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Division of Financial Aid




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Top 10 Questions for Parents of Incoming Freshman

1. What is the best way to find out about scholarship opportunities?

A. The department your student was admitted to may offer scholarships, with more information available at www.purdue.edu/dfa/sandg/schoolaward.php. We maintain a list of external scholarships at www.purdue.edu/dfa/sandg/announce_priv.php. We encourage you to also look for additional private scholarships at www.fastweb.com and www.finaid.org..

2. Our son/daughter is a top student, but we haven’t received notification of the Trustee or Presidential Scholarship. What criteria has to be met and when will we be notified of Presidential and Trustee Scholarship selections?

A. The Trustee and Presidential Scholarships are awarded through a holistic process, which takes all of the information included with the admission application into consideration. The incoming class has many strong students, which makes the process very competitive. Trustee and Presidential Scholarship recipients will be notified by mid-February. Additional merit scholarship information can be obtained at admissions.purdue.edu/costs/merit_scholarships.html.

3. The FAFSA is confusing, and we don’t have our taxes done. What should we do? What steps do we need to take to complete the financial aid application process?

A. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be completed with estimated tax information in order to meet Purdue’s March 1 priority filing date. After your taxes are completed, you may utilize the IRS Data Retrieval tool within the FAFSA to update your tax information. A great resource is the help section that is built in to the FAFSA on the Web. It provides tips on answering each question. Additional resources for completing the FAFSA are listed at www.purdue.edu/dfa/news/fafsahelp.php. We have developed a list of financial aid tips and a timeline to keep track of important dates at www.purdue.edu/dfa/all/apply12-13.php.

4. When will my son/daughter find out the type and amounts of financial aid they will be offered? Does our son/daughter have to accept their offer of admission before aid eligibility can be determined?

A. Our office plans to mail financial aid eligibility letters to incoming freshmen in early-April. An email will also be sent to the student’s Purdue email address and will direct them to view the award offer in their myPurdue account under the Financial tab. Your son/daughter does not have to accept their offer of admission to receive a financial aid eligibility notice.

5. What is verification, and what am I required to provide?

A. Federal regulations require us to verify information provided on the FAFSA for a percentage of students. This process requires our office to obtain 2011 Federal income tax information. All required documents are listed as Financial Aid Requirements on the student’s myPurdue account under the Financial tab. If you have been selected for verification, all requested documents must be submitted to our office to maintain financial aid eligibility. Please do not send verification documents to Purdue unless we request them of you.

6. What is STAR and is it required?

A. STAR is the Summer Transition, Advising, and Registration program at Purdue. Attendance is required for all first-time students. Incoming freshmen meet with their academic advisor and schedule classes for the fall semester. Many learning opportunities are offered throughout the day, including a session presented by the Division of Financial Aid (DFA) and Bursar’s Office entitled, “Paying for Purdue” that we strongly urge families to attend. Included topics are

  • reading the financial aid offer
  • learning about loan programs
  • understanding the timeframe to receive and pay the bill
  • discovering how and when aid is applied to the bill
  • setting up a payment plan, if necessary.
  • determining when excess funds are refunded or disbursed, if applicable
  • noting important dates

Families can meet with a financial aid counselor at the Paying for Purdue session to get answers to individual questions. See more information at www.purdue.edu/sats/STAR/.

7. Our family’s financial situation is not accurately reflected on the FAFSA. What are our options?

A. If your family has experienced a significant change in income, we encourage you to speak with a financial aid counselor at DFA about your circumstances. If the counselor finds that the revision could change the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) resulting in additional financial aid eligibility, then they will provide the family a Special Circumstance Appeal Form. The family will complete and return the form with documentation. Families should allow a minimum of 2-3 weeks (longer in April and May) for processing. Note: All families requesting a Special Circumstance Appeal will be required to provide verification of FAFSA information before the appeal can be processed. Refer to Question 6 for more information regarding verification.

8. Does Purdue charge us for books and miscellaneous expenses?

A. Purdue awards financial aid to cover the Estimated Cost of Attendance (also known as budget). The budget estimates educationally-related expenses during the enrollment period including tuition and fees, room and board, transportation, books, and miscellaneous expenses. It is important to note that the budget is made up of both direct and indirect costs and does not represent the amount the student will be billed. The direct costs are tuition and fees and room and board if your son or daughter is living in campus-contracted housing. Direct expenses are paid to the University. The indirect costs are not billed by the University but represent out-of-pocket expenses the student will likely incur. Financial aid can be awarded up to the total budgeted amount. Refer to www.purdue.edu/dfa/all/costofattendance.php for more information.

9. We are non-Indiana residents; how do we become Indiana residents in order to reduce tuition?

A. The Registrar’s Office at Purdue determines residency status for tuition purposes after initial enrollment. The dependent student’s residency status is determined by their parent’s state of residence. Generally, a student attending Purdue cannot become an Indiana resident while they are pursuing their education. The Registrar’s website offers additional information on this topic at www.purdue.edu/registrar/Residency/index.html.

10. Do we get a discount on tuition for being Purdue alumni or having more than one student attend Purdue simultaneously? Do you match scholarship offers from other schools or negotiate awards?

A. Students with an alumni affiliation should inquire with their local Purdue Alumni Association ( www.purduealumni.org/) regarding scholarship opportunities. The University does not offer tuition discounts based on alumni affiliation or a quantity discount. However, the number in college is factored into the EFC when a family applies for financial aid using the FAFSA. Purdue is unable to match financial aid offers from other schools and does not negotiate aid eligibility. However, when economic circumstances have changed, please see the process listed under question 7.