Current Students Apply for Aid

The FAFSA is a required federal form for federal financial aid programs. The application will be available sometime in December 2024.

• Please complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov
• Submission deadline: Feb. 15
• Bucknell's FAFSA code: 003238
• How to fill out your FAFSA (video)
• If you do not receive an email from the Department of Education within 72 hours confirming that you have correctly submitted the FAFSA, resubmit the form. If there are problems with your FAFSA submission, the Department of Education will contact you by email or letter.
• The FAFSA will collect income information from 2023.
• One of the new features of FAFSA Simplification is a streamlined method created by the Department of Education to pull tax data directly from the IRS into the FAFSA. FTI (Federal Taxpayer Information) will be sent directly from the IRS to the Department of Education and into the FAFSA by way of the FADDX (Future Act Direct Data Exchange) rather than applicants using the IRS DRT (Data Retrieval Tool) which was used in previous years. Please be aware that all contributors to the FAFSA must give consent for their tax information to be shared via FADDX or their FAFSA will be rejected.
• If this is your first time applying for Bucknell need-based aid, the CSS Profile must also be completed. You can find it at student.collegeboard.org/profile. The CSS code for Bucknell is 2050.

• Submit the 2023 parent federal tax return. Please make sure the tax return is signed and dated and include schedules 1, 2, 3, C, SE, and K1, if applicable.
• Print clearly the student's name and Bucknell University ID number on all documents.
• Attach all W-2 and 1099 forms from 2023.
• Tax Extensions: The previous year's tax return should have been filed; however, if your parents still have a filing extension, return the Bucknell University Information Data Form on time with a copy of the extension form. You will still be required to submit the tax return to us after it is filed, as your financial aid will not be determined or processed until we receive a copy of the actual filed tax return.
• Non-filers of Federal Tax Returns from previous years: Parents who are not required to file a federal tax return should indicate their non-filing status by checking the appropriate box on the Bucknell University Financial Aid Data Form. Be sure to complete the untaxed income section on the application. If your parent(s) worked, they will need to submit copies of all W-2 forms.

Deadline: August 15

Financial Aid at Bucknell University is made possible through donations to the University from a diverse group of alumni, parents, and friends, as well as foundations and other organizations. Much of this aid comes from named endowed or annual funds which help Bucknell offer generous financial aid packages. In many cases, a donor's only restriction when they made their gift to Bucknell was that it provide financial aid to eligible students. However, some donors ask that their named endowed or annual funds support students who also have specific academic, extracurricular or career interests.

The Stewardship & Donor Relations Office, working closely with the Office of Financial Aid, reviews the information provided on the Student Disclosure Survey (linked below) to determine students who qualify for one of Bucknell's named endowed or annual funds.

This information is critical for staff to understand student interests, activities and goals.

A student selected for a named endowed or annual fund best fits the intent of the fund. Students who participate in this program often form life-long connections and gain valuable networking opportunities with their named fund supporters, many of whom also received support while they were at Bucknell. If you are interested, we may provide an opportunity to connect students with the named or endowed fund supporters, either through written communication, or in-person and virtual events.

Please know that receiving a named endowed or annual fund does not increase the total amount of Bucknell aid that a student receives. Instead, the named fund replaces some or all of the Bucknell aid.

Link to Upperclass Survey

If you are selected for federal verification as indicated on the FAFSA, you will need to submit additional documentation in order for your file to be complete.

Please log in to myBucknell, locate 'Financial Aid Self-Service' under Webtools for Students, click on 'Financial Aid Self-Service' and review your requirements on the Home tab.

Go to studentaid.gov to complete the three requirements below:

• Entrance Counseling
• Master Promissory Note (MPN)
• Complete the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement

You will need to create an account if you don't have one already.

• Please do not complete the Federal Direct PLUS Loan information until May/June.
• Federal regulations require that you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before your parents may borrow a PLUS loan. Please refer to the loans section under the Types of Aid page.