Office of Student Financial Services

First-Year Applicants

Brandeis meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for all domestic undergraduates and all international undergraduates who apply for aid during the admission process.

Brandeis requests that entering first year undergraduate applicants who are U.S. Citizens or permanent residents file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)* and the CSS Profile applications to be considered for need-based financial aid.

  • International applicants should submit a CSS Profile to be considered for need-based financial aid. 
  • Undocumented applicants — with or without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, Temporary Protected Status, or Asylum status — should submit a CSS Profile, and 2022 Federal Income Tax Returns/income verification, to be considered for need-based financial aid.

*Due to the delay in the delivery of 2024-25 FAFSA data to schools, only the CSS Profile, and any other supplemental documents submitted, will be used to estimate federal and institutional aid eligibility for incoming student financial aid packages. While the FAFSA will eventually be needed to finalize these packages, it is unlikely that it will change the estimates greatly unless different information is reported on this application. Students should file the FAFSA as soon as they are able; the CSS Profile, and any other requested supporting documents, should be submitted by the stated deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines

Please note that ONLY the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is required for federal financial aid consideration.

To be considered for Brandeis financial aid, you must indicate your intent to apply for financial aid on the admissions application and submit required aid applications by the stated deadlines. After admission decisions are released, you will not be able to apply for institutional financial aid. Students can apply for federal financial aid, in the form of student loans or work-study assistance, at any time during the school year.

Along with hundreds of other higher education institutions across the country, Brandeis University has made a commitment to employ the principles and standards of the College Cost Transparency (CCT) Initiative to help ensure that we communicate prospective and current student financial aid offers in a manner that is clear, accurate and helpful. Brandeis aims to provide transparent and reliable information to students and their families, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding their financial obligations and educational choices.

After Enrolling

To provide all of our enrolled students with accurate financial aid awards, we will verify your initial tentative award.  Items required to finalize your award include:

1.  Your 2022 Federal Income Tax Return, with all pages, schedules, W-2s and signatures.

2.  Your parent(s)', both custodial and noncustodial, 2022 Federal Income Tax Return, with all pages, schedules, W-2s and signatures.

Tax returns should be submitted to us via the College Board IDOC service (all deposited students will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to send the tax returns via IDOC).

3.  Federal Verification Documents

If your FAFSA application is selected for standard verification, you will be required to submit a Verification Worksheet and use either the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA or submit copies of IRS Tax Transcripts to verify the income reported on the FAFSA (non-filers must submit a non-filer statement along with income documentation). You may also required to sign a statement of educational purpose, submit a final high school transcript and/or provide proof of identification to satisfy the requirements of federal verification.

All verification documents must be submitted prior to the application filing deadlines indicated on the SFS website and/or the awarding and disbursement of institutional, federal and state financial aid. Failure to do so by 10 days prior to the start of the academic year term will result in cancellation of financial aid, which may result in late fees and/or withdrawal from the university for non-payment of the balance due. If you are selected for verification after their financial aid has been disbursed, you will have 30 days to complete the verification process and failure to do so will result in cancellation of both state and federal financial aid.

Any required changes to your FAFSA data resulting from the verification process will be made to your application directly by Brandeis unless otherwise instructed. Any changes to your financial aid due to the verification process will be communicated via a financial aid offer letter.