBucknell.
Admitted Students
If you decide to enroll, you will need to submit tax and verification forms to the Office of Financial Aid. Also, you will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by our admission deadlines.
If you did not complete the CSS PROFILE by our deadline, you will be considered late and we cannot guarantee aid availability.
See our online instructions to make sure you have completed everything on time.
Current/Returning Students
If you are applying to renew your financial aid, please see the instructions on our website.
About Family Composition
The student's custodial parent must complete the CSS PROFILE, including spousal financial data.
If your parents are divorced, separated or unmarried and living in separate households, and your custodial parent is not (re)married, you are required to complete the noncustodial parent's form to be considered for need-based aid at Bucknell.
Important Topics Regarding Dependency Status:
1. According to federal regulations, an unmarried undergraduate student under age 24 will be considered dependent unless you:
- Are a veteran or on active duty for purposes other than training,
- Are an orphan,
- Are a ward of the court or in foster care,
- Are an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of residence,
- Have dependents of your own,
- Are determined to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless by your high school/director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by HUD/director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program.
2. We are aware that certain serious circumstances can qualify for a dependency override. These can include the following:
- An abusive family environment (e.g. sexual, physical, or mental abuse or other forms of domestic violence),
- Abandonment by parents,
- Incarceration or institutionalization of both parents,
- Parents' whereabouts are unknown or parents cannot be located.
In order for Bucknell to consider a dependency override for one of the above circumstances, we require detailed written explanatory statements from you as well as two adults (such as high school counselor, clergy) who have known you for several years and know the details of your situation well.
3. Please be aware that Bucknell does not offer institutional aid to students who simply consider themselves to be independent but do not qualify for one of the above conditions. The Office of Financial Aid receives very few requests for independent status since the circumstances are so serious, and approval is rare.
4. Circumstances that do not warrant a dependency status change include, but are not limited to:
- Parents refuse to contribute to educational costs.
- Parents are unwilling to provide information on the CSS Profile, FAFSA or for verification purposes.
- Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
- Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.
About Aid for Returning Students
We cannot guarantee need-based aid for future years because your eligibility can change.
Our policy is to try to maintain your Bucknell Need-based Grant at the same level for each of your four years here, while adhering to institutional and federal financial aid policies and regulations regarding financial need. It is important to be aware that if your parents' income increases, or if the number of children in the household enrolled at least half-time in first undergraduate degree-seeking programs decreases, then your need-based grant will decrease.
We will review your application materials and try to award as much aid as we can. Please know that we are unable to award additional funds to cover tuition increases from year to year. Merit awards will automatically be renewed each year, as long as students meet the specific requirements for each program.
Yes. Because your eligibility can change from year to year, you will need to reapply for aid each year during your time at Bucknell.
Returning students must submit all documents by Feb. 15. (However, you will only need to complete the CSS PROFILE in the first year you are applying for financial aid.)
You can expect a similar need-based aid package each of your four years at Bucknell if:
- Your family's financial situation stays relatively the same (income, assets, number in the household, number of children in the household enrolled at least half-time in first undergraduate degree-seeking programs).
- Be aware that one of the factors that affects need-based aid eligibility the most is this number in college. If this number decreases, your need-based grant will decrease as well, and we do not want for this to be a surprise to you in a future year. A decrease from two in college to one in college will result in your need-based grant decreasing significantly, but please understand that this amount can vary due to the many variables involved.
- You continue to demonstrate financial need as determined by Bucknell's Office of Financial Aid.
- You adhere to application deadlines.
- You maintain satisfactory academic and social standing.
- Your family's financial situation stays relatively the same (income, assets, number in the household, number of children in the household enrolled at least half-time in first undergraduate degree-seeking programs).
If we have revised your original financial aid package because of additional aid, outside scholarships, etc., we will email you at your Bucknell student email account with instructions to check Financial Aid Self Service for the changes.
Please be sure to share this information with your parents or guardians.
No. Our merit scholarships are only awarded at the time of admission.
Bucknell University students who receive federal financial aid are required to be in good academic standing and to be achieving satisfactory academic progress toward their degrees. (Please be aware that satisfactory progress for federal financial aid eligibility is separate from the University's academic progress policy.) The academic progress of financial aid recipients will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid at the end of each semester.
The timing of your withdrawal from the University may result in outstanding financial obligations. Until the withdrawal process is completed by the Registrar's Office, no refunds, if applicable, can be initiated.
You can find the details of the University's Credit and Refund Policies, including guidance on the return of Federal Student Aid requirements published in the Finances and Financial Aid section of the University catalog. Questions regarding potential financial obligations and refunds should be directed to Bursar Services at 570-577-3733 or bursar@bucknell.edu.
If you are a current financial aid recipient, please understand that if you withdraw before 60% of the semester has passed, federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to calculate the percentage of the semester you completed and determine whether we must return any of your federal financial aid to the federal government and/or Bucknell financial aid to the University.
If a refund of federal aid is required, the order is the following:
- Federal Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans)
- Federal Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans
- Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan
- Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
- Pell Grant
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant for which a return of funds is required
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) for which a return of funds is required
- Federal Teach Grant for which a return of funds is required
In addition, please be aware that federal loans that you have borrowed will go into repayment six months after you drop below half-time enrollment, unless you are in an approved leave of absence status as defined by the federal government for Title IV financial aid purposes.
The federal Title IV leave of absence definition is more stringent than the Bucknell leave of absence definition, so they are not the same thing.
In the vast majority of cases, Bucknell leave of absence does not qualify as a federal Title IV leave of absence, so your official status to the federal government must be reported as a withdrawal. If you will be returning to Bucknell after a voluntary withdrawal, health withdrawal, or leave of absence, please be aware that you must re-apply for financial aid each year. Although we cannot make any guarantees, if you are eligible, we will do our best to provide financial aid to you.
Our deadline for returning students is Feb. 15, so please be sure to complete your financial aid file by this date. If you have questions as to what documentation is required, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.
About Other Forms of Financial Aid
Bucknell University is committed to making a high-quality education accessible through need-based financial aid, made possible in part by the generosity of our donors.
If you have been awarded institutional grant or scholarship assistance, a portion of your Bucknell funding may be supported by an endowed scholarship created by alumni, parents, or friends of the University. Endowed scholarship funding does not represent additional financial aid, nor does it affect the total amount of aid you are eligible to receive. Rather, it reflects a shift in the source of your institutional aid — from general university funds to a named scholarship fund.
If you are matched to an endowed scholarship:
- You may receive an updated financial aid notification listing the name of the endowed scholarship; and/or
- You may be contacted by Bucknell’s Office of Stewardship & Donor Relations with details about the scholarship and the donor who made it possible.
- Students matched to endowed scholarship funding are encouraged to express their appreciation by writing a thank-you note. These messages are deeply meaningful to donors and help build a personal connection between those who give and the students they support.
- Endowed scholarship matching occurs throughout the academic year.
Great question! Your total scholarship amount isn't changing. The endowed scholarship is simply the name of the fund that's supporting part or all of your existing aid. It's a special recognition, not additional funding.
Yes, we do offer need-based aid for qualified students who wish to study abroad. Bucknell University and the Office of Financial Aid are committed to making study abroad a reality for students who otherwise could not afford to participate.
Summer aid is only available on the basis of demonstrated need through the Office of Financial Aid. To be eligible, you must be an undergraduate student receiving a Bucknell need-based grant for the immediately preceding fall/spring semesters. Bucknell merit aid is not offered in the summer.
Some graduate grant assistance is available. Contact the Office of Graduate Studies, 209 Marts Hall, Bucknell University, 570-577-1304, for more information.
Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 in unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan. Students may also be eligible for the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan. For more information regarding graduate student loans, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.
Some students feel that they need time to adjust to college life and their studies. If this is the case, then you are not obligated to work. We can assist you by suggesting additional loan programs; however, additional need-based grant will not be awarded to replace any work-study funds that you may decline.
If you are selected to receive a named endowed or annual fund, please be aware that it will fund a portion of the Bucknell aid that you have already been awarded. Endowed funds are not in addition to previously awarded funds.
Scholarships that are listed in the Bucknell catalog are predominantly need-based awards that were established by donors for special philanthropic purposes.
Your completion of the online Student Disclosure Survey will help us to award these named funds appropriately. Complete this form in myBucknell.
Recipients have an opportunity to meet donors or representatives of named endowed or annual funds at Bucknell's annual Scholarship Day celebration during the spring semester. You may receive notification from the office of Donor & Volunteer Relations asking you to send a thank-you note to a donor. We strongly suggest you do this, as it will let the donor know how much you appreciate their generosity.
The VA approves all degree-granting programs offered at Bucknell University, as well as select study abroad.
For contacts, information, questions and forms regarding benefits and eligibility:
- Go to gibill.va.gov. This site has been updated to answer all questions and provide all forms needed to apply for benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill®
- Call the DVA Regional Office at 888-442-4551
- Contact your unit’s Readiness NCO
- Call the ARNG Education Support Center (ESC) at 866-628-5999
Bucknell University School Certifying Office contact is:
Melissa Weber
Registrar's Office
Phone: 570-577-1201
E-mail: Melissa.weber@bucknell.eduBucknell University is committed to supporting all military students and those using military education benefits. Please contact Melissa Weber with any questions regarding the military education benefit process.
List of Veteran/Military Education Benefit Programs:
- GI Bill® (gibill.va.gov)
- Chapter 30 (MGIB-AD Active Duty)
- Chapter 31 (Vocational Rehabilitation Program, have at least a 10% VA disability)
- Chapter 32 (VEAP, entered service between Jan. 1, 1977, and June 30, 1985)
- Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill®) and Yellow Ribbon Program
- Chapter 35 (DEA, Survivors and Dependents Education Assistance Program)
- Chapter 1606 (MGIB-SR, Selected Reserve Program, NG or Reserves after 1985)
- National Call to Service (currently enlisted, have had at least 15 months active duty)
- Pennsylvania National Guard Education Assistance Program (EAP)
- Army National Guard (ARNG) and Active Guard Reserve (ARG) Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA)
- Yellow Ribbon Program
Participation in the Yellow Ribbon program is available to both Regular Decision and Early Decision applicants.
Those who are 100% eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill® are also eligible to receive Yellow Ribbon benefits through a match between Bucknell and the Veterans Administration. At Bucknell, the full cost of tuition and fees are covered by the combination of the maximum VA tuition benefit for private schools and the Yellow Ribbon benefit. Once the maximum VA benefit (determined annually by the VA) is applied, Bucknell covers half of the remaining tuition and fee amount through our Yellow Ribbon contribution. The VA then provides the remaining half of tuition and fees through their Yellow Ribbon contribution.
Bucknell does not limit the number of Yellow Ribbon recipients; we provide the benefit to all eligible enrolled students.
Post 9/11 GI Bill® eligible veterans may transfer some or all their 36 months of eligibility to dependents. The Veterans Administration determines eligibility for the program and will provide the recipient a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in the student's name. The COE must be shared with Bucknell's Office of Financial Aid to process the student's award.
Below is an example of how the funding for Yellow Ribbon works for our students this year:
Bucknell Charges (2025-26) Tuition and Fees $70,576 Housing and Meals $17,560 Total $88,136 Financial Aid Award VA maximum tuition and fee benefit for private colleges $29,920.95 Bucknell Yellow Ribbon (half the remaining tuition and fees) $20,327.53 VA Yellow Ribbon (the other half) $20,327.52 Subsistence allowance from the VA (BAH, paid monthly to the student) $11,664.00 Total Aid $82,240.00
Yellow Ribbon recipients also receive a book allowance of $500 per semester from the VA.While the VA pays the tuition, fees and other Yellow Ribbon benefits directly to the University at the beginning of each semester, the living allowance stipend is paid monthly to the student.
Typically, 32 months of eligibility will be sufficient to fund four years of enrollment. If a student has fewer months available, the student must determine how best to use the limited benefit.
Yellow Ribbon and VA education benefits will replace any Bucknell need-based grant/scholarship aid. However, VA education benefits do not count as estimated financial assistance when determining eligibility for federal Title IV aid (student loans).
(GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about educations benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at benefits.va.gov/gibill)
Student's Responsibilities:
- Apply for financial aid
- Review information related to federal direct loans and private education loans if you are considering borrowing