Financial Aid

Vassar adheres to a need-blind admission policy, which means that admission decisions for all first-year students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are made without regard to the students’ financial situation. The goal of the Financial Aid Office is to make a Vassar education affordable and accessible to all admitted students. Vassar meets 100% of the full demonstrated need of all admitted students, international or domestic, for all four years.

Financial aid is awarded to about 55% of Vassar students, exclusively on the basis of need. Beginning in the fall of 2008, loans will be replaced with Vassar grant funds for U.S. students with calculated family incomes of up to $60,000. In 2007-2008, our students received financial aid awards ranging from $1,200 to over $49,000, depending on their financial situations. Their families’ annual incomes ranged from $6,000 to $200,000.

If you are considering Vassar, do not hesitate to apply because you think your family cannot afford it. A Vassar education can be surprisingly affordable, as the following two hypothetical cases demonstrate.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will I be able to afford a Vassar education? A: Yes. Vassar is committed to meeting 100% of the demonstrated financial need of all admitted applicants for all four years. More.

Financial Aid Deadlines
Early Decision I	Nov. 1
Early Decision II	Dec. 15
Regular Decision	Feb. 1
Fall Transfer	Mar. 15
Spring Transfer	Nov. 1
Returning Students	Apr. 19

Vassar and QuestBridge College Match
Vassar is a College Match partner with QuestBridge, a program dedicated to providing higher educational opportunities to academically talented, low-income, and underserved youth in America. More.

Case #1 Jack Jones, from Louisiana, lives with his parents and brother, who is also attending college. Both his parents work and earn a combined salary of $89,000. In addition, they earn $3,300 in interest on savings and investments. They have a modest amount of equity in their home.

Case #2 Sally Smith lives in a rented apartment in Brooklyn with her widowed mother and a younger sister. Her mother earns $18,500 a year and receives $11,000 in Social Security benefits.

Total Cost	$	52,560
(including $2,120 for books and personal expenses and $910 for travel to and from campus)
Total Family Contribution	$	12,970
Parent contribution	$	11,570
Student contribution	$	1,400
Financial Need	$	39,590
Total Financial Aid Award	$	39,590
Vassar Scholarship	$	34,245
Federal Perkins Loan	$	1,000
Stafford Student Loan	$	2,625
Campus Job	$	1,720

Total Cost	$	51,770
(including $2,120 for books and personal expenses and $120 for travel to and from campus)
Total Family Contribution	$	1,400
Parent contribution		0
Student contribution	$	1,400
Financial Need	$	50,370
Total Financial Aid Award	$	50,370
Vassar Scholarship	$	38,919
Pell Grant	$	4,731
Tuition Assistance Program	$	5,000
Campus Job	$	1,720