RIT's Financial Aid Application for First-Year and Transfer Applicants Entering Fall 2024

Despite delays from the U.S. Department of Education in distributing FAFSA data to colleges, RIT is providing a way for you to receive a financial aid offer in time for you to make your college decisions.

Although families can now submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), there are still issues with colleges/universities receiving your FAFSA data from the U.S. Department of Education, resulting in delayed financial aid offers.

To address the delays in FAFSA data delivery, we've introduced the RIT Financial Aid Application. This application ensures timely and trustworthy financial aid estimates for admitted students aligned with corrected FAFSA considerations. If you are seeking need-based aid you should submit both RIT's Financial Aid Application and the FAFSA. We will send aid estimates to those who have submitted the RIT Financial Aid Application. Once the Department of Education releases FAFSA information to us we will confirm financial aid offers.

Rest assured, despite the challenges of the FAFSA roll-out, RIT is ready and we’re here to help each step of the way. We will continue to assess and respond to the changing environment related to this year's FAFSA changes.

What Needs to Be Done

To provide accepted students with a financial aid estimate, certain applicants must complete both RIT’s Financial Aid Application and the FAFSA.

RIT's Financial Aid Application is formulated using the same logic and considerations as the corrected FAFSA, ensuring our financial aid estimate should remain consistent as long as your financial information provided on the FAFSA is the same. RIT’s Financial Aid Application was successfully used by over 1,400 families during our Early Decision review and provided accepted students with the financial information needed to make a well-informed college selection. Completing RIT's Financial Aid Application does not imply acceptance. Admissions decisions are typically sent out by mid-March.

Applicants must Submit the FAFSA and Submit RIT's Financial Aid Application

 

Deadlines:

  • File the FAFSA as soon as possible
  • Complete RIT's Financial Aid Application as soon as possible

Who Needs to Complete the Application

RIT's Financial Aid Application is required for:

  • First-year and transfer applicants who applied for Fall 2024 start, who also are
  • U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens seeking need-based aid (i.e. loans, grants), and
  • Have been notified in their admissions portal that they need to complete the application

You do not need to complete RIT's Financial Aid Application if:

  • You do not intend to file the FAFSA and do not seek need-based aid (i.e. loans, grants)
  • You have already completed RIT's Financial Aid Application as an Early Decision I or II applicant
  • Are an international applicant
  • Are a graduate applicant
  • Are a current RIT student

All applicants continue to be automatically considered for merit-based aid (e.g. merit scholarships from RIT).

Steps and What to Expect

a timeline depicting that both the FAFSA and RIT's Financial aid application must be filed. The aid application will return a financial aid assessment in Amid-March. With the FAFSA we will confirm financial aid offers in April.

This timeline is based on anticipated FAFSA data delivery in late March and is subject to change.

  • All applicants should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible.
    RIT will wait for the FAFSA data to be sent to us from the U.S. Department of Education.

  • Applicants who have been notified to do so should complete RIT's Financial Aid Application as soon as possible.
    With this information, we will be able to provide accepted students with a financial aid estimate.

  • If you are accepted and have completed RIT's Financial Aid Application, we will send a financial aid estimate.
    Accurate information provided in RIT's Financial Aid Application will produce a trustworthy financial aid estimate.

  • Once we receive your FAFSA data from the U.S. Department of Education, we will confirm your financial aid offer.
    We will continue to assess, respond, and communicate changes related to the FAFSA and financial aid offer timing.

Frequently Asked Questions

The U.S. Department of Education is delayed in providing schools with FAFSA information to create financial aid offers for students. RIT's Financial Aid Application will allow you to have a financial aid estimate, allowing you ample time to thoughtfully make your enrollment decision.

No, completing RIT's Financial Aid Application does not imply acceptance. Admissions decisions are typically sent out by mid-March. The purpose of completing RIT's Financial Aid Application is to ensure that we can furnish a financial aid estimate for accepted students promptly, allowing them to make informed enrollment decisions. This necessity arises due to delays in receiving FAFSA information from the U.S. Department of Education.

You are required to complete RIT's Financial Aid Application so we may provide you with a financial aid estimate by mid-March. We will not have FAFSA information in that timeframe.

Yes! RIT needs a FAFSA to create an official financial aid offer.

Due to delays in the U.S. Department of Education sending schools FAFSA information, colleges are not able to provide timely financial aid offer letters to students as in previous years. RIT's Financial Aid Application is required to provide you with a financial aid estimate by mid-March so you can make an enrollment decision.

RIT's Financial Aid Application is formulated using the same logic and considerations as the corrected FAFSA, ensuring our financial aid offer should remain consistent as long as the financial information provided on the FAFSA and in RIT's Financial Aid Application are the same.
 

You will receive an official financial aid offer after RIT receives your FAFSA information from the U.S. Department of Education. RIT will work diligently to update our systems to produce official financial aid offer letters before the May 15 enrollment deposit deadline. This is dependent on receiving FAFSA data.

Yes, log into your RIT admissions portal to view your submission of RIT's Financial Aid Application. 

Due to ongoing delays in FAFSA data processing, the deposit deadline for first-year Regular Decision and transfer applicants who are U.S. Citizens or permanent residents has been extended from May 1 to May 15, 2024.