What You Should Know About Hillsdale’s Financial Aid

Written by Alexander Green

If you know anything about collegiate financial aid, you should probably throw it out the window when considering Hillsdale’s need-based financial aid. I’m only partially joking. Hillsdale is unique when it comes to talking about financial aid since, unlike most other colleges, we do not accept any federal or state funding. As a result, we do not use the FAFSA (the federal form for student aid that most other colleges utilize). Rather, we have our own version of the form that works in a similar way but is administered by Hillsdale’s Financial Aid Office. We are grateful for the hundreds of thousands of people who support Hillsdale to make the education here affordable, with a sticker price of about half the cost of similar colleges. Hillsdale is able to offer financial aid to about 98 percent of its students through need-based aid, as well as merit and leadership scholarships, and through talent-based scholarships in areas like athletics, art, music, and theatre. So, how do you go about being considered for financial aid?

Merit and leadership scholarships: Every applicant to Hillsdale is automatically considered for merit and leadership scholarships. Hillsdale’s application process is need-blind, so merit and leadership scholarships are solely based on the strength of a student’s application. In short, to qualify for more merit and leadership scholarships, it helps to have a strong academic and leadership profile. Make sure to submit all of your grades and any college-level courses such as dual enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), or Higher Level (HL) International Baccalaureate (IB) courses on your transcript. For leadership scholarships, make sure your resume is clear, thorough, and outlines any leadership positions or positions of impact you may have held. Lastly, you’ll want to apply by our Early Action I deadline of November 1 to be in the best running for these scholarships.

Need-based aid: Much like the FAFSA process, our Confidential Family Financial Statement (CFFS) form will ask you for your family’s past tax information. For undocumented or international students, please fill out the Financial Statement provided on the application instead. Our Financial Aid Office will use this information to provide a number called your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which will be used to determine if your family qualifies for need-based aid. The CFFS does not take into account every particular family situation, so you are invited to work with your financial aid counselor directly to ensure your profile is as complete as possible. Hillsdale can offer private grants, loans, and gift aid in addition to merit or leadership scholarships to meet a student’s need. Hillsdale cannot participate in the federal Work Study program, but many of our students have jobs either on or off campus.

Talent-based scholarships: Hillsdale also has talent-based scholarships for athletics and fine arts. These scholarships are awarded by their respective departments and require a certain level of commitment by the recipients to participate and/or compete. Hillsdale has fourteen DII NCAA sports, as well as shooting sports. Hillsdale also has three choirs, a symphony orchestra, several jazz bands, and various other opportunities for music.

Part-time employment is another opportunity of which students can take advantage, and the money you earn can be put toward whatever you wish. Hillsdale also allows students to stack scholarships (so you could be awarded a mixture of merit, talent-based, and need-based aid), and if you receive outside scholarships (such as from a community foundation or faith-based organization), we do not rescind other scholarships that we have offered.

Hillsdale has every interest in making the College affordable, though little to no interest in making it free. We believe very strongly that investing in your own education helps you value it that much more. The cost of college can be overwhelming, but try not to be intimidated by the sticker price. Rarely will a student pay full price (at Hillsdale or anywhere else), especially if you put together a great application. Until you apply, however, colleges can’t have a real sense of how you will fit in with the social or academic goals of the institution, and so cannot “entice” you accordingly.

Hillsdale has every interest in making an education affordable. Each Hillsdale student is assigned a Financial Aid Counselor who will work with you to build a financial aid package to suit your unique situation. While the cost of college may seem overwhelming, try not to be intimidated by the sticker price. Rarely will a student pay full price (at Hillsdale or anywhere else), especially if you put together a great application. Our friendly staff in the Financial Aid Office are ready to help you every step of the way so that a Hillsdale education is within your reach.

Alexander Green double majored in English and Spanish at Hillsdale College. He has spent the last four years recruiting the Pacific Northwest and international students for the Admissions Office. He and his wife, Christa (also a Hillsdale grad!) live in Portland, Oregon.

 

 

Published in October 2023