Understanding Your Financial Aid Package

Planning Through Partnership

Navigating the financial aid process can be the most challenging part of the college application process. At St. Lawrence, our Financial Aid team is here to make a difficult process easier to understand.

Breaking Down Your Aid Package

Merit and Specialty Scholarships

St. Lawrence awards merit-based and specialty scholarships to students each year. These are given in a consistent amount per year.

Merit scholarships do not require an additional application or financial need. They are awarded based on the strength of the student’s overall application to St. Lawrence.

Specialty scholarships do require an additional application, typically in the form of an essay based on a topic related to the scholarship.

Athletic Scholarships

St. Lawrence does not offer athletic scholarships for our NCAA Division III athletic teams—nor is athletic talent a consideration for merit or need-based aid—due to league regulation. 

The only athletic scholarships we offer are for Division I men and women's ice hockey.

Additional Details

To distribute as much aid as possible, all students will only be eligible for one scholarship. To address your financial need specifically, we will ensure you receive the highest scholarship you are eligible for. 

If you apply for need-based aid, any scholarships you are awarded will count towards your aid package.

We strive to provide access to a college education that is both affordable and fiscally responsible for students and their families. 

To do this, we offer need-based aid in the form of grants, loans, and on-campus employment opportunities. While we can’t guarantee that we will meet 100% of every student’s financial need, we do our best to meet as much financial need as we can.

Need-based aid opportunities include:

  • Federal Pell Grant Program
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
  • Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
  • the New York State Tuition Assistance Program
  • Vermont State Assistance Grants
  • Federal Direct Student Loans
  • the Federal College Work Study Program.

Often called “gift aid,” grants are money awarded to you by the federal government, St. Lawrence, or an outside agency that does not need to be paid back.

A college education is an investment in your future. Sometimes, that investment takes the form of federal student loans.

St. Lawrence participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program for all student and parent federal educational loans. Through this program, you may take out a maximum of $27,500 in student loans that need to be paid back over a period of ten years after your graduation. Parent borrowers can apply for additional parent loans in their name.

Students at St. Lawrence typically borrow an average of $27,000 in federal student loans for their undergraduate studies.

Helping You Create an Affordable Future

2,340

The number of minutes a day a member of our Financial Aid team is available to answer questions from families (Monday through Friday)

58%

of St. Lawrence students receive need-based financial aid in 2020-21

$77

million in financial aid awarded to St. Lawrence students in 2020-21

$39,960

Average annual total gift aid for the Class of 2024 (scholarships and grants)

742

Number of students who work on-campus jobs

96%

Outcomes Rate

Recent graduates were employed or in graduate school within 7-9 months of graduating.

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