Admission & Aid

Applying for Aid

*NEW* 2024-2025 FAFSA Update (FAFSA Simplification Act)
The FAFSA Simplification Act was enacted by Congress as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This law reduces the number of questions students will have to answer on the form, makes crucial changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand Pell Grant eligibility and removes outdated restrictions to make federal student aid more accessible to all students.

The anticipated release date for the 2024-25 FAFSA will be in December 2024. A full listing of changes for 2023-2024 award year can be found on the Federal Student Aid site.

Students are encouraged to login or create an account on studentaid.gov for more information from Federal Student Aid.

Students applying for need-based funds or student loans only need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The easiest way to submit this application is online at studentaid.gov. Be certain to request that Eckerd College receives your FAFSA results by listing our institutional code of 001487 on your FAFSA. Your information will usually be sent to Eckerd College within two weeks.

Applying for financial aid is FREE. Make sure you go to studentaid.gov.

You will need an FSA ID to give you access to Federal Student Aid online systems and serve as your legal signature.

Helpful Hints

• Include all colleges you are considering on your FAFSA. Waiting to apply for aid until after you have been admitted may lessen your chances of receiving aid.
• Let us decide your eligibility. Some people incorrectly assume that they won’t be eligible, so they do not apply. Let our aid professionals assess what funds you are qualified to receive.
• Some applications are chosen for verification; check out the Verification tab above for more information. The verification process requires that Eckerd College confirm the information reported on the FAFSA by reviewing the IRS 1040 tax transcript or for you to use the IRS tax retrieval tool on your FAFSA as well as a Verification Worksheet. Eckerd College will notify you if your application is subject to verification. Award notifications may be delayed if verification has not been completed.
• Financial aid is not automatically renewed. A FAFSA must be completed every year.
• Read all letters or e-mails from the financial aid office. There may be more information that we need from you or your parents. Not providing this to us may delay the review of your application.
• For more helpful hints and understanding your Financial Aid package, please read over our Financial Aid 101 brochure.

The financial information analyzed from the FAFSA provides a foundation for the equitable treatment of all financial aid applicants and is used to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI). To ensure your results are electronically sent to Eckerd College, make sure Eckerd’s code of 001487 is listed on your FAFSA.

The Office of Financial Aid reviews the results and notifies students of their financial aid award. All awards are made on the assumption that the student will attend Eckerd College as a full time student, at least 12 credit hours a semester. Awards may be adjusted for enrollment of less than full time. The financial aid award includes all funds that the student is eligible to receive. Financial aid, excluding Federal Work Study, is disbursed onto the student’s account in two installments. Disbursements are made after the confirmation of enrollment for the fall and spring semesters has been concluded. Any questions, concerns or appeals of financial aid decisions should be directed to the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@eckerd.edu.

The Department of Education or Eckerd College may select your FAFSA for a process called Verification. The verification requirements will differ based upon the category assigned to the applicant when the FAFSA is processed. If your application has been selected, the Office of Financial Aid will inform you of the documents that need to be submitted. Since requirements vary depending upon the verification category, the forms will not be posted on our website but will be sent to you.

Deadlines for Submitting Documentation

Pell eligible students must submit the required documents no later than 120 days after the student’s last day of enrollment or the deadline published in the Federal Register, which is earlier.

Students receiving Federal campus based aid, Federal direct subsidized or unsubsidized loans or state need based aid must provide these documents prior to the last date of attendance during the award year. Verification must be completed before a loan may be certified.

Freshmen and Transfer Residential Applicants

Estimated awards are made to Freshmen and Transfer Residential applicants, who will begin attendance in the Autumn Term or Fall Semester. Students, who have not completed verification, will not receive any federal aid disbursements and are not allowed to begin work study employment. Eckerd College requests that required documents be received no later than September 30th, unless the individual has been granted a tax extension. After this date, Federal Pell Grant and Federal campus based financial aid as well as need based state grants will be canceled.

The Federal Pell Grant will be reinstated upon the completion of verification. Federal campus based and state need based awards will be reinstated if funds are available.

Consequences of Not Meeting Deadlines

With the exception of Freshmen and Transfer Residential Applicants, no federal or need based financial aid will be awarded to a student until verification has been completed. Federal campus based funds and state need based funds are limited. Funds will not be set aside for applicants who have not completed verification.

When a student is chosen for verification after an award has been made, the undisbursed amount of the award will be canceled until verification has been completed.

Freshmen and Transfer Residential students, who do not provide the verification documents, will have awards canceled on September 30th. Students will be responsible for any balance due to the college.

Correction Procedures for Students

Upon completion of verification, the Office of Financial Aid will send all corrections to the Central Processing System. Students are not required to make these corrections.

Financial aid awards may be renewed based upon academic progress or continued financial need. A FAFSA application is required annually for need-based financial aid.

Eckerd College Merit Awards and Eckerd College Grants

Renewable for up to four years. Students must maintain a 2.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average.

Florida Effective Access to Student Education Grant (EASE)

Renewable for up to 9 semesters. Students must have earned 24 credit hours during the prior year and maintain a 2.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average.

Florida Bright Futures Scholarships

Renewable for up to 132 credit hours. A student enrolled full time for the entire academic year must earn at least 24 credit hours and maintain the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for a Florida Academic Scholar Award and 2.75 for the Florida Medallion Award. If a student is enrolled part time for any part of the academic year, the student must earn a prorated number of credit hours.

Florida Student Assistance Grant

Renewable for up to 9 semesters. Students must have earned 24 credit hours during the prior year and maintain a 2.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average.

Federal Financial Aid and Grants

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Federal Title IV financial aid, which includes Federal Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Direct Loans (both student and parent) and Federal Work Study program are renewable as long as the student is meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards at the annual review period.

As long as a student meets both the Quantitative Requirement and Qualitative Requirement, a student will be eligible for federal funds.

Quantitative Requirement:

1. Maximum Time Limit – Federal regulations allow a student to attempt 150 percent of the credit hours required to complete the academic program. Eckerd College requires 126 credit hours to meet graduation requirements therefore a student may attempt up to 189 credit hours and receive federal aid. This includes all transfer credit hours.
2. Completion Ratio – A student must earn a minimum 67% of the hours attempted at Eckerd College. Transfer hours accepted toward the completion of your Eckerd College degree will be included in the number of attempted and completed hours.

At the time of review, any grades reported as I (incomplete), W (withdrawn), or F Grades will be counted as attempted courses (not completed). Repeated courses are included as both attempted and completed courses and are included in MTL calculations. Any grade changes after the SAP calculation has been processed, will not be calculated until the next review period unless deemed as administrative or faculty error.

Qualitative Requirement:

Students must meet the minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) which is 2.0 for all class standings. Grade Point Average is calculated for courses taken at Eckerd College only and does not include grades from another college.

Students not meeting the guidelines for the Qualitative Requirement (GPA) will also be deemed ineligible for institutional and State aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Review:

Satisfactory Academic Progress is reviewed at the end of the academic year. Students not making SAP for the quantitative and/or qualitative requirement will not be eligible for any federal financial aid until the next review.

Students not meeting SAP requirements for GPA or CR will be given the opportunity to appeal which, if approved, will allow them to receive Federal, institutional and possibly State aid. MTL is not eligible for an appeal.

Students who fail to meet the SAP standards for GPA or CR may submit a written appeal. The appeal MUST include:

• A personal statement from the student outlining the extenuating circumstance(s) that prohibited the student from meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress. Examples of extenuating circumstances may include but are not limited to medical issues (student or family), death in the family, etc.
• Documentation of extenuating circumstance to support student’s statement
• Academic plan addressing how the student plans to be more academically successful in the upcoming academic year

If an appeal is approved, as long as the student meets the conditions of the appeal until they are meeting SAP standards, they will continue to receive aid. If a student does not meet the conditions of the appeal, aid will be terminated and the student will not be eligible for aid until standards of satisfactory academic progress are met by the student

The Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of educational expenses for the academic year. COA includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, estimated food & housing, loan fees, transportation and miscellaneous (or personal) expenses. Your financial need is determined based on your cost of attendance minus your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Total awards cannot exceed your cost of attendance.
 

Annual* Full Time Cost of Attendance

Students living on or off campus:

Tuition: $49,668
Fees: $706
Food & Housing: $14,268
Loan Fees: $80
Books & Supplies: $1,350
Transportation $1,500
Personal Expenses: $1,600

Full time students living with parents:

Tuition: $49,668
Fees: $706
Food & Housing: $4,481
Loan Fees: $80
Books & Supplies: $1,350
Transportation $1,226
Personal Expenses: $1,280

Please note, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses are only elements of COA and are NOT direct costs therefore they do not appear on any billing.

*Summer costs are not included

• Special Circumstances: extenuating circumstances (i.e. job loss) leading to changes in your family’s financial situation that are not reflected accurately or occurred after the submission of your current year FAFSA.

• Unusual Circumstances: student’s dependency status is based on a unique situation (e.g. parental abandonment, abuse or incarceration) where there is no parental involvement. This is more commonly referred to as a dependency override. Self supporting students without a documented extenuating family circumstance do not qualify for a dependency override.

Please contact the Financial Aid Office directly for more information if you feel either of the above circumstances are reflective of your current situation.