Applying for Aid

Applying for financial aid may not be as daunting as you think. We're here to help support you!

Prospective Students

Includes: U.S. Citizens, QuestBridge, Transfer Applicants, and Davis Degree Program Applicants

Dates and Deadlines

Your financial aid deadlines depend upon which admission decision plan you choose. All requirements for the specific decision plan are outlined on the corresponding printable checklists. For Early Decision and QuestBridge Match, what is needed to meet the deadline is your admissions application. Completing the FAFSA and CSS Profile, submitting documents and completing requests in a timely manner will ensure you receive aid eligibility if you are admitted.

Admission Deadline

Financial Aid Deadline

Admission Decision and Financial Aid Notification Date

Early Decision Round I

November 1

November 1

mid-December

QuestBridge Match

November 1

November 1

mid-December

Early Decision Round II

January 1

January 1

late February

Regular Decision

January 8

January 15

late March

Admission Deadline

Financial Aid Deadline

Admission Decision and Financial Aid Notification Date

Transfer

March 1

April 1

early May

Davis Degree Program

March 1

April 1

early May

Financial Aid Application Materials

The Federal school code is 002224. For U.S. citizens and US permanent residents only. File online at: https://studentaid.gov/sa/fafsa. If you wish to only be considered for federal financial aid, the FAFSA is the only application that is required. Based on the results of your FAFSA, we may also need to request additional federal verification materials.

The Wellesley code is 3957. File online at: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org. The CSS PROFILE is used to determine institutional aid eligibility only.

All students will need to submit signed copies of their families' tax returns and income documentation through IDOC. You will receive an email giving you access to the uploading feature after you have completed your CSS Profile. If you have any difficulty submitting documents, please feel free to contact our office.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Completing the required forms is a lot easier when you have all of your information handy. If you have any questions, you are welcome to call our office at 781-283-2360. We're eager to help.

DOCUMENTS YOU WILL NEED:

  • Your Social Security Number: Make sure you enter it correctly on your CSS PROFILE and FAFSA

  • Your Parents' Social Security Numbers: If you are a dependent student

  • Your spouse's Social Security Number: If you are an independent student and married

  • Your driver's license number: if you have one

  • Your Alien Registration Number: if you are not a U.S. citizen

  • Federal tax information/tax returns/W-2s/T-4s: For you and your parents (if you are a dependent student) or your spouse (if you are an independent student and married)

  • Business tax returns: For you and your parents (if you are a dependent student) or your spouse (if you are an independent student and married)

  • Records of untaxed income: Such as child support received, interest income, veterans' noneducation benefits

  • Asset information: Such as bank statements, investments (stocks, bonds, etc.), home equity, other real estate equity, and business/farm assets

  • Purpose: The CSS (College Scholarship Service) PROFILE, a form distributed by the College Board, allows students to apply for financial aid at over 600 colleges and universities, including Wellesley. The CSS PROFILE allows us to calculate eligibility for Wellesley need-based programs.

  • Who must file: Anyone who wishes to apply for Wellesley College grant aid.
    If your parents are divorced or separated, both households complete the CSS Profile using the student's information, and Collegeboard will link your application.

  • Filing date: The CSS PROFILE is available after October 1. Please be sure to complete the form by the applicable deadline. See prospective student deadlines. See current student deadlines.

  • Filing fee: CSS charges a fee for processing the PROFILE. The registration fee is $25 plus an application fee of $16 per college. Households whose Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is less than $100,000 are eligible for an automatic fee waiver.

  • Wellesley CSS #: The CSS code for Wellesley College is 3957. You will be asked to list the colleges and universities who should receive your CSS PROFILE data, which should include Wellesley.

  • How to complete: Complete this form using actual or estimated income. Submit at profileonline.collegeboard.com. If after submitting your CSS Profile you notice a mistake email sfs@wellesley.edu for your next steps.

Notes: Please utilize the "Special Circumstance" section of the CSS PROFILE to provide additional information about your family. If you have experienced a job loss or change, you may also upload to IDOC your most recent federal tax return. including all statements, forms, schedules and W-2(s).

  • Purpose: The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), a form distributed by the U.S. Department of Education, allows students to apply for need-based federal and state aid (such as grants, loans, and work-study).

  • Who must file: All U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and eligible non-citizens. Canadian and other international students do not submit this form.
    If your parents are divorced or separated, your custodial parent (the parent with whom you lived the most during the past 12 months) completes the FAFSA. If your custodial parent is remarried, the household information must also include the spouse's information.

  • Filing date: The FAFSA form is available online on October 1 and must be submitted by the applicable deadline. See prospective student deadlines. See current student deadlines.

  • It's free!: As the name - ​Free Application for Federal Student Aid - indicates, it's free to apply.

  • Wellesley FAFSA #: The Federal Code for Wellesley is 002224. You will be asked to list the colleges and universities who should receive your FAFSA data, which should include Wellesley.

  • How to complete:
    • Step 1. Complete this form using either actual or estimated income. Submit at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
      • If you have already filed your taxes, you can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to automatically answer certain questions. For more information about DRT, visit our Verification page (coming soon!).

      • If you have not filed your taxes, estimate to the best of your ability. After you file your taxes, you'll need to log back into the FAFSA and correct any estimated information.

    • Step 2. Within 7-10 days after submitting the FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR), which summarizes the information you submitted on your FAFSA. When you receive your SAR, review all information to make sure it is correct and complete. If you notice an error, you can access your FAFSA to make corrections and provide additional information, as necessary. File with your other financial aid records. if your circumstances change, you should contact our office.

Notes: The FAFSA will generate an Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is used exclusively to apply for federal and state programs. Learn more about FAFSA at studentaid.edu.gov/fafsa.

  • Purpose: Like many colleges and universities, Wellesley College will collect your family's income information and other documents to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid.

  • Who must file: Anyone who wishes to apply for financial aid.

  • Required documents:
    • Parents' 2022 federal tax returns, signed by your parents, including all pages, statements, and schedules. See additions and exceptions below.

    • Parents' 2022 W-2 forms, from all employers.

    • Student's 2022 federal tax return, signed by you, including all pages, statements, and schedules. See additions and exceptions below.

    • Student's 2022 W-2 forms, from all employees, including Wellesley College. *Note: While W-2 forms are required when students indicate on their FAFSA and CSS Profile that they had earned income, they generally are not required for our initial aid review nor will the status of "Not Received" delay a financial aid offer.

Make sure that you have included all of the required documents in your packet to SFS. If any documents are missing, it will delay processing of your application. You may check the status of your application through MyWellesley.

  • Filing date: Please be sure to complete and submit these forms by the applicable deadline. See prospective student deadlines. See current student deadlines.

  • ​All students will need to submit signed copies of their families' tax returns and income documentation through IDOC. You will receive an email giving you access to the uploading feature after you have completed your CSS Profile.

If you have any difficulty submitting documents, please feel free to contact our office.

We will communicate with you on your admission portal (which you get access to once you submit your Wellesley application) if we need anything additional have any questions! Student's should refer to the checklist on the admission portal, not the IDOC checklist.

Non-tax filers. If the parent or student is not required to file a tax return, he or she should indicate their non-filing status. Prospective students should complete the verification worksheet, paying special attention to sections 3 and 4 and upload the worksheet to IDOC.

Business owners. If a student, spouse, parent or stepparent is self-employed or holds interest in a corporation, partnership, and/or farm, you are also required to submit a signed copy of the federal tax return (IRS Forms 1120, 1120S, or 1065), including all statements and schedules (especially Schedule K-1), for each business or farm.

Divorced or separated parents. Both your custodial and noncustodial parents (including stepparents) are expected to supply the required documents.

Business/farm supplement. If business, partnership, or corporate income is part of your noncustodial parent's reported income or assets, you will need to submit this form. Submit with other noncustodial income documentation according to instructions. Custodial parents do not submit this form because business information is collected on the CSS PROFILE.

Parents with international income. If one or more of your parents earns income outside the U.S. or Canada, they must submit a translated copy of their most recent tax return or a translated statement of earnings from their employer.

Independent students. Independent students are not required to submit parent information unless they are supported by their parents. Include spouse's information, if applicable.

Current Students

For the 2025-2026 academic year, the financial aid application due date is February 1, 2025. The materials required to complete your financial aid application will be listed on your MyWellesley portal.

Simplied vs. Full Financial Aid Application

We will review financial aid applications for completion and accuracy. If discrepant information is identified, Student Financial Services will reach out to students about submitting the full financial aid application. Until awarded, we encourage students to monitor their portal as additional documentation may be requested. Students can anticipate information about their financial aid eligibility in Early June, 2024.

Students who have demonstrated significant calculated need or whose families report only wages as income will be identified as eligible for completing the simplified financial aid application process. For some families, this means we will not request tax return documents when reapplying for financial aid. For others, we may waive the CSS Profile. Please review your MyWellesley portal for the individual documents required to complete your financial aid application.

Students whose families report more than wage income will be required to submit the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and all income documentation (including all personal and business tax returns, W-2s, forms and schedules) as they have done in the past.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Be sure you and your parent(s) have completed your 2022 taxes. Please note, your application for financial aid will remain incomplete without copies of your federal 2022 tax returns, including all statements, schedules (like Schedule C and Schedule E, and Statements 1, 2, and 3), forms and W-2s. Most families complete the Schedule 1. Be sure to include it.

Please submit your CSS PROFILE online by the priority filing date.

IDOC allows families to upload tax documents, so you no longer mail your paper documents. You will receive an email from them with instructions. If you do not wish to utilize the upload feature, you may still mail your documents to IDOC. We cannot accept financial aid application documents.

Note: Please utilize the "Special Circumstance" section of the CSS PROFILE to provide additional information about your family. Alternatively, you may upload a letter directly to IDOC.

Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online and be sure to list Wellesley College (002224) as the recipient of your FAFSA results.

Note: When filing the FAFSA, be sure to import your IRS tax information using the data retrieval tool.

If you only wish to be considered for federal financial aid, the FAFSA is all that we need at this time.

International Students

All international students, both current and prospective, should visit this page for special instructions on applying for financial aid.