Financial Aid Eligibility Estimator

Calvin's Financial Aid Eligibility Estimator is designed for U.S. students who are dependent on their parents and who would like to determine their own "estimate" of their eligibility for financial aid at Calvin.

The online estimator below will ask you for information about your anticipated college costs, about any scholarships for which you may be eligible, about your income and assets, and about your parents' income and assets.

Would you like Calvin to detemine a rough estimate of need based financial aid for you? U.S. students may print a copy of our U.S. Financial Aid Estimate Worksheet (pdf) or Canadian students, our Canadian Estimate Worksheet, (pdf) fill it out, send it to us and we will send you an estimate. (This is only available from September 1 through January 31; after that date you must submit the actual financial aid application.)

Step One: Determine your Cost of Attendance

For students dependent on their parent(s), estimated costs for attending Calvin in 2007-2008 are listed below. (Costs depend upon whether you live on campus or with your parents.) Determine which Cost of Attendance should be used to estimate your costs at Calvin and use those in the Financial Aid Estimator section (Step Three).

Step Two: Determine your eligibility for aid not based on need.

Although most of the money that is available to students for college expenses is based on an evaluation of need, there are some programs that are based on other criteria. The following programs at Calvin College are not based on need.

Merit-Based Scholarships
These awards range from $1,000 to $10,000.

Mosaic and Multicultural Awards
Both of these awards may supplement other scholarships that the student may receive.

Other Scholarships and Awards
There are many other individual Calvin scholarships for which you might be eligible.

Denominational Grants
Students from the Christian Reformed Church are given a reduction in tuition, based on the distance of the student's home from campus.

Step Three: The Financial Aid Eligibility Estimator

Determine your eligibility for need aid using the Expected Family Contribution Calculator.
This estimator will determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) based on the Federal Methodology Formula used by the FAFSA. Select the "Federal Methodology" need analysis when using the estimator (not the Institutional Methodology).

Calvin will review the remaining need and determine what need-based financial aid you may qualify for through Federal, State or College programs.

An EFC of $4,100 or less qualifies you for a Federal Pell Grant and a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). You will also be considered for the Federal Academic Competitive Grant (for freshmen and sophmores) and the Federal SMART Grant (for juniors and seniors).

Another need based program is the Michigan Competitive Scholarship/Tuition Grant program (available to Michigan residents) which is also based on the EFC. An EFC of less than $22,000 will probably qualify you for this award. The maximum available in 2006-2007 was $2,100.

Calvin also has need based grants available through the Calvin Grant program. If you qualify for need-based aid, Calvin will first seek appropriate grants or scholarships to fund your education and then will determine eligibility for student loan(s). Several federal, state, and Calvin-funded programs require no repayment.