FINANCIAL AID
The George Washington University offers a comprehensive program of financial assistance for students. Undergraduate aid consists of two basic types: awards for academic achievement or talent without reference to financial circumstances (merit scholarships) and scholarships, grants, loans, and employment based on both academic achievement and demonstrated financial need. All undergraduate gift aid (institutional scholarships and grants and federal grants) requires that the recipient be working on the first undergraduate degree and be registered for a full-time course load on campus at GW. (Financial aid for study abroad is limited to approved programs.) Loans and housing staff positions not based on financial need are available. In general, continuation of undergraduate aid does not extend beyond ten semesters, or the end of the senior year, or the semester in which the number of credits sufficient to graduate is reached, whichever comes first. (A non-GW study abroad semester counts as one of the ten semesters.) Undergraduate aid does not extend beyond the earning of one undergraduate degree and does not cover semesters in which more than half of a student's courses are at the graduate level.
Gift aid (scholarships, grants, fellowships, assistantships, etc.) is taxable under Internal Revenue Service regulations to the extent that it exceeds the allowable costs of tuition, fees, and required books and supplies or is dedicated to other costs, such as room and board. Federal grants may be taxable if, together with other gift assistance, they exceed the allowable costs. In the case of a student who is awarded tuition scholarships, grants, or awards from more than one source, the combined amount cannot exceed tuition charges; institutional aid will be adjusted to this limit.
In general, consideration for financial aid is restricted to students in good academic standing who meet the minimum grade-point average for particular awards and are not financially encumbered by any other University office. Awards may be rescinded if satisfactory academic progress standards are not met. The University reserves the right to ask for documentation necessary to determine aid eligibility. Documents submitted as part of aid applications become the property of the University and cannot be returned. Federal regulations require that the University report suspected cases of fraud or misrepresentation to the appropriate federal, state, and local authorities.
Disclosures required under federal gainful employment regulations are on the home page of each academic certificate program that has been deemed eligible for Title IV student financial assistance and therefore subject to the Title IV gainful employment regulations. For further information, contact the academic department or school that offers the certificate program. Continued Title IV eligibility for such programs will be assessed on an annual basis.
Information in this section is accurate at the time this Bulletin is prepared for press. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to change financial aid policies as it deems necessary. Additional information is contained in the Financial Aid Sourcebook and the Satisfactory Academic Progress statement available on-line. Future changes in federal regulations or institutional policies may alter the application requirements or program guidelines.
Merit Aid
The University has merit aid programs of scholarships and awards for students with superior academic credentials or talents. Eligibility is determined at the time of entry to the University only. The programs are based entirely on merit and/or talent, without regard to financial need. Merit or talent scholarships, including GW-sponsored National Merit Awards, cannot be combined.
The following scholarship programs are also available.
The J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Scholarship to the University of Oxford is awarded each spring to a graduating senior or recent graduate through a competitive process upon the nominee's acceptance to Oxford. To be eligible, applicants must have applied for the Rhodes or British Marshall Scholarships. All of these competitions require high academic standing, evidence of leadership, and dedication to the larger society through community service. The Shapiro Scholarship provides up to two years of study at Oxford, equivalent to the Rhodes Scholarship. The J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Endowment funds two scholarships per year-one new and one renewal.
The Bender Scholarship to the University of Cambridge is funded by an endowment, the Bender Scholarship Fund. Every other year, the Bender Scholarship is open for competition. Graduating seniors, recent graduates, and third-year law students who participated in the Rhodes and/or British Marshall competitions are eligible for the Bender Scholarship. The endowed scholarship provides for up to two years of study at the University of Cambridge. The award provides for an educational experience equivalent to that of a British Marshall Scholar attending Cambridge. The Bender Scholarship criteria are high academic achievement, evidence of leadership skills or potential, and community service.
Pembroke/GW Program-The George Washington University established a special relationship with Pembroke College in Oxford, whereby up to six GW juniors would be placed at the College for one year and enrolled as fully matriculated students of the University of Oxford. These placements are determined in an annual competition that takes place in the fall. The Committee evaluating candidates forwards to Pembroke College applications of the finalists. Pembroke then makes the final decision on placements. Many GW students have spent a year at Oxford in this program.
Need-Based Aid
The University offers extensive programs of scholarships, grants, loans, and employment based upon demonstrated need. The University participates in the Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Direct Education Loans, and the Federal Work-Study program. All freshman and transfer applicants are required to file both the PROFILE and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), designating GW to receive their information, and to supply copies of signed federal income tax returns and W2 forms for the current tax year for student and parents (if dependent). For family members employed by an international organization, a letter is required from the employer certifying salary and all benefits.
Incoming freshmen must file applications and supporting credentials for financial aid by February 1 for the next academic year; transfer students, by April 1. Continuing students should access gwired.gwu.edu/finaid for the steps necessary to complete the aid application. The deadline for continuing students is April 20. March 1 is the deadline for the summer sessions. Summer aid is limited to federal or alternative loans. A student must reapply each year for all need-based aid, including need-based scholarships; renewal is contingent upon funds being available when the student completes the application.
The George Washington Guaranteed Grant and Board of Trustees Scholarship-The GW Guaranteed Grant or Board of Trustees Scholarship is available only to new undergraduate students who are charged full-time tuition according to the University's fixed-tuition initiative and who receive a need-based financial aid package for their initial period of enrollment at the University. This need-based grant or academic scholarship will be part of a student's initial financial aid package and is guaranteed for up to 10 consecutive semesters of full-time undergraduate enrollment at GW. For renewal of the grant or scholarship, the student must be enrolled and be charged as a full-time student and must maintain satisfactory academic progress per the guidelines of the Office of Student Financial Assistance. The award will be confirmed upon receipt and review of signed copies of the parents' and student's most recent federal tax returns (with requested schedules) and W2 statements. Students showing additional need beyond the GW Guaranteed Grant/Board of Trustees Scholarship will be considered for assistance from all other resources administered by the Office of Student Financial Assistance. While this grant can be combined with other institutional need-based grant awards, a student may not receive the GW Guaranteed Grant/Board of Trustees Scholarship in combination with merit awards, GW employee benefits, or the GW Family Grant.
University Scholarships-Full and partial tuition scholarships begin in the fall semester and may be renewed through the senior year, provided the holder reapplies by the published deadlines, maintains a B- average or better, completes 12 credits per semester, and continues to demonstrate financial need. All applicants for need-based aid are considered for these awards.
Sherman Page Allen Memorial Scholarship
Anderson Family Endowed Scholarship Fund
Mary J. Anderson Memorial Scholarship Fund
Byron Andrews Memorial Scholarship Fund
Dominic F. Antonelli, Jr., and Judith D. Antonelli Family Scholarship
Ibrahim Aborsey Ashie Engineering Scholarship Fund
Stanley M. Baer Scholarship in Electrical Engineering
Barker Scholarship Fund
Callie Barker Endowed Scholarship Fund for Art Education
Bedi Family Foundation Scholarship Fund
Gilbert A. Bell Memorial Scholarship Fund
Sigrid Weeks Benson Scholarship Fund
David W. Berg Scholarship Fund
Michael Billiel Student Scholarship Fund
Gail E. Boggs Engineering Scholarship
John and Anne Booth Undergraduate Scholarship
Anne Borde University Scholarship
Lura Bradfield Endowed Scholarship for Women
Dirk S. Brady Endowed Scholarship Fund
Henry Newlon Brawner, Jr., Memorial Scholarship Fund
Victoria Briggs Scholarship Fund
Frederick Albert and Alma Hand Britten Scholarship Fund
Abigail Ann Brown and Henry Kirk White Scholarship Fund
George R. Brown Scholarship
Joel T. Broyhill Scholarship Fund for Public Policy Studies
Frate Bull, Jr., Scholarship Fund
Eleanor and Michael Burda Scholarship Fund
Barbara Willmarth Callahan Scholarship Fund
Cannon Design Scholarship in Engineering and Applied Sciences
Mary Ellen Caplin Scholarship Fund
Nelson and Michele Carbonelle Engineering Scholarship
Elsie M. Carper Scholarship Fund
Emma K. Carr Scholarship Fund
Henry Harding Carter Scholarship Fund
Maria M. Carter Scholarship Fund
Paul E. Casassa Memorial Scholarship Fund
Cauffman Scholarship Fund
Cisneros Scholarship Fund
A. James Clark Engineering Scholars
Class of 1958 Scholarship for Physics
Class of 2005 September 11th Memorial Scholarship Fund
David S. Cohen Scholarship in Business
Gene R. Cohen Entrepreneurial Scholarship
Columbian College Endowed Scholarship Fund
Columbian Women Scholarships
Cook Family Endowed Scholarship Fund
Marion, John, and Richard Cunningham Endowed Scholarship Fund
Davis Scholarship Fund
Cora and John H. Davis Scholarship Fund
Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation Fund
Bertha B. Day Scholarship Fund
Marvin Dekelboum Scholarship
Kim and Derek Dewan Endowed Scholarship
Constance Drane Scholarship Fund
Eberli Family Endowed Scholarship
Professor Burton I. Edelson Memorial Scholarship
James B. Edmunds, Jr., Memorial Scholarship
Epsilon of Sigma Chi Scholarship Fund at GW
Henry Parsons Erwin Scholarship Fund
Gerhard Fairgrieve Endowed Scholarship Fund
Farnham Scholarship
Feinsod Scholarship Fund
Edward M. Felegy Scholarship Endowment in Honor of Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
Lindsey M. Ferris Memorial PAF Scholarship Fund
Esther Brigham Fisher Scholarship
Julius Fleischman Scholarship Fund for Blind or Visually Impaired Students
R. John and Carolyn Dunnagan Fletcher Fund
Andrew K. Friedman Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund
Sergius Gambal Scholarship Fund
The George Washington University Faculty and Staff D.C. Scholarship Fund
The George Washington University Undergraduate Endowed Scholarship Fund
Gersten Family Scholarship Fund
Louis B. Giles Memorial Scholarship Fund
Philip L. Graham Fund Scholarship for Diversity in Journalism
Gary C. Granoff and Leslie Granoff Scholarship Fund
Gridiron Foundation Scholarship Fund
Grosso Family Scholarship
Violet Davis Grubbs Scholarship Fund
Isadore and Bertha Gudelsky Family Scholarship Endowment Fund
Michele Hagans Fund
Helene and Mark Hankin Scholarship
Theo Campbell Hartman Memorial Scholarship Fund
Hatchet Scholarship Fund
Hazelton Scholarship Fund
William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Fund
Hess-Kaplan Scholarship Fund
John H. Holmes Native American Scholarship I and II
Mei Yuen Hoover Scholarship Fund
Gladys B. Hornbrook Endowed Scholarship
Frederic R. Houser Scholarship Fund
June J. Hoyle Scholarship Fund
Taylor Hubbard Memorial Scholarship
Madeleine Reines Jacobs Undergraduate Fund in Chemistry
Robert Jacques Scholarship Fund
Allen M. Jones Scholarship Fund
Raymond V. Jones and Katherine P. Jones Scholarship
Howard Kahn Undergraduate Scholarship Fund
Karlgaard Scholarship in Computer Science
Karlgaard Scholarship in Computer Engineering
Karp Scholarship Fund
David B. and James L. Karrick, Jr., Scholarship Fund
Joseph and Helen Kaufmann Scholarship Fund
Elizabeth Kay Scholarship Fund
John Kaye Scholarship Fund
William Charles Keller Scholarship and Loan Fund
Amos Kendall Scholarship Fund
Robert Martin Kilgore Scholarship
Kim Family Endowed Scholarship
Esther C. and David F. Lawton Memorial Fund
L. Poe Leggette Scholarship Fund
Levine-Klein Endowed Scholarship Fund
Dr. Harold Liebowitz Scholarship Fund
Thaddeus A. and Mary Jean Lindner Scholarship Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence A. Lindquist Scholarship Fund
Calvin D. Linton Endowed Scholarship Fund
Mary and Daniel Loughran Foundation Scholarship Fund
Mack Family Endowed Scholarship Fund
Garnett L. Mack Endowed Scholarship Fund
Joseph W. March, Jr., Scholarship Fund
Richard Marks Scholarship
Richard Marmaro Family Scholarship
Ruth Marshall Scholarship
Curtis E. McCalip Scholarship Fund
Maud E. McPherson Scholarship in English and English Literature
Melden Family Endowed Scholarship Fund
Memishian Student Scholarship Fund
Memorial Scholarship Fund
Mensh Family Memorial Scholarship Fund
Connie J. Miller Strategic Opportunity Fund for Civil and Environmental Engineering
Mintz Scholarship Fund
Casper F. "Casey" Mohl Mechanical Engineering Memorial Scholarship
Ruth Monter Endowed Scholarship
A. Morehouse Scholarship
E. K. Morris Education Fund
Marion O. Norby Endowed Scholarship Fund
William B. Oakley Scholarship Fund
K. Frederick and Madeline G. Okano Scholarship Fund
Thomas E. Orr Scholarship Fund
Henry and Caroline Orth Scholarship Fund
Thornton Washington Owen International Business Scholarship Fund
Nicholas G. Paleologos Scholarship Fund
John Earl Parsons Scholarship
Tomás A. Pastoriza Scholarship Fund
Shantilal P. Patel Scholarship Fund
Lawrence Jay Pearson Scholarship Fund
Maureen Schafer Peckman Endowed Scholarship for Women's Soccer and Athletics
Fred B. and Alma D. Pletcher Scholarship Fund
The Polden Family Scholarship
Sterling W. Pope Scholarship Fund
S. Remey Pottinger Memorial Scholarship Fund
Levine L. Powell Scholarship Fund
The Ronald E. Pump Endowed Scholarship Fund
Henry Whitefield Samson Scholarship Fund
Schley Family Scholarship for Baseball
Schneider-Taylor Family Endowed Scholarship Fund
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Scholarship Fund
Cecelia M. Sehrt Scholarship Fund
Edward Henry and Helen Ludwig Sehrt Scholarship
Sejong Scholarship Fund
Niranjan G. Shah Scholarship Fund
Eugene Carey and Elizabeth Powell Nuckols Shaw Scholarship Fund
Lula M. Shepard Scholarship Fund
Ira and Adela Shesser Endowment in the Columbian School of Arts and Sciences
Mildred Shott Scholarship Fund
Simon Family Scholarship Endowment
Siochain Foundation Endowed Scholarship
Margaret Lucille Snoddy Scholarship Fund
South Asian Society Scholarship Fund
Louisa J. Spencer Scholarship Fund
George Steiner Music Scholarship Fund
Mary Lowell Stone Scholarship Fund
Marc M. Sussman and Richard A. Morris Endowed Scholarship Fund
Charles Clinton Swisher Scholarship Fund
Mary Helen Taliaferro Endowed Scholarship Fund
Tanner Endowed Scholarship Fund
Tauber Holocaust Memorial Scholarship for Public Health
Lydia W. Thomas Scholarship Endowment
Trachtenberg Endowed Scholarship Fund
Tucker Scholarship Fund
University Players Scholarship Fund
University Scholarship Fund
Unrestricted Undergraduate Scholarship Fund
Mary and Warren Vincent Scholarship Fund
Darrel Waldroupe Memorial Scholarship Fund
Christine L. Waldvogel Memorial Scholarship Endowment
William Walker Scholarship Fund
Wanda Webb Scholarship Fund
Elissa Wernick and James S. Richman Scholarship Fund
Lucy Kim Whitcombe Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund
White Scholarship Fund
Daniela Wiggins Scholarship
John Withington Scholarship Fund
William G. Woodford Scholarship Fund
Granville Writt Woodson Scholarship Fund
Anna Wunderman Fund
Virginia H. Yates Endowed Fund
Christopher and Constance Young Scholarship in Accountancy
Barbara Jackman Zuckert Scholarship Fund
Joel D. Zychick Endowed Scholarship Fund in Business
Loan Funds
The University participates in the Federal Direct Stafford Loans and the Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students. The U.S. Department of Education acts as the lender and guarantor. Servicing during the repayment period will be assigned by the Department to one of its contracted servicers.
Federal Direct Stafford Loans-This is a fixed-rate loan as follows: For subsidized Stafford Loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2011, 3.4%; for unsubsidized Stafford Loans, 6.8%. Eligible students may apply for up to $3,500 as freshmen, $4,500 as sophomores, and $5,500 as juniors and seniors. Students may also apply for a $2,000 unsubsidized Stafford loan; review the Stafford loan chart at our website gwired.gwu.edu/finaid. For students who receive subsidized Stafford loans as part of their need-based financial aid award, the government pays the interest while they are enrolled in school at least half-time and for six months afterward. Students ineligible, or only partly eligible, for subsidized funds may apply for an unsubsidized Stafford Loan up to the same limits to cover their family contribution. Terms and conditions are the same, except that the student borrower is responsible for all interest that accrues on the unsubsidized loan from the date it is disbursed; deferments are available. Independent students (and students whose parents are denied a PLUS loan) are eligible to borrow additional unsubsidized Stafford funds of $4,000 as freshmen and sophomores and $5,000 as juniors and seniors.
Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)-This is a government-sponsored loan that can be used to supplement the student's Federal Direct Stafford Loan or to help with the family contribution. It is a credit-based, fixed-rate loan currently at 7.9%. Each academic year, parents without an adverse credit history may apply for a PLUS loan up to the cost of education, minus financial aid, for each dependent child attending college at least half-time. Loan repayment begins within 60 days of the last disbursement and the maximum repayment term is 10 years.
Origination fees are deducted from loan proceeds prior to disbursement. Families who intend to use loan funds for payment of University charges at time of registration should submit a loan application and all supporting documents to the Office of Student Financial Assistance no later than May 1 for the fall semester, October 1 for the spring semester, or March 1 for summer sessions. See gwired.gwu.edu/finaid for information on the application procedure.
Alternative Loans-Private lenders provide competitive alternative loan options to qualified students. These loans offer attractive interest rates and repayment options. Students and/or families should compare the Stafford, PLUS, and alternative loans to determine which better fits into the family budget. These alternative loans allow the student to borrow up to 100% of GW's annual undergraduate cost of attendance less any current financial assistance. More information can be obtained from our website gwired.gwu.edu/finaid.
Other Loan Funds-The following loan funds are available to degree students. Complete information regarding each loan fund is available from the Office of Student Financial Assistance (gwired.gwu.edu/colonialcentral): Jessie B. Martin Loan Fund; Jack and Anne Morton Loan Fund; Barney Plotnick, M.D., Student Loan Fund; University Student Emergency Loan Fund; Edmund W. Dreyfuss Loan Fund; Peter and Doris Firsht Loan Fund.
Student Employment
The University participates in the Federal Work-Study Program. Inquiries on eligibility should be addressed to the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Work-study job placement is handled by the Career Center. In addition, the Career Center maintains a registry of both full-time and part-time positions available in the Washington area for undergraduate and graduate students. After registration, students may apply at the Career Center for interviews and referrals to positions for which they are qualified.
International Students
Undergraduate international students with proven financial need who have completed two semesters of full-time work (30 credit hours) at this University with a C average are eligible to apply for University and Alumni Awards. Aid is awarded in the spring for the following academic year. See instructions for applying for undergraduate financial aid, above. For those not filing a U.S. tax return, a letter from the employer, certifying salary and benefits, is required.
The maximum award for an international student is $10,000 including any merit scholarship offered at the time of admission.
Students who wish to study in the United States should have sufficient funds available to cover expenses for one full year before attempting to enter a college or university. The cost at this University for one academic year (September-May) was $58,538 in 2011-12 and is expected to be higher in 2012-13; generally speaking, expenses for international students are about $2,000 over the stated figure, which includes room and board, tuition, books, clothes, and incidental expenses, but not travel, holiday, or medical expenses.
Veterans Benefits and Services
The Office of Veteran Services assists students entitled to educational benefits. This office processes certification of enrollment and attendance to the Department of Veterans Affairs so that educational entitlements will be paid. The Office of Veteran Services, located in Colonial Central, provides a convenient centralized service location for veterans and dependents. Prospective and current GW students should consult with GW's Office of Veteran Services regarding enrollment certification, GW's Yellow Ribbon Program, G.I. Bill financial matters, and other questions they may have. More information can be found at www.gwu.edu/veterans.
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