FAQ for Financial Aid

If you defer admission, you will need to reapply for the need-based aid that you were awarded. We cannot guarantee that the amount would equal your original need-based package.

Yes, you must file the FAFSA each year. You and your parent/family can file the FAFSA for the upcoming academic year as early as October 1. However, you need only complete the FAFSA form each year, the CSS profile is only requested once when you apply for admission.

A student may receive Denison gift aid (merit and grants) over the eight semesters of enrollment at Denison.

For most Denison students, your financial aid is awarded and disbursed based on full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours). You cannot receive financial aid for classes you do not attend. Aid may need to be revised if you fall below full-time.

If you withdraw from all classes, your financial aid eligibility will be recalculated according to the Denison’s Refund Policy.

Also, the Office of Financial Aid is required to monitor your progress towards your degree. Please read the Satisfactory Academic Policy thoroughly. Failure to comply with this policy may result in the loss of your financial aid.

Congratulations on your outside scholarship! All outside scholarships or other resources must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid. If your financial need has been met, your work study or Federal Direct Loan may be adjusted first. Depending on the composition of your financial aid package and the amount of your outside award, it may be necessary to reduce Denison aid, per federal regulations. You will be notified of any changes to your awards.

If your parent has been granted a filing extension by the IRS, our office will need a copy of IRS Form 4868 that was filed with the IRS for tax year of verification, copy of the tax return and W-2s for the year in question. Our office will require the tax return transcript when filed and available. Your financial aid will be applied ONLY to your fall semester until all requirements have been received and reviewed by the financial aid office. Please be advised that aid can change as the result of verification for both semesters. The student is responsible for any resulting balance.

You will receive an electronic billing statement well in advance of each semester. Your billing statement will detail your semester direct charges from the university –tuition, fees, room and board, etc. Your scholarship, grants and loans you accepted will pay your direct charges first. If your semester’s aid is less than the balance due, you are responsible for paying the remaining balance. Payments are due in July for Fall semester and December for Spring semester.

If your semester aid exceeds your balance due, you will see a credit balance on your account. You may contact the Student Accounts Office to request a refund for the amount of the overage after the semester begins.

Prospective students who apply for need-based aid are awarded estimated financial aid awards. Shortly after May 1, the Office of Financial Aid sends requests for verification documents (Dependent Verification Student Worksheet or Independent Verification Student Worksheet) to students who enrolled with need-based awards that have been selected for verification. The tentative awards cannot be finalized until the requested documents have been received and financial aid information has been verified. Financial aid will not disburse to the fall semester bill until all requested documentation is received

Upper-class students who file for need-based aid may be required to submit verification documents to complete their file before their financial aid packages can be generated. Upper-class students are encouraged to have their files completed by May 1, to ensure that their aid will disburse to their fall semester bill.

For more information see Verification of Financial Information and Award Terms and Certifications.

You haven’t taken action on your loans via My Denison:

• All student’s with loan award must accept or decline their loans
• Log in to MyDenison using your username and password
• Navigate to your current My Financial Aid portal under MyApps
• Select the Accept/Decline Awards link from the menu
• Review the loan amounts, you can type in the amount box if you would like to reduce the amount of loan you would like to borrow
• Select the appropriate action (Accept or Decline) in the drop down next to each loan
• Click Submit

First-time federal student loan borrowers must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Loan Entrance Counseling before the loan can be disbursed to your account. Both requirements may be completed online. The MPN is a promissory note that can be used to borrow multiple loans for multiple academic years (up to 10 years). While attending Denison University, students will need to complete their MPN just one time. This requirement is for all first-time borrowers of a Federal Direct Student Loan. First-time borrowers are also required to complete Loan Entrance Counseling. Loan Entrance Counseling and the MPN can be completed online at studentaid.gov using your FSA ID, which you created to complete your FAFSA form.

Parents borrowing a Federal Direct PLUS Loan for the first time are required to complete a Master Promissory Note at studentaid.gov. If an endorser was required or a credit appeal was approved on a PLUS Loan application, a new Master Promissory Note and Credit PLUS Counseling will need to be completed at studentaid.gov.

New students are required to provide a final official high school transcript or documents confirming graduation from high school before any financial aid can be disbursed.

Outside scholarships must be reported to the Office of Financial Aid. These awards are not credited to your account until the funds are received by the Office of Student Accounts.

The CSS Profile is an online application that collects information used by certain colleges (including Denison) and scholarship programs to award institutional aid funds. (All Federal funds are awarded based on the FAFSA, available after Oct. 1 at fafsa.ed.gov).

You may complete the CSS Profile as early as October 1, and you must submit the CSS Profile no later than the deadline of your chosen admission round.

You complete the CSS Profile online at cssprofile.org.

Each of your parents will complete their own CSS Profile at cssprofile.org. You and your custodial parent will complete your CSS Profile using your College Board account/log-in credentials. If both of your parents have access to your College Board account, you should change your password so your parent’s financial information will remain private.

Your noncustodial parent will need to create a College Board account if they don’t currently have one (the noncustodial parent should not use the student’s College Board account).

Creating a CSS Profile Account for Parent Use on cssprofile.org provides instructions on creating a parent account. To keep their financial information private, your parents should not share their College Board log-in credentials with each other.

The Offices of Admission & Financial Aid do not issue fee payment codes for the CSS Profile for freshman or transfer applicants. However, your fee may be waived by the College Scholarship Service (CSS) if you meet their criteria. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please contact CSS at (844) 202-0524.

The College Scholarship Service (CSS) does not permit applicants to make corrections online after submission. If the corrections are to update student and parent income detail as you initially reported estimated income and you’ve now filed for federal taxes, you do not have to send in corrections. Instead, we ask that you print a copy of your completed Profile and make necessary corrections by hand and submit to our office. We will verify your family’s income information during our review process.

You can make corrections to your FAFSA anytime at www.fafsa.gov.

Yes, if your family has experienced an unforeseen or significant change in financial status since 2020 (FAFSA reported income) or you think you have special circumstances that should be taken into account, you may request a review of your financial aid eligibility. Contact our office for counsel and request a Special Circumstance Form. Appeals are handled on a case-by-case basis and may or may not result in additional aid.

A few examples of special circumstances that should be reported include:

• Loss of Income, Social Security, Child Support, Alimony or Retirement
• Divorce/Separation, Death of a Parent or Disability of a Parent
• Uninsured Medical or Dental expenses

Books are considered an indirect cost of college expenses. For many students, you pay for your books out of your own pocket. If you’ve been awarded a Book Grant as part of your financial aid award, funds will be electronically sent to the university bookstore.

Book Grants are need-based Denison grants to help defray the cost of books to qualified students. Students must file a FAFSA and must demonstrate financial need to qualify.