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 late December 2023 release of the 24-25 FAFSA, the CSS Profile and 2022 tax returns will be used to estimate federal and institutional aid eligibility for Early Decision I and Early Decision II financial aid packages. While the FAFSA will eventually be needed to finalize these packages, and may change the estimate of federal aid initially provided, it is unlikely that this application will change these estimates greatly.
Please note that ONLY the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is required for federal financial aid consideration.
U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents who do not submit a financial aid application before they have been admitted will be placed on a waiting list for grant and scholarship funds.
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.