Nazareth will award the maximum financial aid for which you are eligible based upon our institutional policies. If there have been recent changes to your family's financial situation or if you feel there are special circumstances that could affect your financial aid package, you can alert the Financial Aid Office via the appeal process.

Newly Accepted Freshmen or Transfer Students:

Contact the Financial Aid Office by either calling 585-389-2310 or sending an email to finaid@naz.edu and you will be provided further information.

Returning Undergraduate Students:

Email your Financial Aid Counselor detailing the change of circumstances. Your counselor will then evaluate your situation and instruct you on the next steps in the process.

Your request will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee and you will be sent a written response detailing the committee's decision.

Nazareth College Fair Lending Practices

Code of Conduct

Nazareth College is committed to the highest standards of professional conduct and ethical behavior. We recognize that ensuring the integrity of the student financial aid and student accounts processes are critical to providing fair and affordable access to higher education. With the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Congress has required that all colleges and universities post a Code of Conduct relating to financial aid, private lending, and student choice. Accordingly, the staff in Financial Aid and Student Accounts confirm that we adhere to the following sound practices.

College employees do not receive any personal benefits from Lending Institutions. No member of the financial aid office staff and/or the student accounts office staff will accept anything of more than nominal value on his or her behalf or on behalf of another person or entity from any Lending Institution.  This includes, for example, cash, stocks, gifts, entertainment, or travel reimbursement for conferences or training.

Nazareth College does not provide any advantage to a Lending Institution. The staff in Financial Aid and Student Accounts do not accept anything of value from any Lending Institution in exchange for any advantage or consideration provided to the Lending Institution related to student loan activities. This includes but is not limited to revenue sharing, printing costs, etc. In addition, the College does not operate a financial aid call center staffed by a Lending Institution.

Nazareth College does not maintain a Preferred Lender List. For private/alternative loans, staff in the Financial Aid Office and Student Accounts Office do not recommend any lending institutions. Students and parents are free to select the lending institution of their choice.

Nazareth College employees do not serve on lender advisory boards for remuneration. No officer, trustee, or employee of the College who makes financial aid or student accounts decisions for the College or who is employed in, supervises, or otherwise has responsibility over the College's Financial Aid Office or Student Accounts Office will receive any remuneration for serving as a member or participant on a student loan advisory board of a Lending Institution, or receive any reimbursement of expenses for such service.

Online Exit Counseling

Federal regulations require all Federal Direct Stafford, Grad PLUS, and Perkins Loan borrowers participate in Exit Loan Counseling Interviews. When you leave Nazareth, the mandatory Exit Loan Counseling requirement can be accomplished by going to the websites listed below. Please have available the following information:

• Social security number
• Driver's license number
• Name, address, telephone number of three references
• Name, address, telephone number of expected employer, if available.

Please note that a separate Exit Counseling must be done for each loan program from which you borrowed.

FEDERAL DIRECT LOANS (including Stafford Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Grad PLUS):

FEDERAL PERKINS LOAN: Heartland ECSI

You are entitled to see your applications, grade transcripts, notice of awards and terms, and yearly reports. Colleges are not required to show parents and students notes and records kept solely for aid office use in reaching an aid decision, or to show students parental tax forms unless authorized by parents. Aid officers may discuss family finances with a student, unless specifically requested by a parent not to do so.

Verification is a federal review process required by the U.S. Department of Education by which we compare information from your FAFSA with your federal income tax information and other related documents. The U.S. Department of Education determines which student FAFSAs are selected for verification.

If your FAFSA is selected for verification, your taxable income must be verified by using the FAFSA's IRS Data Retrieval Tool or by comparing it to an IRS Tax Return Transcript. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool allows you and your parent(s) to pull in data from your filed federal tax returns into your FAFSA. You are strongly encouraged to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. If you are unable to use IRS Data Retrieval, you may order an IRS Tax Return Transcript online at www.irs.gov or by calling 1-800-908-9946.

In addition, you must complete a Federal Verification Worksheet to verify household and untaxed income information. The Federal Verification Worksheet (one for dependent students, one for independent students) is available here: Financial Aid Forms. Students will be contacted via their Nazareth College email if they are selected for federal verification. The required information must be provided within 30 days of request in order to receive any federal financial aid. For returning students, financial aid packages will not be determined until verification requirements are satisfactorily completed.

Nazareth College offers the following five-year academic programs to entering freshmen:

• Joint BS/MS degree in Occupational Therapy
• BS/MS.ED dual degree in Art Education
• BS/MS in Speech Language Pathology

Under these programs, students are considered undergraduate for the first four years of the program and apply for financial aid as undergraduate students. Undergraduate students may receive Nazareth College scholarships/grants for full-time enrollment and are billed for tuition at full-time undergraduate flat rates. Note: Students are only eligible for Federal Pell Grants as undergraduate students and would receive a prorated Pell grant in their fourth year if graduate-level courses are taken.

In the fifth year (and the summer before) students are considered graduate students and are no longer eligible for New York State and Nazareth College grants/scholarships. However, billing for tuition is on a per-credit basis and costs are considerably lower than the full-time undergraduate flat tuition rate.

See Renewal Requirements for Graduate Federal Aid.

• Nazareth College Room Grants are not available for off-campus housing and will be removed from the financial aid award upon notification of a change in housing status.
• The figures used to determine Room & Board costs remain the same regardless of whether you live on campus, in an apartment/house alone, or in an apartment/house with roommates. The budget does not change.
• The budget and financial aid eligibility is reduced if you decide to commute from home as there will be no college room charges or rent to be paid.
• When living off campus, room charges no longer appear on your college bill. Board (meal plan) charges will also be removed unless you decide to enroll in a commuter meal plan option.
• If your financial aid exceeds the charges on your student account, you are entitled to a refund once classes begin. Student Accounts will automatically send the refund check to your address on file. You may use that refund to help pay your off-campus expenses.

If you have questions about the impact that moving off campus or living at home will have on your financial aid, please make an appointment to meet with your financial aid counselor as soon as possible.

Federal Student Aid Penalties for Drug Convictions

Pursuant to Section 485 of the Higher Education Opportunity Act signed into law in 2008, schools are required to provide to each student, upon enrollment, a separate, clear, and conspicuous written notice that advises the student that during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal financial aid program funds, a conviction for any offense under any federal or state law involving the possession or sale of illegal drugs will result in the loss of eligibility for any federal student grant, loan, or work-study assistance (HEA Sec. 484(r)(1)); (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)(1)).

Student Convicted of the Possession or Sale of Drugs (Taken from the Federal Student Aid Handbook)

A federal or state drug conviction can disqualify a student for FSA funds.  Convictions only count if they were for an offense that occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Title IV aid; they do not count if the offense was not during such a period. Also, a conviction that was reversed, set aside, or removed from the student's record does not count, nor does one received when s/he was a juvenile, unless s/he was tried as an adult.

The chart below illustrates the period of ineligibility for FSA funds, depending on whether the conviction was for sale or possession and whether the student had previous offenses.  (A conviction for sale of drugs includes convictions for conspiring to sell drugs).

If the student was convicted of both possessing and selling illegal drugs, and the periods of ineligibility are different, the student will be ineligible for the longer period.

Schools must provide each student who becomes ineligible for Title IV aid due to a drug conviction a clear and conspicuous written notice of her/his loss of eligibility and the methods whereby s/he can become eligible again. A student regains eligibility the day after the period of ineligibility ends or when s/he successfully completes a qualified drug rehabilitation program or passes two unannounced drug tests given by such a program. Further drug convictions will make her/him ineligible again.

Students denied eligibility for an indefinite period can regain it after successfully completing a rehabilitation program (as described below), passing two unannounced drug tests from such a program, or if a conviction is reversed, set aside, or removed from the student's record so that fewer than two convictions for sale or three convictions for possession remain on the record. In such cases, the nature and dates of the remaining convictions will determine when the student regains eligibility. When a student regains eligibility during the award year, s/he may be awarded Pell grant, TEACH, and Campus-based aid for the current payment period and Direct loans for the period of enrollment.

Standards for a qualified drug rehabilitation program

A qualified drug rehabilitation program must include at least two unannounced drug tests and must satisfy at least one of the following requirements:

• Be qualified to receive funds directly or indirectly from a federal, state, or local government program.

• Be qualified to receive payment directly or indirectly from a federally or state-licensed insurance company.

• Be administered or recognized by a federal, state, or local government agency or court.

• Be administered or recognized by a federally or state-licensed hospital, health clinic, or medical doctor.

Nazareth College does not maintain a Preferred Lender List.  For private/alternative loans, staff in the Financial Aid Office and Student Accounts Office do not recommend any lending institutions. Students and parents are free to select the lending institution of their choice.

With only a few exceptions, male students ages 18 through 25 must register with Selective Service to receive federal aid. If you are not registered, the FAFSA allows a space for you to do so on the application itself or complete the registration at www.sss.gov. If the FAFSA Student Aid Report has a notation that you are not registered, you must do so before you can receive any federal aid.

When considering a study abroad program, ask your financial aid counselor about the impact on your financial aid award. Nazareth College grants/scholarships are only available for Nazareth College study abroad programs (residential programs, exchange programs, or short-term programs) for which Nazareth College tuition is charged.

If you are a financial aid recipient and plan to attend a Nazareth College study abroad program and pay tuition directly to Nazareth, you remain eligible to receive all financial aid as awarded. However, a Nazareth College room grant is not awarded for terms off campus.

If you are a financial aid recipient and attend a study abroad program not through Nazareth whose courses will apply toward the Nazareth College degree, you retain eligibility for the following funds only: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Stafford Loan (subsidized and unsubsidized), and NYS aid (if studying through a NYS college/university), Federal PLUS Loan, private/alternative loans. Nazareth College grants/scholarships will not be awarded. In order for us to determine the exact aid eligibility, and to process and disburse your funds, you must submit (in addition to a completed financial aid application) the required Consortium/Contractual Agreement completed by you and the non-Nazareth program. Students may apply for private funding through their non-Nazareth program, but must notify the Nazareth College financial aid office if they receive such funding. Consortium/Contractual Agreement forms may be obtained in the financial aid office.

If you will attend a non-Nazareth program, you must arrange for the transfer of funds by providing information on the consortium/contractual agreement. We will follow the instructions you provide on page three of the agreement. Funds can be sent to your program, your parents, or yourself. No funds, however, will be transferred until they are received at Nazareth (i.e. federal grant/loans processed and NYS grant payments received, etc.) You should not assume that all funds will be available when your bill from the other institution is due.

NOTE: If you attend one program in the fall and a different program in the spring semester, a consortium/contractual agreement is required for each one. If you attend one program for a full year, one consortium/contractual agreement is sufficient.

Study Abroad Scholarship and Grant Opportunities >

At Nazareth, the summer term starts a new academic year, meaning that you must file the FAFSA form for the upcoming year to receive financial aid in the summer (i.e. Summer 2020 enrollment requires the 2020-2021 FAFSA to be on file). Aid for Summer 2020 cannot be processed with a 2019-20 FAFSA. If the FAFSA is chosen for federal verification, the verification must be complete before federal financial aid can be disbursed.

The summer semester is comprised of two separate terms, Summer A and Summer B. Students may enroll in either term or both terms. Regardless, financial aid is processed with both terms combined to form one summer semester (i.e. 3 credits in Summer A plus 3 credits in Summer B equates to half-time summer enrollment at 6 credit hours for financial aid purposes).

For many students, taking classes in the summer may be beneficial or even required. Limited financial aid is available for summer enrollment at Nazareth.

• Federal Direct Stafford Loans (subsidized/unsubsidized): Available for students enrolled in at least 6 credits during Summer A and/or Summer B combined terms. Please be aware that your summer loan eligibility may be impacted if you choose to drop or withdrawal from a class in which you were previously registered. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions regarding your continued summer loan eligibility. Note: Use of a portion of your annual Federal Direct Loan eligibility for the summer semester reduces the remaining fall and spring semester loan amounts as your annual loan eligibility is being spread over three semesters rather than two.
• Federal Pell Grants: Awarded to eligible undergraduate students for degree completion coursework. The Pell grant amount is prorated based on the number of enrolled credits during the Summer A and/or Summer B combined terms.
• Summer internships: A limited number of undergraduate scholarships are available by contacting Emily Carpenter, Director of the Professional Internship Program, ecarpen1@naz.edu, Golisano Academic Center Room 112.
• Summer study abroad scholarships: Opportunities for undergraduate scholarships may be viewed under Study Abroad in Financial Aid Policies.
• TEACH Grant: Available for undergraduate and graduate students in specific teaching degree programs. The TEACH Grant amount is prorated based on the number of enrolled credits during Summer A and/or Summer B combined terms. Information regarding the TEACH Grant may be viewed in Scholarships & Grants.
• Graduate Assistantships: Information regarding assistantships may be viewed at Graduate Assistantships.

Important notes:

• Nazareth students may not apply for federal student aid (student loans and/or Pell grants) to pay for summer school courses at another institution.

Students who have been convicted of, or who have pled guilty (nolo contendere) to a crime involving fraud in obtaining Title IV federal financial aid are not eligible for additional aid until they have repaid the fraudulently obtained funds.

To comply with federal regulations, Nazareth College must include any outside scholarship/private scholarships in the total financial aid awards to ensure financial need and/or total cost of attendance is not exceeded. In the event your federal financial need is being exceeded due to an outside scholarship, we must reduce your federal need based aid (i.e. Federal Work Study, Direct Subsidized Loans, or Perkins Loans) accordingly. Nazareth College scholarships and grants may be used toward tuition charges only; Room Grants are used to off-set Nazareth College on-campus housing charges.

Normally, the College does not reduce its own scholarships/grants as a result of an outside scholarship. However, some outside scholarships may be restricted to a tuition benefit only (i.e. NYS TAP, Veteran’s/ROTC tuition benefits, Tuition Exchange, etc.) or to a housing benefit only. In the event the sum of the tuition only outside scholarships and the Nazareth College scholarships/grants exceed tuition charges, the College will then reduce Nazareth College scholarships/grants accordingly. In the event the sum of the housing only outside scholarships and Nazareth College housing scholarships exceed housing charges, the College will then reduce Nazareth College scholarships/grants accordingly.

Self-Certification Form: Student borrowers are now required to complete a Self Certification Form for each private loan they borrow. This form must be returned to your private loan lender as part of the loan process. Your lender will provide you with a copy of this form. All Self-Certification Forms for Private Loans should be sent to your specific lender and NOT your Financial Aid Office.

How to complete the Self-Certification Form: Section 2 of the Self-Certification form requires you to report your cost of attendance and estimated financial assistance:

• A. Student's Cost of Attendance for the period of enrollment covered by the loan.

Cost of Attendance refers to tuition/fees, room & board, books, travel to school and miscellaneous expenses. For all undergraduates, the standard Cost of Attendance is $53,808 for 2020-21. Graduate students should use the amounts provided on NazNet in the financial aid section. Estimates are acceptable.

• B. Estimated Financial Assistance

This should reflect the amount of financial aid you will receive during the period of enrollment your loan will be for (this includes loans, work-study, federal and state grants, scholarship, tuition remission, non-Nazareth scholarships, etc. DO NOT include the private/institutional loan you are currently self-certifying). You can obtain this information by viewing your financial aid record on NazNet.

• C. Difference between amounts A and B

Please remember to SIGN and DATE your form. If you do not, then your private loan will not be disbursed, even if all other documentation and approvals are in place.

Section 3 of the Self-Certification Form requires you to indicate the loan's period of enrollment: "Period of Enrollment Covered by the Loan From to ."  Typically this is the academic year - the beginning of the fall semester to the end of the spring semester. If you are only applying for a single semester, or for the summer only, enter the dates for the beginning of the semester/term and the end of the semester/term. Approximate dates will suffice, or you can refer to the Academic Calendar if you're uncertain.

To receive federal aid, you must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen.

Generally, you are an eligible noncitizen if you are any of the following:

1. a permanent U.S. resident with a Permanent Resident Card (I-551)
2. a conditional permanent resident (I-551C)
3. the holder of an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security showing any one of the following designations: Refugee, Asylum Granted, Parolee (I-94 confirms that you were paroled for a minimum of one year and status has not expired), Victim of human trafficking, T-Visa holder (T-1, T-2, T-3, etc.), Battered immigrants-qualified aliens, Conditional entrants, or Cuban-Haitian Entrant.

If the government cannot confirm your citizenship status, you will be asked to provide documentation of your eligibility. The Student Aid Report you receive after filing the FAFSA will have a notation if your citizenship status requires you to provide further documentation to the Financial Aid office.

See Renewal Requirements for Undergraduate Federal Aid

Withdrawal & Refund Policy

Federal regulations require that the College have a fair and equitable refund policy for students who withdraw on or after the first day of classes for a period of enrollment for which the student was charged.

If you withdraw or go on a leave of absence during the semester, your institutional charges will be reduced according to the Student Accounts Policy on the Reduction of Charges. All Nazareth College grants/scholarships are reduced in accordance with this same policy.

Students who withdraw or go on a leave of absence within the first 60% of the semester and who receive Federal financial aid (such a Pell Grant, SEOG Grant, TEACH Grant, Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Perkins Loans), are subject to the Federal Title IV Refund Policy which determines the amount of federal aid earned based on the actual date of withdraw/leave of absence. Based on this calculation, all unearned Federal aid is refunded back to the federal programs in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Direct Loan
2. Subsidized Direct Loan
3. Perkins Loan
4. Direct PLUS Loan (Graduate Student)
5. Direct PLUS Loan (Parent of an Undergraduate Student)
6. Pell Grant
7. SEOG Grant
8. TEACH Grant

Note: If you received a portion of the award in a refund check from the Student Accounts office to cover non-institutional expenses, a partial repayment may be required to the applicable federal program.

Once all required adjustments are made to the financial aid award, any remaining credit balance will be refunded to the student and any remaining balance due will be invoiced to the student. Before withdrawing or taking a leave of absence, review the Leave of Absence or Withdrawal information sheet at Financial Aid Forms page to understand how your financial aid may be impacted and to learn your rights and responsibilities.

Federal Perkins and Federal Direct Stafford Loan recipients who withdraw or take a leave of absence for one or more semesters must have an exit interview. Federal Direct Stafford or PLUS borrowers are required to notify their servicing agent as well as the Financial Aid Office when they withdraw.

Students Receiving Military Tuition Assistance: 

Any unearned Military Tuition Assistance funds will be returned on a proportional basis through the 60% portion of the semester for which the funds were provided. Any funds returned will be returned to the students’ respective branch of service which provided the funds. When a student is unable to attend as a result of their military service obligation, arrangements will be made on a case by case basis, relative to each individual’s specific circumstances, to prevent the student from incurring a student debt for the returned portion of their Military Tuition Assistance.

Nazareth College uses the same model required for calculating the return of Title IV funds to determine the return of Tuition Assistance. The Federal Title IV Refund Policy determines the amount of federal aid returned based on the actual date of withdraw/leave of absence. Returned Military Tuition Assistance will be calculated in the same manner up to the 60% portion of the semester.  Military Tuition Assistance will not be included in the Federal Title IV calculations but the same percentage will be applied in determining the amount of Military Tuition Assistance to return.

Based on valid FAFSA data, Nazareth will award the maximum federal aid eligible to each student, including Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Students have a right to cancel all or part of these Federal loans by notifying the Financial Aid Office. Students may also cancel all or part of a TEACH Grant or a Direct PLUS Loan for which they have applied by notifying the Financial Aid Office. Notification to cancel all or part of a TEACH Grant or Federal loan disbursement must be made to the Financial Aid Office within 30 days of receiving the Disbursement Notification of the federal aid.