Domestic Need-Based Financial Aid
At Lehigh, we are dedicated to need-based financial aid and believe that we have a responsibility to evaluate a family's ability to contribute in an equitable and consistent manner, recognizing that special circumstances can and do affect a family's ability to pay. In order to be considered for need-based financial aid, you must submit the Lehigh Transfer Financial Aid Application, CSS Profile, FAFSA, IRS 1040 Tax Forms for parent/guardian and students, and any supplemental forms that are appropriate for your family (business/farm supplement for self-employed; non-custodial parent statement for those whose parents are divorced/separated).
Applicants seeking Fall entry must submit the required documents by March 1.
Applicants seeking Spring entry must submit the required documents by November 1.
To further enhance the university's commitment to and support for need-based financial aid, Lehigh recently introduced its Loan Elimination and Reduction Initiatives. For students who are eligible for financial aid, and whose family's calculated annual income* is less than $50,000, their financial aid package will not include any loans to meet their calculated financial need**. For students who are eligible for financial aid, and whose family's calculated annual income is between $50,000 and $75,000, the loan portion of their need-based financial aid package will be limited to a maximum of $3,000 per year.
*Family calculated annual income is a combination of taxable and untaxed income, includes both custodial and non-custodial income and may include items added back to income such as losses that are merely tax allowances. The Office of Financial Aid will continue to include an expected family contribution (EFC). The EFC is the responsibility of the family and may be paid utilizing current income, savings, a payment plan, borrowing options or some combination. Additional borrowing is at the discretion of the family and is not packaged to meet need.
**A family's calculated financial need is: Cost of Attendance less EFC = Need
Generally, students who demonstrate financial need may have their need met with a combination of grants, loans and work study. Please note that merit-based financial aid is not awarded to either domestic or international transfer students.
For more information on financial aid, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at (610) 758-3181.
International Financial Aid
International transfer students are not eligible for need-based or merit-based financial aid. Since Lehigh University does not allocate institutional funding to international transfer students, all non-U.S. citizens are required to submit the Certification of Finances (PDF) with their application for transfer admission.
If an international student does not submit these required items, the application will be considered incomplete and a final decision will not be rendered. The Certification of Finances must be accompanied by a signed letter from a bank or financial institution verifying that a student can be supported to at least $54,020 for the 2012-2013 academic year.