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The school year for which financial aid is used to fund a student’s education. Generally, this is the 12-month period that begins on July 1 of one year and ends on June 30 of the following year.
The total cost of attending a college for one year, including tuition, housing, food, books, transportation, fees and miscellaneous expenses. The listed cost of attendance doesn’t consider an individual student's financial aid. Your specific cost of attendance may be more or less than the listed cost of attendance, depending on a number of factors such as housing situation, dining plan, etc.
Administered by the College Scholarship Service, which is the financial aid division of the College Board, the CSS Profile is a web-based financial aid form required by some colleges, including Carnegie Mellon, in addition to the FAFSA. Students who wish to apply for institutional (CMU) financial aid are required to complete the CSS Profile.
If a student's parents are divorced or separated, the custodial parent is the one who provided the majority of financial support in the past 12 months. If financial support is equal between the two parents, then the parent who has the greater income and assets becomes the custodial parent.
This is the gap between the cost of attending a school (including tuition, fees, housing, food, books/course materials, travel allowance, and personal expenses) and what a student and their family can reasonably contribute based on their financial situation. CMU determines this amount by assessing a student's financial information through the FAFSA, CSS Profile and, in some cases, additional tax documentation.
In other words, demonstrated financial need represents the financial support a student requires to attend an institution after determining what a family can contribute based on their income, assets and family size. Many colleges use this calculation to offer need-based financial aid, such as grants, scholarships, work-study, or loans, to help bridge the gap and make education more affordable.
The status of most first-year college students; used for financial aid calculation. Dependent students must report their parents' income and assets on their financial aid applications.
The process of applying financial aid funds to your student account. Upon disbursement, students will be able to view the type of aid and amount that has been applied to their account and its impact to any remaining balance. Learn more about Carnegie Mellon’s disbursement process.