Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! In 2025-2026, 100% of students at Agnes Scott received some form of aid. 88% of first-time, first-year students qualified for need-based aid.

Typically, our financial aid packages are made up of aid from a variety of sources, and it is important to understand the differences. Merit-based aid is generally awarded in the form of scholarships, and they are awarded based on factors including academic achievement, community service, leadership and extracurricular involvement. Scholarships are funding that do not have to be repaid, though there are requirements to keep scholarships (included in scholarship letter upon reception). Need-based aid may be grants, loans or student work study and is based on your family’s financial need as determined by the FAFSA.

Federal aid is generally awarded based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). U.S. citizens should submit the FAFSA to determine full financial aid eligibility. The Agnes Scott College FAFSA school code is 001542.

Your need-based financial aid award is based on your SAI (Student Aid Index). Your SAI is calculated by the U.S. Department of Education based on your completed FAFSA. Whether or not you are eligible for a merit-based scholarship, you may qualify for need-based financial aid.

The FAFSA must be submitted every year after October 1 (or when available), preferably no later than February 1 for incoming students and May 1 for returning students. Students receiving need-based aid must maintain Agnes Scott College's Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is based on:

• Parent and student income
• Parent and student current assets
• Federal taxes paid
• Number of people dependent on the family's income
• Ages(s) of parents(s)

Cost of Attendance Includes:

• Tuition and mandatory fees
• Room & Board or commuter living expenses
• Books
• Transportation
• Personal expenses
• Loan fees, if applicable

Two federal programs provide outright grant funds based on family SAI, which do not need to be repaid. Federal Pell Grants provide a maximum award of $7,395 for the 2025-2026 award year. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) range from $100 to $4,000 annually. Agnes Scott receives a very small amount of SEOG funding.

Agnes Scott prepares a financial aid offer that combines various sources of aid, including but not limited to federal, state, and/or institutional grants and scholarships; federal student loans; and federal work study.

It’s possible! The total financial aid offer cannot exceed the total Cost of Attendance per federal guidelines. However, when at all possible, we try to ensure that your offer remains the same or similar. As soon as you learn of aid from other sources, you should contact the Office of Financial Aid. This includes tuition remission, private outside scholarships, or additional aid sources.

If there are extenuating circumstances the FAFSA doesn’t take into account, such as medical expenses, unemployment or a change in financial situation between years, reach out to your admission counselor or the Office of Financial Aid to walk through our appeal process.

For incoming first-year students, we typically begin to send out financial aid offers in early February. For returning students, we will begin to send out offers in June.

If you are an incoming first-year student, you will see your offer in both your admission portal a hard copy will be mailed. If you are a current student, you can view your offer in your financial aid portal, accessible through ASCAgnes.

If you are approved as a commuter by the Office of Residence Life, your financial aid offer could change to reflect off-campus living status. 

In order to receive your federal or state aid, you must maintain Agnes Scott College’s Satisfactory Academic Progress. Individual scholarships have their own requirements for eligibility maintenance.

Eligible transfer and nontraditional students will be considered for need-based aid and merit-based scholarships. For almost all of our transfer merit-based scholarships, no separate application is required, but you do need to complete the FAFSA to be considered for federal financial aid.

Verification is a review process directed by the Department of Education to determine the accuracy of information on the FAFSA. If your FAFSA is selected for verification, you will receive an email with all required documents. You must complete the verification process before federal financial aid will disburse to your account.