Applying for Financial Aid

Because this is the only way to potentially land a piece of the more than 80 billion dollars the federal government provides in grants, loans and work-study programs each year to college students. Benefit at Paul Smith’s College by completing the FAFSA. Based on your successful completion of the FAFSA, you may be eligible for:

• Grants — money that does not have to be repaid
• Loans — borrowed money that must be repaid
• Federal Work Study (FWS) — money earned by working a part-time job on campus
• Scholarships — free money, awarded by Institution or outside source

Important: To receive the best financial aid funding available, submit your FAFSA as soon as possible. When possible, use the IRS Data Retrieval process to transfer your tax information from the IRS to your FAFSA- this will limit errors and improve accuracy.

If you’re a resident of New York state and are or will be an undergraduate student, you MAY be eligible for Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) awards. After filing your FAFSA, you will be able to link directly to the TAP application from the FAFSA confirmation page. You must include Paul Smith’s school codes or you will not be eligible for TAP. TAP codes 2140 (2 year program) and 6140 (4 year program). To remain eligible for state and/or federal financial aid, you must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

1. You (and one of your parents, if dependent) need to request a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID from the U.S. Department of Education. With a FSA ID you can apply and “sign” the FAFSA online, check the status of your submitted FAFSA, and make corrections or revisions. The FSA ID will also be used to e-sign legally binging documents online. Watch this FSA ID Video Tutorial and Create an FSA ID now.
2. Gather information you’ll need on the FAFSA. This information includes your social security number, federal income tax returns, W-2s, and bank statements (if applicable). 
3. Complete and submit your FAFSA online at http://www.fafsa.gov using Paul Smith’s College code (002795).

Watch these short 2021/2022 FAFSA Video Tutorials for more information. Remember, applying for Federal Student Aid is free, quick and easy to do as long as you’re organized and have the necessary documents available when filling out the FAFSA.

Not ready to do your FAFSA? You can get an early estimate of your financial aid eligibility using our Net Price Calculator.

Financial aid eligibility for federal and institutional grants are based on the information you provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA assumes that 2020 income is a good predictor of a family’s ability to pay for college during the 2022-2023 academic year.  The Office of Financial Aid recognizes that many families have changes in income or family situations that cannot be reflected in the 2020 tax return data. For this reason, students can often appeal their financial aid eligibility if they have unique financial circumstances. Please read our Special Circumstance webpage for detailed information and application instructions.