Your Financial Aid Notification

If you are eligible for federal and/or institutional financial aid, you will receive a financial aid award notification from the financial aid office. Your notification will be either paper (for new students) or electronic (continuing students). The paper award letter will list your financial aid for the appropriate terms (fall and spring, fall only, or spring only). Review this letter with your parents. The electronic notification will direct you to TheHub, where you can click on the "My Financial Aid" link; the My Award Letter tab will list your financial aid awards.

You will need to accept or decline your financial aid awards. By accepting your awards you are authorizing us to post your awards to your College bill, and, if applicable, to originate your federal aid. Log onto your "My Financial Aid" account to accept your individual awards.

If you are an international student, you and your parent will need to sign your paper award letter and return it to the financial aid office. This signed form will act as your authorization to post your aid awards to your bill and to acknowledge your responsibilities, terms, and conditions of your awards.

You may decline a loan online, but you are not able to reduce or increase a student loan online. If you wish to adjust the amount of a loan, please send an email from your Hampshire email account to loans@hampshire.edu indicating the amount you would like to borrow. Be aware that if you reduce or decline the recommended student loan, you will not be eligible for additional institutional or auxiliary institutional grant aid.

Review the various messages under the "My Documents & Messages" tab. Be sure to review the assumed housing and meal plan used to calculate your award. There is a reduction in your financial aid budget if you do not purchase the full meal plan, resulting in a reduced Hampshire Grant. Please contact the financial aid office immediately if our assumption does not reflect your plans.

If you do not accept your awards by early August (for Fall term or full year) or by early January (for Spring term), you will have an e-check-in hold for the following term. We will release this hold after receiving the acceptance(s) from you.

If you are planning to be on field study or exchange, be sure to accept your awards before leaving the area or the country to avoid any delays in the processing of your aid.

You may request a second review of your financial aid application because of significant changes in your family's financial situation by completing a Financial Aid Appeal Worksheet. The information presented on this appeal should be new information or information that has changed significantly from your initial application. These circumstances may include a death of a parent, a parent's loss of employment, and extraordinary medical, special needs, or elder care expenses that were not included on the original application. Please contact the financial aid office to request this appeal worksheet.

You may request a mid-year review of your financial aid application to indicate significant changes to your family's financial situation that occurred during the current year. This review process would happen in December or early January to determine if we can make a change to your Hampshire grant for the Spring term. For example, if you are enrolled for the 2019-2020 year, we are basing your financial aid on 2017 income. If your parent lost her or his job in May, 2019 you may request a mid-year review in December. You will explain to us how the loss of your parent's job impacted your family's resources for 2019. Based on the information you provide, we will determine if we can provide additional funding for the Spring 2020 term. Please contact the financial aid office to request the Mid-year Review form.

Statement of Award Terms

By accepting your financial aid awards you agree to the following responsibilities, terms, and conditions:

Your responsibilities

1. I must officially accept my awards online on TheHub (or on paper if I am an international student).
2. I must provide the necessary documents for the financial aid office to finalize my awards.
3. I must notify the financial aid office of all outside awards I receive.
4. I must notify the financial aid office of any changes in the college or secondary school plans of any siblings.
5. I must apply for the Federal Pell Grant using the FAFSA and indicating Hampshire as a recipient (use code 004661).
6. I must apply for my state's scholarship (if resident of Massachusetts or Vermont) by the state's deadline using the FAFSA and any other application the state requires.
7. I must reapply each year for a renewal of my financial aid.
8. I must be making satisfactory academic progress, as stated in Hampshire College publications, to continue to receive aid.

Terms of your awards

1. I understand that financial aid cannot be credited to my student account until 10 days before classes begin each semester.
2. If I do not receive the private outside awards included in this award, I must cover the deficiency with increased family contribution or loans.
3. If I am awarded appeal funding and subsequently decline or reduce my federal loans, I understand that the appeal funds will be withdrawn and my bill will be increased.
4. I understand that the self-help (loan and work) portions of the award are optional, except that students who decline or reduce the recommended student loan are not eligible for additional institutional or auxiliary institutional grant aid. 
5. I authorize the director of financial aid to share the information contained on my award letter with other authorized College, federal, state, and private officials on a "need to know" basis. 
6. If I go on leave or withdraw after the beginning of the semester, I understand that there may be a return of funds from each financial aid program that provided assistance according to the federal return of funds formula. In some cases this may result in an amount due on the College bill.
7. I understand that my Hampshire grant will be reduced if I am not purchasing the College's full meal plan.
8. I understand that if the final Pell and/or State Grants are different than the original estimate, my Hampshire grant will be adjusted for the difference.
9. I understand that tuition benefits from other educational institutions up to $5,000 do not reduce my Hampshire grant. Tuition benefits in excess of $5,000 reduce my Hampshire Grant dollar for dollar.
10. I understand that living at home with my parents will change my aid significantly and I must inform the financial aid office of this living arrangement.

Conditions of your awards 

1. Hampshire reserves the right to adjust this award if anticipated federal and state funds are not received.
2. This award shall become null and void if and when incorrect information, false statements, or misrepresentations are revealed.
3. Hampshire reserves the right to adjust this award (retroactively, if necessary) if an error is discovered regarding eligibility.
4. Hampshire will adjust this award to prohibit any student from receiving more aid than the amount of need demonstrated by either the federal or institutional methodology. Financial aid awards, including loans, cannot exceed the student's cost of attendance.

If you have any questions or concerns about your financial aid awards, please call the financial aid office at 413.559.5484 or email us at financialaid@hampshire.edu.