Aid is Awarded for One Year

All forms of financial aid — scholarships, grants, jobs, and loans — are committed for the period of one academic year only and must be reapplied for annually. Exceptions are the Ithaca College Scholarship recognition awards and Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), which are based on merit or a combination of merit and talent and may require a one-time application or be awarded without application. The Ithaca Sibling and Ithaca Heritage Grants do not require an application.

Aid Goes With You if You Transfer Within the College

Ithaca College need-based scholarships and grants remain with the student regardless of transfer from school to school within the College, as long as they continue to demonstrate financial need, maintains full-time status, and meets the College’s standards for good standing and satisfactory progress for state and federal programs.

Aid is Renewed as Long as You’re Progressing

All the awards listed above are renewed annually (provided reapplication, if required, occurs) until a student completes the bachelor’s degree program, as long as they maintain full-time status and meets the College’s standards for good standing and satisfactory progress. A student must enroll in at least 12 credits per semester to be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress for the purpose of the merit-based programs. The same rules apply to the MLK Scholarship, except that the CGPA requirement is a 3.30. Please refer to specific awards for more information. The Ithaca Sibling Grant and the Ithaca Heritage Grant do not have a CGPA requirement for renewal.

Aid Stops if You Withdraw From the College

A student automatically forfeits financial aid when they withdraw, are suspended, or are dismissed from any program at Ithaca College. Ithaca awards are not renewed if a student withdraws from the College or returns to the College without an approved leave of absence. A student who does not enroll full-time or drops to part-time status loses their merit-based award for that semester. Students returning from a leave of absence must reapply for financial aid under the usual guidelines for each program.

Special TAP Standards

There are special New York State standards for students receiving Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and other special awards. Further details can be found in the “Financial Aid Basics” section of the Ithaca College Tuition & Financial Aid website. Financial aid recipients must notify the Office of Student Financial Services of changes to part-time status.

Aid is Adjusted as Need Changes

Should a student’s financial need increase, their financial aid may be increased; should a student’s need decrease, need-based financial aid may be decreased. Need-based scholarships and grants are not renewed if a student fails to meet the prescribed deadlines or if funds become unavailable for any reason.

Time Limit for Aid

Financial aid is usually terminated after eight semesters unless the course of study normally requires additional semesters. Financial aid for transfer students is terminated at the completion of the number of semesters the student’s dean designates for degree completion when the student enters the College. Exceptions to these time limitations must receive the approval of the student’s academic dean and the Office of Student Financial Services. A student retains financial aid as long as they meet the standards prescribed for satisfactory progress in their studies for each specific program from which the student receives funds.

Report All Awards

Recipients of financial aid are required to report all financial aid awards received from outside organizations and agencies immediately on receiving such assistance.  Resources that have been granted by organizations or individuals outside of Ithaca College can be reported to the Office of Student Financial Services using the 'Outside Resources Form'. Ithaca College reserves the right to change financial aid awards when students receive additional awards from any source. Award packages normally include estimates of anticipated Pell grant and state scholarship awards. In the event that the actual award is larger than estimated, Ithaca College awards may be reduced. Should actual awards be less than estimated, an increase in Ithaca College awards may be considered if funds are available. Students can also review their financial and billing information on HomerConnect.