Having a child go through the college application and decision process can be an exciting yet stressful time for all involved.  Very often, finances play a major role in where a student will to attend college.  The Office of Financial Aid at Wagner College strives to make the financial aid process as smooth as possible for you and your child. 

After receiving the all-important acceptance letters, you will begin receiving the financial aid packages.  Reviewing and interpreting these offers can be time-consuming and overwhelming.  We’ve designed this page to be a guide to you help you through the sometimes tedious process.

Before receiving the aid offers:

  •  Check out the FAFSA deadlines for each school and be sure to file the FAFSA on time and as accurately as possible.
    • Browse the websites for each school and read the information about financial aid.
    • Inquire if the schools will request any other information or forms (i.e. CSS Profile, institutional aid form).
    • Prepare a review of your finances and discuss with your child what your financial limitations are

Upon receiving aid offers:

  •  Examine each aid package carefully and compare the aid offers for each school.  Specifically, look at the following:
    • How does the institution award its institutional funds (i.e. merit or need)?
    • Does the package include loans?  If so, what types of loans (student and/or parent)?  Do the loans require credit-checks (i.e. parent or alternative loans)?  Do the loans have fees?
    • Is College Work-Study included in the offer?  If so, is it a reasonable amount the student will be able to earn while maintaining a full-time academic and extra-curricular schedule?  (Note:  Divide the dollar amount stated by the minimum wage to determine the number of hours the student will need to work over two semesters in order to earn that amount.)
  • Review the costs for the individual schools.
    •  Do the costs cover all expenses that the student will be charged while attending for the year?  Are there other fees that you may not be aware of (i.e.- student activity fees, lab fees, technology fees)?
    • Compare the aid offers for each school.  How does the aid offered compare to the costs?   

After reviewing aid offers:

  • Contact the colleges to discuss their aid offers and possible financing options.
  • Make the choice of college and submit a deposit holding the student’s place in the class.

We strongly suggest you keep your child involved in the entire process for many reasons.  A college education is an investment in his/her future and being involved will help make the child a better consumer and will foster greater financial literacy.

How does Wagner package? 

  • Wagner awards institutional funds based upon merit, not need.  These awards are included with the student's acceptance letter from the Admissions Office and will be noted on the Financial Aid Award Letter. 
  • Student loans are the only loans included in the Financial Aid Award Letter.  PLUS and alternative loans are not included because they are based upon credit and require a pre-approval and separate application.
  • Students who indicate that they are interested in employment on the FAFSA and are eligible, will have CWS included in their Financial Aid Award Letter.  The amount that is listed is the amount that the student can reasonably earn over the course of the academic year.