Frequently Asked Questions

Applying for Financial Aid

How do I apply for financial aid?

When you apply, your application for admission will also serve as your application for merit-based aid from the school. You will need to complete the FAFSA in order to be considered for need-based financial aid.

Is there a deadline to apply for financial aid?

We recommend filing your FAFSA by May 1 to ensure that you are considered for all forms of need-based aid. If you file after May 1 you will still be considered for financial aid, however you may not be eligible for certain scholarships and grants if they have deadlines or run out of funding.

How do I know if Kalamazoo College has received my FAFSA?

When the college has received your FAFSA, you will receive a notification email from the Office of Financial Aid. It typically takes 2-3 business days for our office to receive your FAFSA after you submit it. If it has been more than 2-3 business days and you have not received a notification email, please reach out to our office.

Please note that a yearly software update is needed in order for our system to be able to bring in new FAFSAs. Due to this we are not able to import FAFSAs immediately after the new application opens. Typically, we are able to start importing new FAFSAs a few weeks after it opens.

How do I apply for scholarships?

Your application for admission and your FAFSA serve as your application for scholarships from the school and need-based aid. Private scholarships from external organizations have separate application processes.

Does Kalamazoo College require the CSS Profile?

Kalamazoo College does not use the CSS Profile. The only application needed to apply for financial aid is the FAFSA.

Managing Your Financial Aid

How do I know if I’ve completed all the necessary steps to receive financial aid?

The financial aid portion of Hornet HQ will show you if you are missing any information or documents to finalize your financial aid. If you are unsure of what is still needed, please reach out to us.

I was awarded loans, but I don’t want to use them. How can I decline them?

If you want to decline your loans, please send us an email to finaid@kzoo.edu. In your email, please be sure to specify which award you want to decline.

I declined a loan earlier in the year, but now I need it. Can I reinstate the loan?

Yes, you can reinstate a previously declined loan. To reinstate the loan, the student will need to either send us an email from their K email account with the request or stop by the office to fill out a form.

Why was I asked to provide tax information or other documents?

You were most likely selected for verification which requires the school to ask for documentation to confirm the information on your FAFSA. Being chosen for verification is typically random and does not mean that your FAFSA was filled out incorrectly.

How Aid is Impacted

What happens if I drop from a class?

Eligibility for financial aid awards is based on your enrollment status. If you are enrolled in at least 2.4 units, you are considered full time and your financial aid awards should pay out in full. If you will be in less than 2.4 units, we recommend that you reach out to us so we can assess the impact to your different awards.

What happens to my scholarship if I withdraw from the school?

As long as you are maintaining satisfactory academic progress you will not lose access to your scholarship. Depending on when you withdraw (between terms vs. in the middle of the term) you may lose one term of eligibility.

What happens to my scholarship if I graduate early?

Scholarship funds are divided equally between twelve terms of study and cannot be moved. If you graduate early, you will forfeit the remaining scholarship funds.

Billing

My financial aid doesn’t cover my bill, what are my other options?

We recommend applying for private scholarships to attempt to lower your balance with funds that don’t need to be paid back. Your family can also pursue a Parent PLUS Loan or private loan. If you plan to pay out of pocket, you can contact the Student Accounts Office to set up a payment plan to spread your payments out over the course of the academic year.

Will I receive a financial aid refund?

If your financial aid awards exceed your charges for a term, you will receive the excess financial aid funds in the form of a refund check from the Student Accounts Office. You can use our online billing calculator to estimate your balance after financial aid.

Financial Aid Eligibility

What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a federal policy where students must maintain reasonable progress towards a degree by maintaining their GPA and passing their courses. If students do not meet SAP requirements, their financial aid may be canceled until they meet requirements again.

Why are some of my financial aid awards pending?

There are several reason why an award may be pending. If you were awarded an endowed scholarship from the college, the award will be pending until the thank you letter is received for the scholarship. If you have a state award that is pending such as the Michigan Competitive Scholarship or Michigan Tuition Grant, this is most likely due to the state not passing their budget for the year yet. The amount of these awards are not set until the state passes their budget, so they will remaining on pending until that time.

Miscellaneous

I have federal work study. How do I find a job?

You will want to reach out to the Center for Career and Professional Development for assistance finding employment. Their website has information regarding on campus employment and instructions on how to apply for positions.