Office of Financial Aid

The name of your financial aid counselor is listed on the  Student Aid Portal  under the Documents and Messages tab.

You can view your Financial Aid Information on your  Student Aid Portal .

The Student Aid Portal login is your 7-digit student ID number without the EC#. If you are accessing this portal for the first time select first time user and follow the prompts. If you forgot your password, click on the “Forgot Your Password.” Please keep in mind that three unsuccessful attempts at logging in will automatically lock your account and you will have to contact the Office of Financial Aid to unlock it.  

Use of Legal Name is required in communications and processes due to business or legal requirements and/or system limitations which legally necessitate the use of a Legal Name. However, whenever reasonably possible, a student’s Preferred/Chosen Name will be used.

After receiving your financial aid offer, you must log into your  Student Aid Portal  and accept or decline your awards first.

Send us an email stating such, (vice versa if wanting to accept loans that were previously declined).

Visit My  Federal Student Aid  to view your federal student loan history and find out whom to make your loan payments.

Once you have accepted your Federal Student Loans (Subsidized/Unsubsidized), if you are a first time borrower, you must complete Loan Entrance Counseling and the Loan Master Promissory Note in order for those funds to disburse to your student account. Both requirements must be completed on www.studentloans.gov by logging in with your StudentAid.gov account (same login as the FAFSA). The Loan Entrance Counseling provides you with information to ensure that you understand the responsibilities and obligations of borrowing a Direct Stafford Loan. The MPN is a legal document in which you promise to repay your federal student loan(s) and any accrued interest and fees to your lender/loan holder.

Parents whom applied and are approved for the Parent PLUS Loan with or without an endorser must complete a Parent PLUS Loan MPN. Those approved with an Endorser must complete a new MPN for each new loan awarded.

Contact your student loan servicer to request a  Loan Deferment or Forbearance . These two options could temporarily postpone or reduce your federal student loan payments. Your student loan servicer can also discuss other repayment plan options such as income-driven repayment plans or consolidation. Visit  NSLDS  for your loan servicer’s contact information.

Should the Office of Financial Aid require additional documents, students are contacted via email, mail and/or phone informing him/her of the documents needed. You can also see what documents are needed on the Documents tab on the  Student Aid Portal .

One in three students whom complete the FAFSA are selected by the Department of Education for Verification. Ve rification  is a process used to verify certain information on the  FAFSA  to ensure its accuracy. This is an additional step, which the institution must complete prior to disbursing the student’s financial aid. In order to complete the Verification process we would request a Tax Transcript, a Verification Worksheet, and/or other verification documents. If you are selected for verification, we will contact you directly and provide you with additional information as to what we would need.

All students who have received Direct Subsidized / Unsubsidized / or Graduate PLUS loans must complete Exit Counseling online at  www.studentloans.gov. Students who received a Perkins loan will receive Exit Counseling instructions from our loan servicer, UAS, by email. Our office also hosts Exit Counseling workshops on campus in December and April to help students complete the exit counseling process.

Yes, the FAFSA needs to be completed every year. Check the FAFSA Simplification page for more information about timing. 

The Free Application for Federal Student aid (FAFSA) uses tax information from two years prior. Using two-years prior tax information on the FAFSA (as opposed to one-year prior information) increases the form’s accuracy and allow families to make more informed college & financial aid decisions.

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is a number that's used to determine eligibility for need-based aid. It is calculated using information that the student (and contributors, if required) provides on the FAFSA form. The SAI will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) starting in the 2024–25 award year. A student's SAI can be a negative number down to –1500.

To calculate a  Student Aid Index (SAI) , a need-based analysis is conducted. The analysis takes into account the income and assets of the student and their parents or spouse, if applicable. The analysis formula used considers both taxed and untaxed income, as well as any assets and benefits received, such as unemployment or Social Security.

On the FAFSA form, a contributor refers to anyone (student, student's spouse, a biological/adoptive parent, the parent's spouse) who's required to provide information on the FAFSA form. Refer to this infographic from Federal Student Aid to help identify the contributor on your FAFSA.

The custodial parent(s) on the FAFSA will be the parent(s) who provided the most financial support, instead of the parent(s) with whom the student lived more during the past 12 months. Students or parents will invite a contributor to complete their portion of the FAFSA form by entering the contributor's name, date of birth, SSN, and email address.

The Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange, replacing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool starting with the 2024–25 award year, will transfer contributors' federal tax information from the IRS directly into the FAFSA form.

Yes. U.S. Government savings bonds are reported as assets for the individual in whose name the bonds were taken out.

Yes, the value of certificates of deposit should be reported as an asset on the FAFSA.

The value of a  529  plan owned by a dependent student or one of their parents is considered a parental asset on the FAFSA.  Any 529 plan that is owned by the dependent student's parent is reported as a parent asset on the FAFSA.

Assets, whether it be cash gifts or financial assets, under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) or the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) is established by a custodian, often an adult, to a minor (the student). Because the minor is the owner of the account, assets are counted toward the student's assets on the FAFSA.

Elizabethtown College does not offer institutional financial aid for summer classes. Students in the Fifth Year 4 + 1 Master’s Degree and Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD), and Physician's Assistant  programs please see following link for more information:  https://www.etown.edu/offices/financial-aid/handbook.aspx

To receive federal and or State financial aid for a minor, the student must declare the minor before completing their degree completion requirements, and those minor courses must be required to receive their degree. Institutional aid is awarded based on eligibility and or available funding.

No, Study abroad is not covered by Tuition Exchange unless your major requires it. However, if you decide to study abroad through an affiliated program and your major does not require it, you may be eligible for your original merit and/or institutional aid awarded.

A student’s room expense is an component of a student’s cost of attendance. So, the RA room waiver received must be considered as a resource in a student’s financial aid offer. The waiver is considered both institutional aid as well as estimated financial assistance (EFA) for federal financial aid purposes. Estimated financial assistance will transition to other financial assistance (OFA) effective for the 2024-2025 award year and forward.  If a student has need based institutional aid (Trustee), their Trustee will typically be reduced.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is required for all students interested in receiving federal financial aid. SAP is evaluated at the end of each term. Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA , complete a minimum percentage of classes attempted and complete their degree program within a maximum timeframe. Please see complete SAP policy for more information  here .

Incomplete grades (“I”) do not affect a student’s cumulative GPA for SAP, but count as credit hours attempted toward both completion rate and maximum time-frame SAP requirements. An incomplete grade counts as credit hours attempted but will not count as credit hours completed/earned until a permanent grade has been assigned. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Office of Financial Aid of all grade changes (ex. from “I” to “B”) to ensure that their SAP status is reviewed. Deadlines for incomplete grades are posted on the Registration and Records webpage.

A full-time student (24-36 credits per academic year) must successfully advance at least 24 credits in the two preceding semesters (summer academic work, where applicable, may be included). Incompletes, withdrawals, course repetitions and non-credit remedial courses are not counted. Repeat F’s are not counted in the semester when first received; Repeat D’s and C’s are not counted in the semester when repeated.

A student must be enrolled on a full-time basis in the traditional daytime program (12–18 credit hours a semester) to be eligible for all institutional financial assistance. Students who enroll for less than 12 credit hours in a semester may still be eligible for funding from State and Federal programs.

Students cannot receive federal financial aid for courses that will not count towards the completion of that student's degree program requirements. Students should consult with their advisor to ensure enrollment in courses will count toward their degree completion.

Merit-based aid is limited to up to eight semesters (up to 10 semesters for 4+1 Master's Degree Programs). Institutional aid for subsequent semesters is solely based on demonstrated need.

Changes in family circumstances, such as an increase or decrease in parents’ or student’s income, assets, family size, number of family members attending college, may affect eligibility for financial aid. If the family’s circumstances do not change significantly over the four years, the financial assistance should be comparable each year. Merit scholarships eligibility will retain their original values all four years provided the student remains in good academic standing and has a favorable disciplinary record. Students are required to review and accept/decline their financial aid offer on the  Student aid Portal .

If the tax information that you entered in the FAFSA does not reflect the current financial situation for the student and/or family, contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss your circumstance with your Financial Aid Counselor.

Living off-campus typically costs less than living on campus. Living off-campus (such as sharing an apartment) is also different from being a commuter (living with parents). Changes to your housing status will reduce your cost of attendance (COA) and your demonstrated need and subsequently your financial aid award. It is important that you consult with the Office of Financial Aid before changing your housing status. You will also need to follow the appropriate procedures provided by  Residence Life .

Your financial aid awards may be reduced or canceled if you fail to maintain required credit enrollment. Dropped courses may also affect  Satisfactory Academic Progress . It is important that you speak with the Office of Financial Aid before reducing your credit load or changing course-grading options to audit.

During zero-credit co-op semesters, students are charged $500 administrative fee and are registered for a zero-credit course. Scholarships and grants are deferred during co-op semesters. Financial aid is not awarded during zero-credit co-op semesters. During 12-credit co-op semesters, students are charged regular tuition rates and are eligible to apply for financial aid. Any student participating in the co-op program should notify the Office of Financial Aid as soon as possible.

The College determines enrollment status based on credit load. In-school loan deferment eligibility is based on having an enrollment status of at least “half time” (six credits for undergrad and three credits for graduates). Notify the Office of Financial Aid prior to the start of your internship, fieldwork, or co-op to discuss any implications that it may have on financial aid eligibility and student loan repayment. We can provide guidance and help locate specific resources as it relates to your individual financial aid offer. Locate the name of your financial aid counselor on your  Student Aid Portal,  email us at finaid@etown.edu. or call (717) 361-1404.

On campus positions are posted on the college's  Student Employment Website . All students must interview for their prospective positions and are encouraged to complete employment forms upon entering college so they are able to begin work at any time during their enrollment at Elizabethtown College. Students must complete an I-9, W-4, Direct Deposit Authorization form, and Workers Compensation form before working on campus. Please click  here  for additional FAQs.