Undergraduate Financial Aid FAQs

A Tufts Grant is a need-based institutional grant awarded by Tufts. It is credited to the eBill each semester.

A Federal Pell Grant is a need-based federal grant awarded to students with exceptional financial need. It is credited to the eBill each semester. The U.S. Department of Education determines Pell Grant eligibility based on the information provided in the FAFSA. Because Tufts aid meets the full calculated Need, the Tufts Grant is reduced by the amount of any federal or state grant or scholarship.

A Federal SEOG Grant is a need-based federal grant awarded to students with exceptional financial need. It is credited to the eBill each semester. Tufts awards the SEOG to Pell Grant recipients using available funds from the U.S. Department of Education. Because Tufts aid meets the full calculated Need, the Tufts Grant is reduced by the amount of any federal or state grant or scholarship.

A Federal Direct Loan is a federal loan a student can borrow to help cover charges on their bill. Tufts awards the loan to eligible students as a standard part of the aid package. Active Confirmation is required to accept or decline a loan awarded as part of your aid package. If accepted, the loan funds (minus a fee), are credited to the eBill each semester. The loan must be repaid after the student is no longer enrolled at least half-time.

A Tufts Loan is a need-based, institutional undergraduate loan a student can borrow to help cover charges on their bill. Tufts awards the loan to eligible students as a standard part of the aid package. Active Confirmation is required to accept or decline a loan awarded as part of your aid package. If accepted, the loan funds are credited to the eBill each semester. The loan must be repaid after the student is no longer enrolled.

Work-Study is an award a student can earn by obtaining a job on campus, working, and receiving a weekly paycheck for hours worked. Tufts awards Work-Study to eligible students as a standard part of the aid package. The student does not have to utilize Work-Study, and if they decide to work they are not required to earn the maximum amount awarded.

Find out more about working on campus

Your Tufts EFC is the sum of the student and parent contributions, and is listed as "Total Resources" on the Award Letter.

As part of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), Tufts assumes a standard a Student Contribution from all students who are awarded need-based aid, even if their Parent Contribution (PC) is $0.

The Parent Contribution is calculated based on an analysis of financial resources reported on the CSS Profile, FAFSA and federal tax returns. In cases of divorce or separation, both parents' resources are reviewed to determine the PC.

The Tufts EFC (Total Resources) was subtracted from the cost of attendance (Budget Totals). Aid was awarded to cover the difference between these two amounts (Need). The Total Resources, Budget, and Need can be found on the Award Letter.

The cost of attendance is listed as the "Budget" on the Award Letter. The total budget consists of direct costs billed by Tufts: tuition, fees, housing and meals, as well as estimated indirect out-of-pocket costs: books and supplies, transportation, personal expenses.

No, but the combined balances for each semester's eBill may be similar to the Tufts EFC. Any grant(s) or loan(s) you were awarded are deducted from the total charges on your semester eBill. The amount that remains is the balance you owe to Tufts.

Each semester's grant(s) are automatically credited to the eBill. Active Confirmation is required to accept or decline each loan awarded as part of your aid package. If accepted, the loan funds are credited to the eBill each semester. Loans appear as "Anticipated Aid" because the funds do not disburse until after the semester begins.

Yes, you can estimate your eBill balance for each semester by entering your grant(s) and accepted loan(s) in the Student Account Calculator. The costs for the upcoming year are updated in the Calculator in May after they have been finalized and confirmed by the Trustees.

No, you can decline the  Tufts Loan and/or Direct Loan in your aid package. However, please note that loan funds will not be replaced by grant funds. Active Confirmation is required to decline a loan awarded as part of your aid package. If accepted, the loan funds (minus a fee for Direct Loans), are credited to the eBill each semester. 

Active Confirmation is required to accept or decline a loan awarded as part of your aid package. You must log in to your SIS account to accept or decline each loan you have been awarded. If accepted, the loan funds are credited to the eBill each semester. You will receive an email notification during the summer with instructions to accept or decline your loan(s), and to complete online documents required for the disbursement of accepted loan funds.

No, the Work-Study award is earned by obtaining a job, working, and receiving a weekly paycheck for the hours you worked.

Outside aid will reduce the loan and/or Work-Study portion of your award. If your outside aid exceeds your total loan and/or Work-Study, your Tufts Grant will then be reduced.

Yes, Tufts offers a process for admitted students and returning students through which you may request reconsideration of your award. If there has been a significant change in your family’s financial situation, or if you believe there are special circumstances or new information not considered initially, you can submit an appeal to have your aid application reviewed again.

No, you will receive a separate eBill statement for the Fall and Spring semester.

The Fall eBill statement is released in early July with an early August due date, and the Spring eBill statement is released in early November with and early December due date each year.

A notification will be sent to your Tufts email address when a new eBill statement is available for viewing. Then you must log in to your SIS account to view the eBill statement

You need to log into your SIS account to invite your parent(s), or any other individual, to view or pay the eBill. Once they have activated their account, they will receive an email notification when a new eBill statement is available for viewing.

The Fall eBill is due in early August, and the Spring eBill is due in early November each year.

Each semester, you will be charged for tuition, a room, and a meal plan. You will be charged for the mandatory Activity Fee and mandatory Health and Wellness fee, and Medical Insurance on the Fall bill only. The Medical Insurance charge can be waived upon proof of comparable coverage. The online waiver can be accessed each year from June 1 to July 31 by logging in to SIS.

Entering First Year students are required to live on campus and use the Premium Meal Plan. Sophomore students have limited lower-prices meal plan options. Junior and Senior students living off campus will not be charged for a room, and may elect to cancel or change to any lower-priced meal plan.

eBill 101: How to Read Your eBill is a guide you can use to become familiar with the layout of your eBill statement.

On the eBill statement, the Total Balance is the amount you owe (it is listed as the "Student Account Balance" in SIS). If the Total Balance is $0 or a negative number, no payment is due.

Massachusetts law requires all students to have health insurance. Students are automatically charged for the Tufts plan each year on the Fall semester eBill, but it can be waived online upon proof of comparable coverage. The Medical Insurance waiver must be completed every year you have your own coverage.

The total cost of a room is charged in two pieces each semester, the Room Charge and the Room Commitment Charge (see Housing).

First year students are required to use the Premium Meal Plan. All other undergraduate students can review their options (see Dining Services) and request a change through their SIS account.

You must provide documentation from the outside organization to Financial Aid to have outside aid listed on the eBill statement. Then, a provisional credit will be posted to your account. The credit will be displayed in the Anticipated Aid and Pending Credits section on the next eBill statement.

Making an online payment in eBill is the preferred method. You may also mail a check (you must use our campus address when mailing a check without a payment coupon, or when using an express delivery service). Wire transfer payments can be made through Flywire. Credit card payments are not accepted for the Fall and Spring semester.

You can enroll in the Transact Monthly Payment Plan to make monthly payments for one or two semesters. The Fall-only plan runs from July to November, and the Spring-only plan runs from December to April.

For Fall semester plan, the enrollment deadline is August 31. For the Spring semester plan, the enrollment deadline is January 15.

It is recommended that you enroll in the plan as early as possible. You may sign up using an estimated plan amount ahead of the initial eBill or you can wait until you receive your initial eBill for the semester (in early July for the fall, and in early November for the spring). The first installment of the plan is due July 15 for the fall semester, and December 15 for the spring semester. Prior payments are due in full when enrolling after the start dates of each of the plans.

Please note that Transact does not have access to your eBill, financial aid, loan, or outside aid information. You must determine the correct plan amount to cover the Total Balance. 

You can use the Student Account Calculator to help calculate your estimated plan amount. The Calculator is typically updated with actual figures for the upcoming year early in June after the Board of Trustees confirms the costs in the spring.

Yes, a Federal Parent PLUS Loan and/or an alternative loan from a private lender can be borrowed to pay the balance. Any loan application should be completed at least 3 weeks before the eBill Due Date to allow enough time for processing.

The eBill statement is a snapshot at a point in time that reflects information that is current as of the listed Billing Date. Live account information can be viewed in real time in SIS.

No, you should pay the balance by the Due Date. If you know a payment or adjustment will be made, you can account for that when determining the amount you will pay. For example: if you successfully completed the Medical Insurance waiver online and the change has not yet appeared on your eBill statement, you can deduct the charge from Total Balance when you make your payment.

Yes, you can estimate your eBill balance for each semester in the Student Account Calculator. The Calculator is typically updated with actual figures for the upcoming year early in June after the Board of Trustees confirms the costs in the spring.

We issue refunds to students electronically though a company called BankMobile. To receive your funds, you must log in to your SIS account and submit a refund request.

You are eligible to request a refund if you have a credit balance on your account. If your "Student Account Balance" in SIS is a negative number, you have a credit balance.

You need to designate the bank account you want the money to be transferred to. And you should complete Title IV Authorization to ensure that your federal aid is applied to all of your charges before a refund is processed. Log in to SIS and click the "Bills & Balances" tab to complete Title IV Authorization.

Title IV authorization allows your federal aid to fully help cover all of your charges before a refund is processed. This ensures that you will not have a balance due after the refund has been issued. Authorization only needs to be completed once in SIS, but you can revoke it at any time.

You can set up your refund account by logging into your SIS account. Head over to “Bills and Balances” and click on “Manage eRefund.” You will be asked to create a login for future use during the initial setup.

Log in to SIS, click the "Bills & Balances" tab and select "Request Refund." The amount available for refund will be displayed, and you can submit a request.

If your entire credit balance comes from an expected source of funding (such as a state grant, federal loan or grant, private loan or monthly payment plan payment), you will not be eligible to request a refund until all funds have been received. Expected sources of funding are listed as "Pending Credits" in SIS.

If part of your credit balance comes from an expected source of funding (such as a state grant, federal loan or grant, private loan or monthly payment plan payment), it will not be available as part of your refund until those funds are received. You can submit a separate refund request after those funds arrive. Expected sources of funding are listed as "Pending Credits" in SIS.

No, all available funds will be refunded when a request is submitted.

If you submit a refund request before the semester begins, your funds will be deposited 7-10 business days after the start of classes. Requests submitted after the semester begins will be deposited 7-10 business days from the date of your request.

The funds will be deposited electronically into the bank account you selected.

Yes, Financial Aid's Off-Campus Housing page details how living off-campus does not change your financial aid award, but does impact your bill. The Living Off-Campus and Financial Aid Presentation is a helpful guide for planning and budgeting. Residential Life's Off-Campus Housing website offers comprehensive information about finding and leasing an apartment.

No, the financial aid award is calculated the same way whether a student lives on or off campus. The difference is that students who live off campus are charged less by Tufts because there is no room charge on their bill. And, they may choose to cancel or reduce their meal plan.

Because the same Housing and Food component of the Cost of Attendance is used in both cases, and the Expected Family Contribution is calculated the same way, the financial aid award is the same regardless of whether a student lives on or off-campus.

Financial Aid does not automatically issue payments to students to cover off-campus living expenses. The student is responsible for paying rent and other costs directly.

In cases where a student’s aid and/or loan total happens to exceed the charges on their semester bill, they can request the excess amount as a refund that will be processed after classes begin. Then, they can budget these funds to help cover living expenses (rent, utilities, food, etc.) over the course of the semester.

Your total off-campus costs for the 9-month academic year should not exceed the cost the average cost of housing for first and second year students living on-campus and the Premium meal plan. Keep in mind that rental leases are for 12 months, and those out of pockets costs for the additional 3 months should be considered as well.

The Living Off-Campus and Financial Aid Presentation provides a helpful guide you can use to help determine if living off campus is within your budget (see How much apartment can I afford?). And, the Budget Worksheet on the Off-Campus Housing Resources page is helpful for considering up front costs as well.

Please note that the Housing and Food costs in the Presentation are from the current year, and therefore are lower than the costs will be in the upcoming year. Costs for the current year can be found here.

Yes, you can use the Student Account Calculator to generate an estimate based on the current year's financial aid and charges: select "Junior" or "Senior" for Current Class Standing, "Off-Campus Housing" for Housing, and select the appropriate Board Plan. Then enter the aid, loans and other resources you are currently receiving.

Please note that this is simply a way to see what your balance would be if you lived off-campus in the current year. The estimate will give you an idea of what to expect in a future year, assuming that costs and your financial aid award will be similar.

A change in circumstances could impact your actual aid eligibility in a future year.

Yes, your family can still borrow a Federal Parent PLUS Loan and/or an alternative loan if you live off campus. The loan can be used to pay the bill balance, and any excess amount can be requested as a refund that will be processed after the start of each semester.

You can borrow up to the cost of attendance less other financial aid. You can use the Student Account Calculator to help determine the amount your family needs to borrow.

Any credit balance created by expected monthly payments may not be available for refund when your rent is due. Therefore, the monthly payment plan should only be used to pay for direct costs charged on the eBill.