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Financial Aid Office

Applying for & Receiving Financial Aid

The following steps apply to the vast majority of all students at Thomas Jefferson University regarding how to apply for and receive financial aid. There are a couple of exceptions as indicated below:

  • International Students—if you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you are ineligible for federal, state, and need-based university funds.
    • Center City students—contact the Financial Aid Office (Center City) if you have any questions.
    • East Falls students—you may be eligible for an academic scholarship. Contact your Admissions Counselor, international student advisor, or the Financial Aid Office (East Falls) if you have any questions.
  • Study Abroad Students (East Falls only)—contact the Study Away Office in conjunction with the Financial Aid Office (East Falls) if you are considering study abroad through another college or university. Students who are studying at another approved institution are required to have the Jefferson Consortium Agreement (PDF) completed by an official at that institution in order to be considered for financial aid at Jefferson.

Step 1:

Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) here.

  • If you are considered a dependent student, your parents’ financial information must be included on the FAFSA.
  • Students who do not meet the federal criteria of an independent student can complete the Dependency Status Review form (PDF) for an assessment of whether or not they can be considered independent.
  • If you are required to complete a federal tax return, make sure you have done so, because it is a required piece of documentation.
  • Please note: the FAFSA requires consent to transfer tax information for all FAFSA contributors (students and parents of dependent students) from the IRS. If you have not filed a tax return for the required year’s information, you will be required to enter the information manually on the FAFSA. The FAFSA will be considered incomplete without consent for IRS data transfer from all FAFSA contributors.
  • Deadlines
    • Center City students—priority deadline for incoming students: April 1; priority deadline for returning students: March 15
    • East Falls students—priority deadline for incoming first-year and all continuing students: April 1; early action students are encouraged to apply by December 1 to receive their financial aid offer by December 31. Transfer students are encouraged to apply for financial aid concurrent to their application for admission.
  • Jefferson College of Life Sciences postbaccalaureate students & Jefferson College of Nursing FACT-1 students only—you are considered a fifth-year undergraduate student; your program is not considered a graduate program.
  • Sidney Kimmel Medical College students only—parents’ financial information must be included on the FAFSA if you are applying for institutional scholarships and institutional loans.

Step 2:

You will receive an email notification to view your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). Logging into StudentAid.gov account Dashboard:

  • Select your processed FAFSA submission from the “My Activity” section
  • Select “View FAFSA Submission Summary”

The FSS will include your estimated eligibility for Federal Student Aid, your Student Aid Index (SAI) and whether you’ve been selected for verification

  • If your FAFSA is complete and fully processed, your estimated federal student aid and SAI will display under the “Eligibility Overview” tab of your online FAFSA Submission Summary. If you selected Thomas Jefferson University as one of your schools, Jefferson should receive your FAFSA within approximately a week.
  • If your FAFSA Submission Summary indicates action required, it won’t include your estimated federal student aid and SAI. Instead your FSS will request information that you must provide before your eligibility for financial aid can be determined.

Step 3:

You will hear from the Financial Aid Office regarding your eligibility for student financial aid programs.

Step 4:

Federal, state, and university grants and scholarships are automatically accepted on your behalf on BannerWeb.

  • If your financial aid package includes federal student loans and you have accepted the award of federal student loans, then you are required to complete a Master Promissory Note (only if you are a new borrower) and Entrance Counseling.
  • If your financial aid package includes university loans and you have accepted the award of university loans, then you are required to complete an Annual e-Promissory Note.
  • If your financial aid package includes Federal Work-Study and you have accepted the award of Federal Work-Study, then you are required to complete a Federal Work-Study application located on BannerWeb.
  • Students and/or parents whose financial circumstances have changed since filing the FAFSA may complete and submit the appropriate form to the Financial Aid Office to allow for reevaluation of financial aid eligibility:

Additional Steps for Sidney Kimmel Medical College Students

  • If you are applying for institutional scholarships or institutional loans, you must:
  • Submit the Jefferson Institutional Financial Aid Application and Verification Worksheet located on BannerWeb.
  • Complete the parental section on the FAFSA.
  • Submit a signed copy of your parents’ federal income tax return to the Financial Aid Office. If your parents did not and will not file a federal income tax return, then they must complete the Non-filing Statement located on BannerWeb.
  • If you are not applying for institutional scholarships or institutional loans, you must submit the Not Applying for Institutional Aid Confirmation form located on BannerWeb. Submitting parental information is not required.
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