Financial Aid Application Requirements
Students must apply for financial aid to be considered for Colgate's need-based aid. Application form(s) are submitted for the year of intended enrollment and requirements for need-based aid vary based on your citizenship.
Prospective students will be considered for Colgate's need-based aid only when they identify as an aid applicant on their admission application and submit their 2025-26 CSS Profile before an admission decision is made.
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
The application is available online, October 1.
Colgate’s CSS Profile school code is 2086.
Eligible applicants will have the fee waived automatically. Domestic undergraduate students may submit CSS Profile for free if:
- Family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000
- The student qualified for an SAT fee waiver
- The student is an orphan or ward of the court under the age of 24
If your biological or adoptive parents live apart and are divorced, separated, or were never married to each other, each parent should submit a CSS PROFILE reflecting his/her household and financial situation.
Students under age 27 are considered dependent by Colgate University and parent information is required. It is anticipated that a student who matriculated as a dependent student will remain dependent for financial aid purposes throughout their enrollment at Colgate.
Create a StudentAid.gov account (also known as FSA ID account) before completing the FAFSA.
For 2025-26, if your biological or adoptive parents live apart and are divorced, separated, or were never married to each other, report parent information for the parent (and their spouse, if applicable) who provided the greater portion of the student's financial support in the 12 months prior to filing the FAFSA.
Colgate’s FAFSA school code is 002701.
Residents of New York State are encouraged to apply for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grant to supplement the generous financial aid offered by Colgate. To apply for TAP, follow the prompts at the end of the FAFSA or log onto tap.hesc.ny.gov.
Colgate’s TAP code is 0125.
International, Undocumented, and DACA Students
International students who do not receive Colgate Grant upon admission are not eligible for Colgate Grant in subsequent years.
The application is available online, October 1.
Colgate offers CSS Profile fee waiver codes to international applicants for whom submitting the CSS Profile will be a significant financial burden. After students submit their admission application to Colgate and it has been processed by the office, they may request a CSS Profile fee waiver directly on their Colgate applicant portal. The deadline to make this request is the same as the application deadline (Early Decision I: Nov. 15; Early Decision II and Regular Decision: January 15). The financial aid office is unable to accept paper or PDF copies of the CSS Profile.
If your biological or adoptive parents live apart and are divorced, separated, or were never married to each other, each parent should submit a CSS PROFILE reflecting his/her household and financial situation.
Students under age 27 are considered dependent by Colgate University and parent information is required. It is anticipated that a student who matriculated as a dependent student will remain dependent for financial aid purposes throughout their enrollment at Colgate.
Current Colgate Students - Domestic
Students must re-apply for financial aid each academic year. Current students should wait for instructions to be released in December before applying for financial aid for the 2025-26 academic year, due to the delay of the 2025-26 FAFSA.
Students are welcome to submit the 25-26 CSS Profile now if they wish.
Current Colgate Students - International, Undocumented, and DACA
International students currently receiving financial aid do not need to reapply for aid annually. Financial aid eligibility will automatically be reviewed based upon the initial application filed prior to enrollment.
International students who become U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens during their enrollment will thereafter be treated as domestic students and must reapply for aid annually.
International students who did not receive Colgate Grant upon admission are not eligible for Colgate Grant in subsequent years.
Additional Information
If your financial aid application is selected for institutional or federal verification, additional documents will be required. You will be given access to the College Board IDOC portal to upload the required documents electronically. Any required forms will be made available for you within your IDOC portal.
You will receive an email from the College Board once access to the portal is available. We can only accept documentation submitted via the IDOC portal. We cannot accept documents submitted via email, fax, or mail.
Prospective students should log onto the Applicant Portal and current Colgate students should log-on to their Colgate aid portal to confirm receipt of financial aid application requirements and submit all missing financial aid materials in a timely manner.
Financial aid application requirements are the same for both early decision and regular decision candidates, only the deadlines are different.
Applying for early decision does not impact eligibility to receive financial aid. Any regular decision or early decision candidate who applies for financial aid on time and demonstrates financial need will have their need met in full.
Prospective students will be considered for Colgate's need-based aid only when they identify as an aid applicant on their admission application and submit their CSS Profile before an admission decision is made. Colgate financial aid is offered based on demonstrated financial need; the university does not offer academic merit scholarships. Please read the policies that apply to your financial aid eligibility and financial aid offer.
Colgate grant assistance is limited to eight semesters for students who enter as first-year students. Courses transferred to complete Colgate degree requirements will reduce this eligibility.
Domestic students applying only for federal student aid do not need to meet the deadlines noted above, and do not need to submit the CSS PROFILE. They may instead submit just the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at any time during, or in the months immediately preceding, the academic year for which they are seeking federal assistance.
Visiting students are not eligible for financial aid from Colgate and should continue to receive their home institution's financial aid when appropriate.