Application Procedures

Students who are applying for institutional need-based aid are required to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile (submit a separate CSS Profile for each parent if legal parents are not married and do not live together) and Federal tax forms (student, parent and business tax returns if applicable). For more detailed information such as deadlines and links to forms, please visit the financial aid website at www.lehigh.edu/financialaid.

International Candidates

International students may be eligible for university-funded financial aid. Opportunities are limited. International applicants who are applying for financial aid must submit the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile. International students who do not receive financial aid as a first year student are not eligible for aid in future semesters.

Renewal of Aid

Financial need is reviewed annually to ensure aid eligibility as determined by the Office of Financial Aid, in conjunction with federal, state and university guidelines, reflects current financial and household information. In order to maintain federal and institutional grant eligibility from one academic year to the next, students must continue to demonstrate financial need. Changes in circumstances such as sibling(s) enrollment in undergraduate college, changes in household size or changes in income may result in a change in financial aid eligibility. For more detailed information such as deadlines and links to forms, please visit the financial aid website at www.lehigh.edu/financialaid.

All students receiving financial aid must maintain satisfactory academic progress. Satisfactory academic progress for Federal financial aid eligibility differs from the academic progress policy for institutional aid. To maintain eligibility for Federal aid, students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress based on both qualitative (cumulative GPA) and quantitative standards (pace of progression). Students must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of a 1.70 after their freshman year (earning between 0 and 22 credits) and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all other grade levels (23 credits and above). Per Federal Guidelines, students have a maximum of 12 semesters of Federal Aid to complete their graduate requirements (aggregate loan limits apply as well). Students must successfully complete a minimum of 67% of their attempted coursework.

In order to maintain eligibility for Institutional financial aid, students must 1.) Earn 12 new credits each semester, 2.) Earn a minimum grade point average of 2.0 for each semester, and 3.) Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0. Eligibility for institutional aid at Lehigh University is limited to Undergraduate enrollment in 8 consecutive semesters (unless you are enrolled in IBE, IDEAS or Art Engineering). NOTE: Institutional aid is provided to assist students in obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Additional aid will not be available to students who choose to enhance their bachelor’s degree with additional credentials (ie. second major/minors) and are unable to do so during the 8 consecutive semesters.

For both Federal and Institutional aid purposes, academic progress will be checked annually, at the end of each payment period, unless a student is on Financial Aid Probation, in which case SAP will be checked at the end of each semester.