Financial aid plays a crucial role in making your college education achievable. Here you will find all the necessary information to guide you through the eligibility requirements for scholarships and grants and how to apply.

Eligibility Requirements 

  • Puget Sound scholarships and grants are awarded for the entire academic year and are divided equally between the fall and spring semesters. Scholarships and grants cannot be applied to summer enrollment.
  • All Puget Sound scholarships and grants are available for up to 10 semesters of full-time enrollment, with the following exceptions:
    • Endowed or gift scholarships are available for up to 8 semesters of full-time enrollment
    • Tuition Exchange awards are available for up to 8 semesters of full-time enrollment
    • A semester of eligibility is counted if any portion of the award is used.
    • Academic scholarship award amounts stay constant year over year, assuming eligibility criteria are met.
  • Puget Sound scholarships and grants require that you be enrolled each semester as a full-time student for at least three (3.0) units per semester.
  • Puget Sound scholarships and grants may only be applied toward the cost of Puget Sound tuition.
    • If you receive other scholarships, grants, stipends, tuition remission, or tuition exchange assistance designated to be used only for tuition and the sum of these awards exceeds the cost of tuition, your scholarship or grant will be reduced or withdrawn until the amount of your tuition designed scholarship dollars equal the amount of tuition.
  • The total amount of need-based federal, state, or university scholarship and grant aid received cannot exceed financial need.
  • The total amount of aid received from all sources cannot exceed the cost of attendance.
  • If a student’s financial aid award must be reduced, the reductions occur in the following order: need-based loan assistance, work-study employment, and finally grant assistance.

To remain eligible for federal, state, and university financial aid, students must meet the following criteria:

  • Maintain full-time enrollment of at least 3.0 units.
  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress by completing at least 75% of the units in which you are enrolled.
  • Undergraduates must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher; graduate candidates must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
  • Maintain the required eligibility criteria for certain scholarships (grade point average, major, performance requirement, etc).
  • Must reapply for need-based financial aid by completing the FAFSA each year.

To remain eligible for federal, state, and university need-based financial aid, a student must continue to demonstrate financial need by completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The amount of need-based financial aid a student is eligible to receive each year may vary depending on their level of financial need and/or other scholarship or grant assistance received.

The Co-Operative Education Program allows students to formally link a work experience to their curriculum for academic credit. Students participating in a .50 unit or 1.0 unit co-op program are eligible for federal or state financial aid, excluding work-study, but are not eligible for Puget Sound scholarships or grants.

Unless otherwise specified on the Financial Aid Award, all financial aid and scholarship recipients are required to maintain full-time enrollment. Enrollment is defined as the number of units registered at the end of the "drop without record" period (the tenth day of enrollment) for fall and spring terms. If you have not enrolled in the minimum number of units your financial aid award was based on, your financial aid will be subject to change.

Your Rights & Responsibilities

It’s important to know your rights and responsibilities as they relate to applying for and receiving financial aid.

You Have the Right to Ask a School:
  • What it costs to attend, and what its refund policies are if you drop out.
  • What financial help is available, including information on federal, state, and school financial aid programs.
  • What the deadlines are for submitting applications for each of the financial aid programs available; and what criteria are used to select financial aid recipients.
  • How individual financial need is determined. This process includes how costs for tuition and fees, room and board, transportation, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc., are considered in your budget.
  • What resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, personal assets, etc.) are considered in the need calculation; and how much of your financial need, as determined by the school, has been met;
  • To explain the various programs in your financial aid package and how and when you will receive your aid.
  • What portion of your financial aid must be repaid, and what portion is grant aid. If the aid is a loan, you have the right to know the interest rate, the total amount that must be repaid, payback procedures, the length of time you have to repay the loan, and when repayment is to begin.
  • How to apply for additional financial aid if your financial circumstances change resulting in increased need.
  • About the effect outside scholarships may have on your financial aid award.
  • How the school determines whether you are making satisfactory academic progress and what happens if you are not.
Your Responsibilities as a Student:
  • Review and consider all information about a school’s program before enrolling.
  • Know and comply with the deadlines for application or reapplication for aid, and with the school’s refund procedures.
  • Respond promptly and return all requested additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information to Student Financial Services or the appropriate agency.
  • Read, understand, accept responsibility for, and keep copies of all forms and agreements you sign.
  • Notify the school of changes in your name, permanent mailing address, marital or enrollment status. If you have a loan, you must also notify your lender of these changes.
  • Perform in a satisfactory manner the work that is agreed upon in accepting a Work Study award.
  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress according to the school’s policies and standards.
  • Repay any student loans you have. When you sign a promissory note, you are agreeing to repay your loan.
  • Complete loan entrance counseling before you receive your first loan disbursement - and exit counseling before you leave school.
Unusual Circumstances

Unusual Circumstances refer to the conditions that justify an aid administrator making an adjustment to a student’s dependency status based on a unique situation (e.g., human trafficking, refugee or asylum status, parental abuse or abandonment, or incarceration), more commonly referred to as a dependency override. Please note: an unusual circumstance does not include the parent’s refusal to contribute to the student’s education, the parent’s unwillingness to provide information on the FAFSA, not claiming the student as dependent for tax purposes, or the student demonstrating total self-sufficiency.

Please contact the Student Financial Services office at sfs@pugetsound.edu or call 253.879.3214 for more information on how to submit an appeal for Unusual Circumstances.

Take The Next Step
Apply for Aid
Learn more about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and funding deadlines. Our school code is 003797.
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