Admissions

Financial Aid > Loans > How Much Should I Borrow?

Some families plan to use an additional loan (a Federal PLUS Loan or an "alternative loan") as the only means of paying what they owe for college costs.  With that in mind, we think it is important to know that there are times when the amount you are eligible to borrow is less than the amount you owe the College. 

This happens most often when:

• Work-Study is included on your Financial Aid Announcement
• you have additional costs to pay for, such as:
• health insurance
• single room surcharges
• senior dues
• books
• computer
• travel
• personal expenses

The Financial Aid Announcement you received from our office shows the amount we believe your family will need, in order to cover the regular cost of tuition and fees, room and board (if you live on campus).   It will not include any of the special costs listed above.

To help insure that you receive all that you need from a loan, we recommend that you contact the Office of Financial Aid if any of the situations listed above apply to you, and you want or need the loan to cover these costs. 

When you call, let us know the amount you need for “special expenses.”  Let us know if you intend to use any other method of payment in addition to the loan.  We will then determine if your loan can cover the regular costs, plus the additional expenses. 

You or your parent may need to document the special expenses you incur.  You should be prepared to submit the Loan Supplemental Statement.  We may then be able to adjust the amount you are eligible to borrow, making it possible for most or all costs to be covered by the loan.

Be aware that it may be necessary to decrease your work-study allocation before adjusting the amount you may borrow.