Office of Student Financial Services

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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.

Financial Aid Deadlines

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.

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1. Complete the CSS Profile

Brandeis CSS Code: 3092

For need based financial aid consideration. The CSS Profile is customized based on the schools you are applying to. It is important to include Brandeis University (CSS Code 3092) as one of the recipients of your application when you register to ensure you provide all the information we need.

If you wish to make any changes to your CSS Profile application after you have submitted it online, you will need to contact Brandeis directly with your corrections.

Need help setting up a CSS Parent Account? Review the CSS Parents Registration Guide or the Profile FAQs.

2. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Brandeis Federal School Code: 002133

Students applying for admission for Fall 2024: The 2024-2025 FAFSA will not be available until December. To be notified when the FAFSA is available, join our contact list.

Students and contributors will be required to give permission for the IRS to transfer federal tax data directly to this application. Remember to include Brandeis as the school to which your FAFSA should be sent. After submitting your FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). Review the information carefully, and follow the instructions on the SAR if any corrections need to be made.

After filing the FAFSA, a series of edits and matches are performed on your application. These include a check with the Social Security Administration to verify that your name corresponds to your Social Security number, a check with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to verify your citizenship status, verification that you have registered with Selective Service (if applicable), and a check to confirm that you are not in default on any previously borrowed Federal student loans. We are required to resolve any discrepancies that arise from these matches, so requests for additional information may follow upon receipt of your FAFSA.

3. Submit any supplemental forms

Additional information may be required on a case-by-case basis based on your and/or your family’s financial situation. We will notify you when we need any additional documentation. Please help us by responding as quickly as possible to our requests.

If you indicated that your parents own a business or a farm, you will be asked to submit complete copies of your parent(s)' 2022 business tax returns (i.e., Schedule C, Partnership, S-Corporation and U.S. Corporation). These forms may be photocopied, and should be uploaded via DEISConnect.
If you stated that your natural parents are divorced or separated, you will need to have your noncustodial parent (the parent with whom you do not live) complete the Noncustodial Profile. Upon completion of the CSS Profile registration process, you will receive a link to the website where the noncustodial parent can access and complete this application online.
ED I and ED II applicants are required to submit 2022 Federal Income Tax Return(s), with all pages, schedules, signatures and W-2(S) for an initial review. Tax returns must be submitted for both you and your parents (both custodial and noncustodial) and should be submitted to us via the College Board IDOC service (after enrolling at Brandeis, you will receive an email with instructions on how to submit the tax returns via IDOC).

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.