Financial Aid FAQs

  • The first step is to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for federal, state, and university funded financial aid. New students are urged to apply by February 15 and returning students by April 15 for priority funding.

  • The FAFSA is available online at https://studentaid.gov/. Historically, the FAFSA has been available beginning October 1 each year. However, because of significant changes to the application and the rebuild of the FAFSA processing system, the 2024-2025 FAFSA will not be available until sometime in December 2023. Be sure to include FDU’s appropriate campus code when completing the FAFSA: 002607.

  • No student should rule out a college education based solely on cost. Most colleges, including Fairleigh Dickinson University, have created generous aid and payment programs that enable students to choose a school based on merit – not price. Your child should choose a school because it offers the educational experience and learning environment that’s best for him or her. Remember, few students pay the published “sticker” cost of an education. More than four out of every five students at Fairleigh Dickinson University receive generous financial aid and scholarship support.

  • Private colleges like Fairleigh Dickinson have aid programs designed to help families from a wide range of income brackets. Whether your family income is $20,000 or $120,000, you are encouraged to apply for financial aid. There is no set income limit – each financial aid decision is based on individual family circumstances.

  • No. Fairleigh Dickinson University follows a “need blind” admissions policy, meaning that we admit students based on their ability to succeed here, not on their ability to pay. Your child’s admissions application is reviewed by the Office of University Admissions, while all financial aid reviews are made by the Office of Financial Aid.

  • Full-time undergraduate students must carry a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester. Full-time graduate students must carry a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester.

  • Yes. You must reapply for financial aid each year in order to reassess your financial need. Depending on your circumstances, your family contribution may increase, decrease, or stay the same.

  • There are several web pages with information about FDU tuition and fees. Summary pages for the Metropolitan Campus and for the Florham Campus show annual totals for typical resident students and commuter students, before any financial aid is applied. Complete detail pages with all fees and variations, including undergraduates taking graduate courses are shown in pages linking from the main Tuition and Fees page.

  • Most FDU-funded scholarships and grants are annually renewable as long as the student carries a full-credit load and maintains satisfactory academic progress.

  • Better than you might expect. In fact, 95 percent of our students receive generous financial aid and scholarship support. If you applied for financial aid at Fairleigh Dickinson University or elsewhere in the past and were turned down, we encourage you to submit a new application this year. That’s especially true if you have more than one child enrolled in college or if there have been major changes in your family’s financial situation.

  • Generally, the higher the price to attend a school, the greater the financial aid package. That’s because your financial need is determined by deducting your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the Total Cost of Attendance (COA). Your EFC remains the same, regardless of the school chosen. The greater your educational expenses, the more financial aid you are likely to receive.

  • Once your expected family contribution is determined according to uniform federal guidelines, the University’s financial aid staff combines several types of financial support to fund your remaining educational costs. These packages usually include both gift aid (such as scholarships and grants) and self-help aid (such as loans and work-study employment) from several sources.

  • You will receive a financial aid award letter listing separately each type of aid – such as scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study – and the amount of each. Fairleigh Dickinson University will administer your financial aid, which comes from a variety of sources – federal, state, university, and private.

  • Some require repayment, others do not. Scholarships and grants are “gift” money and do not need to be repaid. Work study funds are “earned” dollars for campus-based employment and do not need to be repaid. Federal loans must be repaid once the student leaves school.

  • If there is anything you feel should be brought to our attention, contact our office in writing so we may have a record of these circumstances. Depending on the circumstances, we may be able to use this information in determining financial need.

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