Vassar Admissions
 

Returning Student Financial Aid Checklist
U.S. Citizens And Permanent Residents

  • Keep a file copy of all documents you submit.
  • Write your name and Vassar ID number in the upper right hand corner of all documents you send to the college.
  • Please comply with all deadlines for the best chance of receiving financial aid.

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Submit to the College Board's Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC): (more information on IDOC below)

  • Note: All supporting documents should be submitted to the College Board as one complete packet and must have an IDOC cover sheet. Please make sure that all tax returns and cover sheets are signed. Cover sheets are available for download from the College Board's IDOC website. The College Board will not process any information without an IDOC cover sheet.
  • Submit signed copies of 2008 Federal Tax Returns and W-2 forms - all pages and schedules for student and parents (including noncustodial parent, if applicable). If the student or parent will not be filing a 2008 tax return, then you must complete a Non-Tax Filer Statement, which can be downloaded from the IDOC website.

Supporting documents for the IDOC may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Business/Farm Supplement (BFS), if applicable
  • If parents hold an interest in a partnership or corporation, copies of all pages and schedules of the 2008 federal business income tax return(s), including all K-1s, must be submitted along with personal federal income tax returns.
  • In the case of divorced or separated parents, you may submit your noncustodial parent tax information along with your application materials to the College Board. Alternatively, you may forward a copy of the IDOC cover sheet to your noncustodial parent and request that he or she submit the requested materials directly to IDOC.

Submit to Vassar:


  • Vassar Scholarship Survey Form only if you have received a VC Scholarship in 2008-2009.
  • Students who will be participating in a JYA or Domestic Exchange Program for the Fall 2009 semester will need to submit a 2009-2010 JYA Financial Aid Budget Worksheet directly to the Financial Aid Office.
  • Tax Extensions: If your parents will file a tax extension, please send a copy of IRS Form 2350 directly to the Financial Aid Office. Once they have filed their 2008 tax returns they will need to submit them to IDOC.
Interior of Student Building
Vassar PROFILE Code: 2956
Vassar FAFSA Code: 002895

Additional Requirements for Special Circumstances

State Grants and Scholarships: If your state of residence offers a grant or scholarship that can be used in the State of New York then it is your responsibility to apply for those funds. New York residents apply for TAP online at: https://www.tapweb.org/totw/ (Vassar TAP code: 1030).

Social Security Benefits Statement: If you or a member of your household received Social Security benefits last year, you will receive Form SSA-1099 from Social Security in January. Send a copy to IDOC along with the 2008 Federal Tax Returns.

Statement of Overseas Living Expenses: If you are a U.S. citizen living abroad, you must complete this statement (download it here) and send it to IDOC along with the 2008 Federal Tax Returns.

IDOC Process

Beginning with the 2009-2010 academic year, we have partnered with the College Board’s Imaging and Documentation Service (IDOC) to collect the financial aid application materials for our continuing students. As a result, you and your parents will be mailing your tax information to the College Board IDOC service rather than to the Office of Financial Aid at Vassar College.

In early March, the Financial Aid Office mailed instructions on applying for financial aid to parents of all students who applied for financial aid for 2008-2009. In addition, you will receive notifications and filing instructions from the College Board IDOC service, with a link to the IDOC website, to print your cover sheet and a list of required documents. You will need to mail the IDOC cover sheet and all tax information directly to IDOC. Once your documents have been received, the College Board will electronically image and transmit your information to the Vassar College Financial Aid Office.

We would like to assure you that the information you submit to IDOC will be kept confidential and will only be shared with our office. The College Board will electronically store your information in a secure environment and the paper copies of your documents will be destroyed.

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