Nontraditional Students

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2008-2009 Reapplication Brochure (PDF)
Required Forms

At Mount Holyoke, financial aid eligibility is based on financial need. Financial aid eligibility is the difference between the student budget (estimated and actual costs, see below) and the family contribution (FC).

Though financial assistance is available, the College expects that the student (and her spouse, if applicable), will bear primary responsibility for paying for her education. Financial aid is intended to supplement the student's maximum financial effort and will not be provided to cover situations such as cash flow problems or business or consumer debt. Special circumstances that can affect the FC are situations such as financial support of an elderly parent, unreimbursed medical expenses or long term loss of employment or other income.

Financial Aid Eligibility
The College uses standard federal and institutional formulas to determine the FC. This process entails a thorough review of a student's (and her spouse's, if applicable) total income, including taxed and untaxed income, assets, number of dependents. Since a significant number of Frances Perkins students leave their current employment or reduce their work hours to attend college, in many cases the FC will be based on the student's projected year income.

	Student Budget
-	Family Contribution
	Financial Aid Eligibility

Frances Perkins Student Budget

Resident Student

Billed Fees 2008-2009:

Tuition: $37,480 (a resident student is expected to take sixteen credits per semester).

Room & Board: $11,020

Activities Fee: $186

Estimated Expenses:

Book & Personal expense

One time travel allowance:
     If a Frances Perkins student is relocating to the South Hadley area from outside the northeast, her budget will include a one-time travel allowance.

Please note: If accepted and funded as a resident student, a Frances Perkins student's budget and institutional grant aid may be reduced if she chooses to move off campus.

Day Student

Billed Fees 2008-2009:

Tuition: $1,175 per credit (a minimum of eight credits per semester is required)

Activities Fee: $186

Estimated Expenses:

Book & Personal expense

Maintenance expense

Commuting expense

Day care expense, if applicable

Estimated expenses are not charged by the College; rather they are included in the student budget to provide an approximation of student expenses; they are not intended to be exact.  Commuting students with significant financial need may be eligible for federal and/or state loans and/or grants to assist with off-campus living expenses.

Courseload
A Frances Perkins resident student is expected to take sixteen credits a semester. A day student must take a minimum of eight credits to be considered for financial aid.

Credit Balances
Frances Perkins students who are receiving financial aid in excess of their College charges are entitled to a refund of that amount after the add/drop period, when we complete aid adjustments due to enrollment changes.  Refund checks will begin to be issued the week following the add/drop period.  SFS News will list current refund dates prior to each semester.  In order to receive your refund, please make sure to complete a Credit Balance Request form and submit it to Student Financial Services.  A refund check will not be issued unless we receive this form each semester.

Returning off-campus students may also be eligible to receive an advance of a portion of their final credit balance refund earlier than the end of add/drop, in order to assist with living expenses. Students with an expected credit balance will be issued an advance in the amount of $500.00.  Single students with dependent children with an expected credit balance greater than $1,000, will be issued an advance of $1,000.00.  Advance checks are generally issued within the first three weeks of the semester and will be sent to students' campus mailboxes.  No form needs to be submitted to our office to receive the advance; checks will be issued automatically to all eligible students.

Funding Limitations

Institutional funding for on-campus Frances Perkins students is limited based on the total number of credits accepted for transfer at any point.  Credits transferred to the College due to a semester or year of study abroad or academic leave will count toward the semester limit, whether or not financial aid from the College was provided for these credits. The ranges of transfer credits which determine aid eligibility remaining are:

Credits Transferred	Semesters of Aid Eligibility Remaining
12 - 27	7 semesters of institutional aid
28 - 43	6 semesters of institutional aid
44 - 59	5 semesters of institutional aid
60 - 64	4 semesters of institutional aid

Institutional funding for commuting (day) Frances Perkins students is limited to a cumulative total of 128 credits. This total includes transfer credits applied toward the Mount Holyoke degree. Frances Perkins students should plan their course of study with this in mind.

Postbaccalaureate Studies

Frances Perkins postbaccalaureates may qualify for the Federal Direct Student Loan (FDSL).  Institutional funding is not available.  Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and should list their year in school as a 5th year undergraduate.  Postbaccalaureate students are not considered graduate students for the purposes of federal aid since they are not working on a master's or doctorate degree in the intial term of the school year.  Postbaccalaureate students must provide documentation as to the courses they will be taking to fullfill their educational requirements.  Parent information is required on the FAFSA for students who do not meet the federally defined criteria of independent status for financial aid.