Financial Aid FAQs & Resources

No. Every student who applies for admission to MCLA is automatically considered for institutional merit scholarships, with no separate scholarship application required. Merit awards are based on high school academic performance for first-year applicants and on college coursework for transfer applicants. Students should also complete the FAFSA to be considered for federal and state need-based aid programs.

The bill is the amount MCLA charges directly, while cost of attendance is a broader financial aid budget that also includes estimated non-billed expenses. Students should review current waiver information to determine whether that charge applies to them.

Yes. Students must submit a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid for each academic year in which they wish to be considered for federal, state, or institutional need-based aid at MCLA. Eligibility is recalculated annually because it depends on financial circumstances that change from year to year. Merit scholarships awarded at admission follow their own renewal criteria and don't depend on the FAFSA.

The 2026-27 FAFSA is available now.

We recommend completing the FAFSA and your financial aid file as soon as possible after October 1. Applications completed by January 1 will have priority for the funds available.

Not necessarily. The FAFSA must be completed every year as soon after the October 1 date as possible. It may be possible to receive a comparable award if the family’s financial situation has not changed from the prior year and all required paperwork has been completed as soon as possible after October 1.

In most cases for undergraduate students, yes. In the eyes of the FAFSA, you are considered either a dependent student or an independent student. The FAFSA asks you questions to preliminarily determine your status. 

If you live on your own by choice, do not meet any of the independent questions on the FAFSA (24 years old, veteran, etc.) and maintain a relationship with your parents, you will have to include parental information.

If there has been a breakdown in the relationship with your parents, you can complete a written independence appeal directly through Student Financial Services. This consists of a written letter from you detailing your circumstances regarding your relationship with your parents, along with two supporting letters from “responsible adults” (e.g. therapist, school counselor, clergy.)

All students in a graduate program are considered independent students.

The student will use the parent’s information that they reside with the most during the calendar year. If that parent is remarried, the step-parent’s information is also included on the FAFSA. If the student splits their time 50/50 with both parents, then they will use whichever parent contributes 51% to their support.

Both of their information is required on the FAFSA.

If you have a legal guardian that has been appointed by the courts, you will complete the FAFSA as an independent student and the guardian’s information is not required.  The College may require a copy of the legal document.

If you live on your own by choice, do not meet any of the independent questions on the FAFSA (24 years old, veteran, etc.) and maintain a relationship with your parents, you will have to include parental information.  If there has been a breakdown in the relationship with your parents, you can complete a written independence appeal directly through Student Financial Services.  This consists of a written letter from you detailing your circumstances regarding your relationship with your parents, along with two supporting letters from “responsible adults” (e.g. therapist, school counselor, clergy.)

It means that you will have to submit verification documents to the school. This may include a verification form and copies of yours and your parent’s tax return transcripts. This does not mean copies of the tax returns. You can request copies of the tax return transcripts by calling 1-800-908-9946. You also have a choice to correct your FAFSA and complete the IRS data retrieval. This will pull the IRS information for the tax returns. You would then submit your FAFSA as a correction and MCLA would receive the information electronically.

If you're a first time borrower of the loan, you will need to complete the online entrance counseling and Master Promissory Note on www.studentaid.gov. These will be available once your student loan has been processed by the College's Financial Aid Office, beginning in June. You will receive an email when that process can be completed.

If you are a prior borrower at a different college, you may only need to complete the online entrance counseling. The Master Promissory note is active for up to 10 years.

There are several options available. You can apply for an alternative student loan, which is credit based and will require a credit-worthy cosigner.  Additionally, the balance can be financed through a monthly payment plan by Nelnet. You can choose to do any of these or a combination of them. Whatever works best for you and your family.

The cost of attendance is what it costs the student to live and go to school for 9 months.  This not only includes the direct costs of tuition, fees, housing, and food, but also books, transportation, and personal expenses.

It's very important to note that the cost of attendance is not a bill. The cost of attendance is a larger figure used by Student Financial Services when determining the amount of financial aid a student can receive.

Fall semester bills are mailed and eBilled in early July with an early August due date. Spring semester bills are due in mid-November with a mid-December due date.

Accepted aid will show as a credit on your bill. However, if you accepted federal student loans and are a first time borrower, you will need to complete Entrance Counseling and a Master Promissory Note. You will be notified by Student Financial Services when you can complete this, but no federal loan will show on your bill until this is done.

Yes, if your financial aid exceeds your billed charges, you can request a ‘book advance’ from Student Financial Services. Book advances are available upon request only after you complete any required paperwork for your financial aid file. Whatever you request as a book advance would be deducted from your refund.

If you are interested in a book advance, email StudentAccounts@mcla.edu after the bills go out to be put on the list. You will be notified of the next steps.

Refunds normally occur by mid-October and early March for each semester.  If you are enrolled in a degree completion program, Graduate Program, MBA Program, the Early Childhood Program, or any other cohort program, refunds may occur at a later date due to enrollment verification.  It is recommended to check with Student Financial Services if you need to know a specific date.

If you were eligible for the workstudy program, it would be listed on your financial aid award for the upcoming academic year.

No. If you are awarded workstudy, you will receive a bi-weekly paycheck for your worked hours.

We strongly recommend that any student looking for an on-campus job visit Student Employment. You would want to look for non-workstudy positions on this page.

Yes. MCLA offers many on-campus and off-campus job opportunities. Many MCLA students are awarded work study funds as part of their financial aid package.

Per federal regulations, you may repeat a course and receive aid for it if you have never passed the course. If you previously passed the course, you may receive one repetition and receive aid for it. Any second or subsequent repetition will not qualify for financial aid. 

We know that your tax returns may not reflect you or your family's current financial situation. If something recently happened to impact your financial situation, our Office of Student Financial Services may be able to help. Please contact finaid@mcla.edu.

External scholarships are available through national scholarship databases, state aid programs, employers, community organizations and professional associations. Students should be aware that legitimate scholarship applications never charge a fee, and any service asking for payment to apply or to search should be treated with caution. MCLA students are automatically considered for institutional merit scholarships when they apply for admission, with no separate application required.

 No separate application is required for MCLA institutional merit scholarships. Admission applicants are automatically considered, with first-year awards based on high school academic performance and transfer awards based on college coursework. Students should also complete the FAFSA to be considered for eligible federal and state need-based aid.

Grants are financial aid that doesn't require repayment and are awarded primarily on financial need, including federal Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and state MASS Grants. Federal Work-Study provides part-time employment during the academic year, and students earn wages for hours actually worked. Loans must be repaid with interest after leaving school. All three are accessed by completing the FAFSA, and a student's aid offer may combine them.

No. Federal Work-Study is earned rather than credited. Students are paid wages for hours worked, usually on a regular payroll schedule, and use those earnings for ongoing expenses such as books, transport and personal costs. The award amount represents the maximum a student may earn over the year, not a sum deducted from the bill. Students should budget for the full billed amount and treat work-study earnings as income received over the course of the term.

MCLA students may be eligible for federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Massachusetts state grant programs, depending on financial need as determined by the FAFSA. Grants don't require repayment. Students are also automatically considered for MCLA institutional merit scholarships when they apply for admission, with no separate application required.

Students can reduce borrowing by completing the FAFSA each year to access grant aid that doesn't require repayment, and by taking advantage of institutional merit scholarships, for which all admission applicants are automatically considered.

Federal student loan borrowers can identify their loan servicer by logging into their federal student aid account, which lists all federal loans and the servicer assigned to each. Servicers can change, so borrowers should verify their servicer before making a payment or applying for a repayment plan. Private loans aren't listed there and must be tracked through the original lender or a credit report.