Understanding Your Financial Aid Offer
Understanding how your eligibility for financial aid is determined and your financial aid offer will help you and your family navigate financing decisions for attending college.
CMU's Approach to Determining Financial Need
Once you complete your financial aid application, which includes a FAFSA and/or CSS Profile, our team of dedicated financial aid professionals will review your materials and determine your financial need. Financial need is determined using Institutional Methodology and other factors that may impact your family's ability to pay the cost of attendance. CMU is committed to meeting full demonstrated financial need for all of our domestic students.
Understanding Your Offer
When you receive notification that a financial aid offer is available for review in your My Student Aid portal, you’ll notice that it is broken down into several components and outlines your total financial aid offer for the upcoming academic year. Here’s what those components mean:
Estimated Cost of Attendance
The estimated cost of attendance is the budget we use for every student who applies for financial aid. It approximates the cost of attending CMU for one year, and we use it to determine your specific financial need. It incorporates costs paid to the school such as tuition and fees, as well as costs paid to others for things such as personal expenses and food. Your actual costs will depend on a number of personal factors, including your housing and dining options, as well as other individual expenses.
We do not change your budget based on your individual expenses. Whether you end up spending more or less than our allowance, your financial need and financial aid offer stay the same.
Grants and Scholarships
Any grant and scholarships you were awarded and their amounts will be included in your offer. This includes institutional (Carnegie Mellon) grants, federal and state grants, and outside scholarships. You do not have to pay back grants and scholarships. It is important to note that some grants and scholarships awarded may not be renewable each year and the amounts may be based on maintaining a certain QPA. Some scholarships may need to be applied for each year, so be sure to understand the specific criteria for each award.
Estimated Net Price
Your estimated net price is the difference between the total cost of attendance and the grants and scholarships you are offered. Net price reflects the amount you are expected to pay for your education and can be covered through sources such as savings, student employment, a payment plan, or loans.
Student and Family Resources
These resources include Federal Direct Student Loans and Federal Work-Study amounts for which you may be eligible. Loans must be repaid and you may need to complete specific steps (i.e., MPN signing and entrance counseling) before any offered loan amounts are distributed to your student account. Students can accept, decline or reduce the amount of federal loans they're offered through their My Student Aid portal. Federal Work-Study is earned through on-campus jobs, which must be applied for separately. Note: Federal Work-Study funds are not applied directly to a student's account.
Remaining Net Price
Remaining net price is a measure of how much you and your family are expected to contribute to the cost of your education for the upcoming year. This can be met through current income, private loan funds, or savings accounts. Students and families can also enroll in Carnegie Mellon's monthly tuition payment plan to pay the university in manageable monthly installments. Some parents may be eligible to apply for a Federal Parent PLUS Loan to help with the remaining net price.
Change in Circumstances
Please remember that it is important to notify Carnegie Mellon of significant changes to your and/or your family’s financial situation. A change in circumstances that may be appropriate for review include loss of income, change in assets, natural disaster, divorce or separation, medical expenses, change in the number of undergraduates enrolled in college, or receipt of outside scholarships. These scenarios may result in changes to your financial aid eligibility and offer. Additional documentation may be requested and can take up to 14 business days for review. If your change in circumstances results in a change to your eligibility, you will receive a revised financial aid offer.
A Combination Strategy
Like any major investment, most families pay for education with a mix of current income, savings and borrowing. Finding the right balance among these resources can save money.
To determine the amount a student or family will need to contribute, calculate the difference between cost of attendance and any expected financial aid. This is a good estimate of the amount a family is expected to contribute. To help, students and families may choose to enroll in a monthly payment plan to help budget payments of educational expenses and limit debt or they may choose to borrow a private loan.
Some parents and graduate students may be eligible to apply for a Federal PLUS Loan to help finance educational costs, as well.
Graduate Federal Aid Eligibility
A graduate student's federal aid eligibility is determined by financial circumstances. Students are considered for federal financial aid programs by completing the FAFSA.
Students can calculate their estimated loan eligibility using the cost of attendance, which varies depending on the school/college in which they're enrolled:
Cost of Attendance - Scholarships, Fellowships, Untaxed Tuition/Fee Stipends
= Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan Eligibility
Students who need additional funding after borrowing a Federal Direct Student Loan may wish to consider a Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan or private loan.