Financial aid offers for non-international students are for one year only. In order to renew the offer, all required forms must be in the Office of Financial Aid Services and Student Employment by April 15 for priority packaging.
If your financial picture changes significantly during this time, HWS will review your award and make appropriate changes.
Renewal application information will be sent to students via e-mail prior to the December break.
Our checklist (PDF) outlines the required forms you and your family must submit in order to reapply for financial aid.
Step 1: Returning Student Financial Aid Application
The Returning Student Financial Aid Application (PDF) is required of all returning financial aid recipients. This form replaces the College Scholarship Service Profile form which is no longer required for renewal applications. The deadline is April 15.
Step 2: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Renewal FAFSA
This application is required in order to receive federal and New York state financial assistance. It must be completed and sent to the processing center. The Student Aid Report generated as a result of filing the FAFSA must be received electronically in the Financial Aid Office by April 15. The HWS code for FAFSA is 002731.
We recommend filing electronically to shorten the time it takes for schools to receive your information. It also lessens the chance of errors on your application, since the program is designed to question answers that do not comply with logic built into the program.
Returning students who have filed FAFSA forms electronically in previous years have already received a PIN number from the federal processor. This is your electronic signature. If a student has misplaced or lost his or her PIN number, he or she may go to www.pin.ed.gov to obtain it. Returning students who have never filed electronically may also obtain a PIN number at that address. Parents also may file for the PIN number at the same Web address. Once you and your parents have your PIN numbers you may file your FAFSA electronically at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Step 3: Federal Income Tax Return(s) and W2s
Signed copies of your and your parents' prior year federal income tax return(s) and W2s including schedules A, C and E (if applicable) are due in the Office of Financial Aid Services and Student Employment by April 15.
If you, the student, will not file a tax return check the appropriate non-filing statement on the Returning Student Application. If your parents will not file a return, fill out the Statement of Non-Tax Filing form (PDF) and send it to us.
If you and/or your parents are filing extensions for income tax returns, signed copies of the IRS Application for Extension must be submitted by the April 15th deadline.
New York State residents must also include copies of student and parent prior year state income tax returns. Also, if you or your parents are in need of a copy of your tax return from the IRS please click here.
New York State (NYS) TAP Application
NYS residents with a New York State net taxable family income of $80,000 or less may qualify for a TAP grant ranging from $500-$5,000. All NYS residents listing a NYS school on the FAFSA have two ways to apply for the TAP.
If you file your FAFSA on the web, you will also be able to file your TAP Application online. Please do so to speed the entire application process.
If you do not submit your FAFSA online, a pre-printed ETA is automatically generated by completing the paper FAFSA or paper Renewal FAFSA and listing Hobart and William Smith in step 6. ETAs are mailed to the permanent address. You must make any necessary corrections and provide all required signatures, then send the form to the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (NYSHESC).
An estimate of your TAP eligibility will be included in the offer of financial assistance from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. NYSHESC will send a copy of the award certificate to the home address with instructions to forward a copy to the school.
All returning students with an incomplete financial aid application will be assessed a penalty (i.e. a reduction in their HWS grant) as follows:
If you have any questions regarding the financial aid process, please contact the Office of Financial Aid Services and Student Employment at:
Phone: (315) 781-3315
Fax: (315) 781-4048
Email: finaid@hws.edu