Listed below are some general guidelines that relate to the awarding, disbursing and continuation of a student’s financial aid. Every student has the responsibility to read, retain and understand these guidelines as well as any other information supplied by the Office of Financial Aid.
Financial Aid Information and Processes
- Financial Aid Notifications provide information about assistance for one academic year. Recipients of financial aid must submit a new application each year if they wish to be considered for additional assistance. The amount of aid awarded is determined each year on the basis of the student's academic achievement, contributions as a campus citizen, the family's demonstrated financial need and available funds. Awards may vary from one year to the next if a family's financial need increases or decreases.
- Academic merit scholarships are awarded at the time of admission and are available for up to eight semesters. Once enrolled at Gettysburg, students do not receive consideration for merit scholarships and scholarship values are not changed. To maintain an academic scholarship, enrolled students must achieve the required cumulative GPA at the end of each academic year.
- Institutional grants are limited to four academic years (eight semesters) or until the completion of degree requirements should that be less than four years (eight semesters).
- Students receiving financial aid are required to be in good academic standing and to be making normal progress toward the completion of their degree requirements. Students failing to do so may be deemed ineligible to receive financial assistance until satisfactory progress is resumed. Academic progress is evaluated at the conclusion of each academic year (May). For a more detailed description, refer to the Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines.
- The total amount of financial aid received from all sources, including outside scholarships, grants, certain loans, and/or Work-Study employment, may not exceed the family's estimated federal financial need. Federal PLUS Loans and Alternative Loans when combined with other types of financial aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance.
- In some cases the College may initially estimate that a student will receive assistance from non-college sources (i.e. state grant, outside scholarships). These items usually require additional follow-up by the student and/or parent with the particular agency or program before the funds are disbursed to the College. It is expected that the family will complete in an accurate and timely manner any requests for information from such agencies or programs. In cases where these estimated amounts are not received, the file will be reviewed for additional funding. Providing funds are available and the family has provided all the information requested of them, the student may be awarded additional grants, loans, and/or work-study.
Disbursement of Financial Aid to Student Accounts
All financial aid, with the exception of Federal Work-Study funds, will be disbursed directly to the student’s account in the Student Accounts Office. Funds are disbursed one semester at a time after the add/drop period has ended. If you are receiving federal, state, or private funds, we have no control over those timetables. However, once such funds are received, we will disburse them to the student's account as soon as possible.
Should you have funds in excess of your charges, you may request a refund of the excess amount after the funds have been received by contacting the Student Accounts Office.
Outside Scholarships or Awards
If you have received or subsequently receive a scholarship or other form of financial aid from any source that was not listed on your Financial Aid Award Notification, you are required to report it to the Office of Financial Aid. You may notify us by completing and submitting the Outside Scholarship/Award Information Form.
The total amount of financial aid received from all sources, including outside scholarships, may not exceed the family's estimated federal financial need. Once federal need is met, outside assistance will result in a reduction in the work-study and/or loan. When the outside assistance exceeds the amount of the work-study and/or loan awards, the Gettysburg College Grant must be adjusted.
Grants or Scholarships from Other States
Students who receive a grant or scholarship from their home state are reminded that most such awards require each recipient to carry a minimum course load of 12 credits per semester. Additionally, most states require that 24 credits be completed each year with at least a passing grade for continued eligibility.
Off-Campus Study and Financial Aid
Financial aid is available for programs of off-campus study (both domestic and study abroad) for a maximum of two semesters for College-affiliated programs that have been approved for credit by the Academic Standing Committee. In such cases, financial assistance from College, federal and state programs will be allocated in the same manner as for students on campus.
International students may have College-funded financial aid applied to off-campus study programs on a case-by-case basis. Contact the Center for Global Education.
Students choosing to study through a non affiliated off-campus program will not be eligible for any type of institutional aid. However, with approval for credit by the Academic Standing Committee and the completion of a consortium/contractual agreement, state and federal programs of financial assistance may still be utilized. In such cases, all financial aid transactions continue to be handled through the Gettysburg College Office of Financial Aid.
Leave of Absence or Withdrawal from Gettysburg
A student who takes a leave of absence or withdraws from the College for any reason (voluntary or involuntary) may reapply for financial aid at the time of his or her reinstatement/readmission. In such cases, the amount of financial assistance may differ from previous years/semesters due to financial need, academic standing and/or the availability of funding.
Federal Financial Aid Verification
The federal government requires colleges and universities to verify for accuracy a portion of their financial aid applicants. Schools are required to review for accuracy income related items (both parent and student), family size, and the number of family members in college.
The information reported on the FAFSA will be compared with tax return transcripts, W-2 forms, and the Gettysburg College Verification Worksheet. We expect families will submit the requested documents in a timely manner. Discrepancies in the information reported could result in a revision of the student's award.
Dual-Degree Programs and Financial Aid
After a Gettysburg College student is enrolled at an affiliated university, he/she becomes a student of that institution. An application for financial aid must be submitted through the affiliated university. A student who qualifies for financial aid at Gettysburg College is not guaranteed a similar financial aid package at the affiliated institution.