How Much to Borrow?

This happens most often when:

• Work-Study is included on your Financial Aid Award Letter
• You have additional costs to pay, such as:
  • health insurance
  • housing (room) surcharges
  • senior dues
  • books
  • computer
  • travel
  • personal expenses

The Financial Aid Award Letter you receive from our office shows the amount we believe your family will need, in order to cover the regular cost of tuition and fees, room and board (if you live on campus).  While the award letter will not include any of the special costs, the billing statement from the Business Office will include: health insurance, room surcharges, and senior dues.

To help insure that you receive all that you need from a loan, we recommend that you contact the Office of Financial Aid if any of the situations listed above apply to you, and you want or need the loan to cover these costs. Let us know the amount you need for “special expenses” and if you intend to use any other method of payment in addition to the loan.  We will then determine if your loan can cover the regular costs, plus the additional expenses. 

There may be times when it is necessary to document the additional costs you want the loan to cover. Use this Loan Supplement.  We may then be able to adjust the amount you are eligible to borrow, making it possible for most or all costs to be covered by the loan.

Be aware that it may be necessary to decrease your work-study allocation before adjusting the amount you may borrow.