Working on-campus can be a great way to build your resume, make professional connections, and get a mentor for your time at BU. Students working on-campus are paid with a weekly paycheck, giving students the opportunity to practice building saving and budgeting habits as well as extra money for expenses throughout the year. Student employment can also provide an opportunity for students to engage in collaborative work on campus making connections with other students and staff.

All students are eligible to participate in on-campus employment, and some students may also be eligible for a Federal Work-Study award.

BU is committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of all admitted students entering college for the first time. Students may still have expenses, even with BU meeting their full need, and responsible student borrowing can be a great tool to contribute to the investment in your education. All students who complete a FAFSA have a standard amount of federal direct student loans available to contribute to the cost of their education. BU believes in reasonable and responsible student borrowing.

Reasonable student loan borrowing can help students begin establishing credit and contribute to non-billed expenses such as books and supplies. Students can also utilize federal direct loans to cover the additional cost of a more expensive housing choice while at BU.

Most BU merit awards don’t require any special application—recipients are selected by the Board of Admissions based on high school credentials. However, you may need to apply for admission by an earlier date to be considered for certain merit awards. Some awards require a separate application or other action. For more on merit awards at Boston University visit BU Admissions.

To be considered for BU need-based financial aid, you must file both the CSS Profile™ and the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), unless you’ve received a BU scholarship in the past. We strongly encourage you to review the application instructions and deadline information carefully. And be sure to check your BU web account frequently for the status of your application and requests for additional information. If you have questions, email BU Financial Assistance or call 617-353-2965.

If you are an incoming student, your application for a need-based BU scholarship award will be considered based on several factors. These include calculated financial eligibility, academic achievement, and the availability of funds for your program of study.

If you are a returning student who previously received a scholarship award, your award will be renewed at the same level consistent with the BU Scholarship Assurance.

If you are a returning student who has not previously received a BU scholarship, you will be considered on a funds-available basis, provided you meet all eligibility requirements.

An Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is calculated from financial information reported on the CSS Profile™ and FAFSA. The expected contribution is not a judgment about how much a family should be able to pay from current income—it’s an estimate of their capacity to absorb the costs of education over time. Many families raise the funds through a combination of savings, current earnings, and borrowing. Learn more.

When you complete the FAFSA and the CSS Profile™ to apply for financial aid, report information about yourself and your “custodial parent,” the parent you’ve lived with most during the past 12 months. If your biological/adoptive parents are divorced, separated, or were never married to each other, CSS will send you an email after receiving your Profile™ submission. You’ll be instructed to forward this email, which includes a link to the Noncustodial Profile™, to your noncustodial parent. Learn more.

We encourage you to bring any special circumstances to our attention. Contact us by email, letter, or fax. Learn more about our appeal process and how we consider a variety of special family situations.

No. If you delay submitting your application for any reason, it is very likely to be too late to get full or any consideration for financial aid. Submit your financial aid application well before our incoming student deadline. Don’t wait until after you’ve filed your taxes; the financial aid application lets you estimate your income before filing.

With Early Decision the financial aid application forms are the same as with regular admission; both the CSS Profile™ and the FAFSA are required. However, the deadlines are different. For Early Decision, file both forms by November 1. For Early Decision 2, file both forms by January 2. Review the filing instructions carefully. As an Early Decision/Early Decision 2 candidate, you agree to apply only to Boston University and forfeit any opportunity to compare your BU financial aid decision with potential offers from other universities. Apply via Early Decision only if you and your family are comfortable with these restrictions.

Federal regulations require a reduction in aid when total aid from all sources exceeds calculated financial eligibility. Our policy is to help you receive the maximum financial advantage: we will not reduce your BU need-based aid when you receive private scholarships unless required to by this federal law. If a reduction is required, any self-help assistance (subsidized loans and/or Federal Work-Study) will be reduced before your scholarship assistance.

If you are receiving only merit-based aid from BU, your scholarship will be reduced only when aid from all sources exceeds the cost of attending Boston University.

Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds are limited. There are several possible reasons why FWS may not have been included in your award package:

• Your calculated financial eligibility is lower than that of other recipients.
• All available FWS funds were awarded to students who completed their applications earlier.
• When you completed your FAFSA, you did not enter an appropriate code on the Work-Study question to indicate that you wanted to be considered for Work-Study.

The BU Student Employment Office maintains an extensive listing of non-Work-Study jobs, so work opportunities are readily available to all BU students.

BU Financial Assistance will help in every way possible, but only you and your family can decide if it is financially feasible for you to enroll. We encourage you to apply for private scholarships through your high school and to use scholarship search services. Credit-based loan programs and a monthly payment plan are also available. We urge you and your parents to research these options carefully, compare programs and features, and borrow responsibly.

The Cost of Education page provides a breakdown of estimated expenses for the current academic year for both resident and commuting students.

The BU Scholarship Assurance guarantees that Boston University scholarship aid will be renewed at the same level each year of your undergraduate study. After the first year as a BU need-based scholarship recipient you are not required to file the CSS Profile™. To apply for federal and state financial aid you must file the FAFSA each year.

If you enroll in a BU Study Abroad program, your aid award will be adjusted as follows:

• If you have been awarded Federal Work-Study for an academic year, your award amount will be reduced by half and applied only to the semester you are in Boston.
• If your Study Abroad charges are less than charges for study at the Charles River Campus, your loans may be adjusted or your need-based scholarship and/or grant may be reduced.
• If you have a tuition-based merit award, it will be adjusted to cover the same percentage of the tuition portion of your program fee as it would otherwise cover of your Charles River Campus tuition.

If you attend an external program, you may not receive a Boston University scholarship or grant. To pay for an external program, you can use any federal and state financial aid for which you qualify, provided a Consortium Agreement has been completed and approved. You can also use credit-based loans.

Learn more about Study Abroad and your financial aid.

Unfortunately, need-based financial aid is not available to international students, as consideration is limited to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and eligible non-citizens. Limited opportunities for credit-based educational loans are available for certain international students. On the basis of merit, international students are considered for the Trustee Scholarship and Presidential Scholarship. Learn more.

If you register for fewer than 12 credits in a semester, or withdraw from one or more courses leaving fewer than 12 credits, your eligibility will usually decrease and therefore your aid will be reduced. Your aid for the following year may also be affected, since you are required to successfully complete 12 credits each semester to be eligible for renewal of aid. Before withdrawing from a course, you should discuss any reduction in your enrolled credits with BU Financial Assistance. For more information, see Satisfactory Academic Progress.

A tuition refund or adjustment of financial aid may be required. These are governed by federal regulations and University procedures.

You must submit notification of a withdrawal or leave of absence in writing to the University Service Center. Your withdrawal or leave is effective on the date the University is notified. Requests for refunds must be made in writing to Student Accounting Services.

The best source of information is the National Student Loan Data System website (NSLDS). It provides a listing of the federal loans you’ve received for each academic period, interest rates on each loan, the cumulative amount of your Federal Perkins Loans, and where you should send payments. You’ll need your federal FSA ID to access NSLDS. Your FSA ID is the same user name and password you used to e-sign your FAFSA. If you have not set up your FSA user name and password, click on the link on the NSLDS home page to create your FSA ID.

After you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment, you have one six-month period before you must begin repaying your loans. This is called the “grace period.” Your repayment period begins the day after your grace period ends. Your loan servicer will notify you of the date your payment is due and send a billing notice to the address on file. However, you must make payments even if you do not receive a bill or repayment notice. You can access information on your federal loan borrowing history in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). More information about loan repayment is available here.

Your loan servicer can help with questions about your loan, as well as address or name changes, estimated repayment information, repayment plan changes, deferment, and forbearance. For your loan servicer’s contact information, see the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) website.

There are four to choose from, offering different monthly payments and repayment periods. See them at Federal Direct Loan Repayment Plans.

If you think you might have a problem making a scheduled repayment, contact your loan servicer immediately. They’ll work with you to help you avoid the costs and consequences of delinquency or default.

There are several options available to help you avoid default, including changing repayment plans, deferment, or forbearance. You may be eligible for a deferment if you are:

• Pursuing at least half-time study at an eligible school
• In a graduate fellowship program approved by the U.S. Department of Education
• In a rehabilitation training program for individuals with disabilities, approved by the U.S. Department of Education
• Conscientiously seeking but unable to find full-time employment (for up to three years)
• Experiencing economic hardship (for up to three years)

Get more information on deferment and forbearance from your loan servicer. Access information on your federal loan borrowing history in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS).

Yes. You may want to consider a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan to simplify repayment and decrease the amount of your monthly payments. Consolidation lets you make only one monthly payment to cover all your federal loans. However, if you extend the repayment period when consolidating your loans, you’ll pay more interest and your total repayment amount will increase. We urge you to consider your options carefully.

The Federal Student Aid Ombudsman resolves disputes about borrower complaints from an impartial, independent viewpoint by serving as an informal fact-finder. Ombudsman can recommend solutions but does not have the authority to reverse decisions. They also work to bring about changes that will help prevent problems for other student loan borrowers. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman website or contact:

U.S. Department of Education
Federal Student Aid Information Center
P.O. Box 1854
Monticello, KY 42633
877-557-2575

Yes, help is available from a variety of sources. Although you alone are responsible for making sure your loans are repaid, you may qualify for repayment assistance from other federal agencies, a state or local agency, your employer, private organizations, or the military. Many state and local education agencies provide assistance if you are employed in certain fields within their jurisdiction—teaching, medicine, and social services, for example. More information is available here.