Applying for Financial Aid for the First Time

When applying for financial aid, make note of deadlines for specific kinds of applications, such as early decision and special awards.

Financial Aid Application Steps

To apply for need-based financial aid, including state and federal programs, you and your parents must submit the following:

DePauw University Application for Financial Aid. (Download Adobe Acrobat Reader?) — The College Scholarship Service PROFILE form may be submitted in lieu of the DePauw application if you prefer. Our PROFILE code is 1166.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). DePauw's six-digit federal FAFSA code is 001792. The 1011 FAFSA will be available after January 1, 2010
Copies of your and your parents' complete 2009 federal income tax returns, including schedules and W-2 forms.
You may be asked to submit the 2010-2011Verification Worksheet for Federal Student Aid Programs
Be sure to consider whether you may be eligible for the MALPAS Scholarship or other special awards.

Malpas Scholarship

DePauw University has the unique privilege of offering the MALPAS Scholarship. This scholarship is offered to students who show high financial need and would otherwise not be able to attend DePauw University. In order to be considered for this award the student MUST have been born in Indiana and completed their secondary education in an Indiana public school. If you feel you might qualify for this award, print the application for the MALPAS Scholarship.

Financial Aid Application Due Dates

The priority due date for completing and mailing your forms is February 15 of the year you will enter college. Early Notification and Regular Decision applicants applying for Fall 2009 admission should complete and mail these forms (be sure to keep copies for yourself) by February 15, 2010. Early Decision candidates are asked to apply for aid by January 5, 2010. The DePauw form and all tax returns should be mailed directly to our Financial Aid Office, and the FAFSA should be sent to the federal processor.

Please note: You must submit both the FAFSA and DePauw financial aid application or PROFILE even if you will not file a federal tax return. It is important not to delay completing either form because your tax information is incomplete.

If you do not have final tax information by our priority due date, please make thoughtful estimates to insure that you apply on time. Although significant, our scholarship resources are not unlimited, and we are able to make late financial aid awards only if funds remain available.

Eligibility for Aid

Your eligibility for financial assistance is determined by applying a consistent set of standards to the financial data you and your family provide on the two forms. We will review your family's financial situation to determine the amount expected as a reasonable family contribution and the amount you can invest through work and loans as a full-time student. The difference between the contribution made by you and your family, and the direct cost of attending the University, is your financial need. Please be aware incoming first-year students in 2010 will be required to purchase a laptop.

The family contribution is determined primarily by a federal formula. If you would like to see what the calculation would be for 2010-11 before the new FAFSA is available, go to http://fafsademo.test.ed.gov and insert User Name (case-sensitive): eddemo and Password (case-sensitive): fafsatest. Remember: This is not the same as completing the FAFSA which much be done after January 1, 2010 for the 2010-11 academic year.

The Department of Education is supplying families with a new resource at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov. Preparing for college will take planning and organization. Paying for college will take financial aid planning. The new FAFSA4caster will help you get an early start on the financial aid process.

A financial aid award from DePauw is likely to be a "package" made up of the following:

merit awards, scholarships or grants
low-interest loans
employment opportunity on campus

Scholarships and grants are referred to as "gift aid," as they do not have to be earned or repaid.

Low-interest loans are available through DePauw and a variety of other sources, including local banks.

Part-time, on-campus employment is available through the federal work-study program administered by DePauw. Students are paid for hours worked and use this income to pay their tuition and room and board bill.