Types of Aid

The Office of Financial Aid administers federal and state financial aid programs that are designed to help undergraduate, transfer, and graduate students finance their college education.

Your first step in being considered for a financial aid package is to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and a New York State financial aid application (TAP). Graduate students do not need to fill out the TAP application.

TypeS of Aid

These can be used, individually or in combination, to help meet your cost of attendance at Brooklyn College:

• Undergraduate and graduate grants: financial need-based government-issued aid that you are not required to repay.
• Scholarships: aid from the college or a third party. Like government-based aid, scholarships do not need to be repaid and are awarded based on merit or financial need.
• Federal Work-Study: allows you to earn money to help pay for part of your education expenses by working part-time on or off campus.
• Federal Loans: require that you complete entrance and exit interviews online, sign an electronic loan agreement/Master Promissory Note (MPN), and agree to repay the principal and interest on such loans upon completion of your studies or if you fall below six credits. The interest rate and fees are established by the U.S. Congress, and the lender is the U.S government.
• Private Loans: issued from a nongovernmental lender and require you to pay back the principal with interest. The terms of the loan including the interest rate and fees are set by the lender.

You should also be aware that federal and state financial aid programs are subject to change. The types and amounts of awards may vary annually, based on available funds and changes in the status of your financial need.

Information for Graduate Students

We recommend that you review the Graduate Student Loan Guide. This guide provides information about the Federal Direct Loan options available for graduate study. It also provides instructions on how to accept the offered Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan on your CUNYfirst financial aid package. Remember that these options are available only if you have completed the admission process and are ready to enroll in courses at Brooklyn College.

Financial Aid Disbursement

Financial aid disbursement date information is available by logging into CUNYfirst. Note that this information represents the initial and first available disbursement dates for different programs. Each program will disburse aid every Monday (except holidays) until the end of the academic year. Federal Work-Study funds are paid on a bi-weekly basis and follow a different schedule where payments are generally issued on Thursday. Financial aid funds will not be disbursed until all To Do List items in your CUNYfirst Student Center Tasks and Holds tile are completed. Refer to the CUNYfirst Student Financial Aid Guide for instructions on how to access your To Do List.

Financial Aid Refunds

Contact the Office of the Bursar if you have questions related to refunds. Note that your refund will generally be available on the Friday following your disbursement date if your financial aid is greater than your tuition liability. That means you will see your refund amount posted in CUNYfirst a few days before it will actually be issued to you. Refunds may be issued through direct deposit if you have set this up in CUNYfirst or will be mailed to the address you have listed in CUNYfirst if direct deposit is not set up. The Office of Financial Aid recommends that you enroll in direct deposit to avoid delays in receipt of your refund, checks lost in the mail, or lost aid due to uncashed funds.