Prospective Students
At Meredith, we're committed to working with you and your family to help guide you through the financial aid process. We strive to provide all the information and resources available in order to help make your education affordable. You have a number of options when it comes to financing your Meredith education. Below are some great places to start.
To contact the appropriate staff person, click here. Please note that staff are assigned to students based on the student's last name and discrete areas of student assistance, such as study abroad and loans. We look forward to working with you!
How to Apply
You are required to complete a FAFSA form each year in order to see if you qualify for need-based scholarships, grants, and federal loans. The FAFSA form will become available after January 1st of each year. (If you are applying for admission for Fall 2013, please select the 2013-2014 school year.) Once available, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and complete the FAFSA form. In order to submit the FAFSA successfully, you will want to complete the following steps:
- Gather Your Documentation-The FAFSA will use the information contained in your tax documents to determine your level of financial need. In order to enter this information accurately, you will want to have your current tax forms and W2’s handy. Keep in mind that this means you may want to file your taxes early since the priority filling date for students is in February. For those who are unable to file their taxes before March 15th, you may use your previous year’s taxes to estimate your earnings on the FAFSA. However, you will be required to update the FAFSA once your taxes have been completed.
- In order to sign the FAFSA, you will also need to make sure you have your federal PIN. If you can't remember your PIN or you need to sign up for a PIN, please visit the federal PIN website at www.pin.ed.gov.
- Go Online to the FAFSA Website- You may start a new FAFSA by visiting www.fafsa.ed.gov.
- Answer the Questions- Answer the required questions using your taxes, W2’s and financial statements, and submit the form by entering your federal PIN. The FAFSA’s of dependent students must be signed by both the student and the parent. At the end of the form, you will be asked where you would like the results of your FAFSA form to be sent. You may search for Meredith College in the online listing, or you may simply enter our school code of 002945. If you have any trouble understanding the FAFSA questions, you may contact the federal processor directly by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). You may also contact our office at 919-760-8565.
- Wait for Your Results- Once the Office of Financial Assistance receives your completed FAFSA, our counselors will create a financial assistance Statement of Award based on your FAFSA results. Some students will be selected by the federal government to complete a one-page worksheet and submit their tax information in addition to completing the FAFSA form. If you are selected by the federal processor to complete the additional worksheet and submit your tax information, we will notify you by mail and supply you with the form.
Returning students will receive their continuing Statement of Award after spring semester grades have been submitted in June.
Eligibility for grants, loans and need-based scholarships will be determined based on the results of the FAFSA form. For additional information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Types of Assistance
Scholarships
Scholarships are funds offered to students that do not have to be repaid and are typically offered based on a student's academic performance, major of study, talent, or leadership potential. Some scholarships may consider a student's financial need based on the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), but many are awarded without consideration for financial need. Scholarship eligibility requirements and application processes vary depening on the donor source and the type of the award. To learn more about available scholarships, please visit our scholarships page.
Grants
Similar to scholarships, grants refer to aid given to students that does not have to be repaid, provided that the student meets the eligibility criteria. While the terms "grants" and "scholarships" are often used interchangably, grants typically refer to aid that is given based on a student's financial need according to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Grants cannot usually be applied for separately are are awarded by the College automatically when a student applied for financial assistance. If you are interested in learning more about the types of grants considered when the College reviews a student's FAFSA, please visit our grants page.
Loans
Loans are funds that may be used to fund a student's academic expenses that must be paid back to a lending institution. All students who file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are automatically eligible to receive a limited about of Federal Direct Loans from the Department of Education, regardless of financial need or credit history. All Federal Direct Loans offer a fixed rate of interest and no payments are due on the loans until after the student finishes school or ceases to be enrolled at least half time.
Parents wishing to borrow funding in addition to the Federal Direct Loan should consider applying for a Federal Parent PLUS Loan, which also offers a fixed rate of interest and the option to defer payments until after the student finishes school or ceases to be enrolled at least half time. Parents may apply for any amount up to the cost of attendance at Meredith, but approval is subject to a credit evaluation. Students whose parents are not approved to receive a PLUS loan may receive an additional amount of a Federal Direct Loan funding with proof of a Federal Parent PLUS Loan denial.
Students wishing to borrow funding in addition to the Federal Direct Loan may apply to private lenders for additional educational loans. These types of loans are referred to as "alternative" loans and will most often require a student to apply with a credit worthy cosigner. Interest rates for alternative loans are variable and will change over the life of the loan based on market conditions. Starting interest rates will vary by lender and are based on the credit evaluation of the cosigner or the primary borrower if a cosigner is not needed.
To learn more about loans, please visit our loans page.
If you are an international student and interested in applying for financial assistance at Meredith, please complete our Application for Institutional Aid for International Students, Undocumented Students and Non-U.S. Residents. Once you are accepted to Meredith, submit this form to the Office of Financial Assistance at the address below:
Meredith College Office of Financial Assistance
3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
Or via fax: (919) 760-2373
The priority deadline for prospective international students for the upcoming school year of 2013-2014 is February 15, 2013 to submit the completed application. Once your completed application is received, the Office of Financial Assistance will evaluate your information and create a financial assistance statement of award detailing your eligibility for grants and scholarships. Our office will still accept applications after the priority deadline of February 15th. We will continue to award students based on their submission date. Should you have additional questions regarding the financial assistance application process or your statement of award, please contact our office by calling (919) 760-8565 or by emailing us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Information and Value
We know that choosing a college is a big decision. That's why we've created our new publication The Value of Meredith to help guide you as you select your top schools. This workbook gives you important facts to consider when choosing a college, and for those of you who like to take notes, it is also available in a print version. Click on the book below to learn more.
The Meredith College Financial Assistance Calculator is intended to assist you in planning for college. This calculator is designed to provide you with an estimate of financial need and merit awards, based on award policies for 2012-13. Please note that you must complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) to receive an official financial aid package.
