Financial Aid Information

Approximately 55 percent of Bucknell’s undergraduate students receive Bucknell grants or scholarships. When other types of aid are considered – such as grants from sources other than the University, student loans and campus employment – about 62 percent of our undergraduate students receive some financial assistance in meeting their educational expenses.

Bucknell's grant and scholarship program is a mix of need-based grants and scholarships that do not necessarily require a student to have financial need. This blended approach provides the University with the flexibility to appropriately recognize the achievements of the best and the brightest students within our applicant pool. The majority of Bucknell aid is awarded to students with financial need, and these are reevaluated annually by considering family income, assets, number of members in the household and number of children enrolled at least half-time in undergraduate degree-seeking programs. A limited number of scholarships will be awarded to students with no need or who do not apply for aid. Because we have an exceptionally talented pool of students applying for admission, all merit awards are extremely competitive.

First-year need-based aid recipients will continue to receive assistance in subsequent years as long as they continue to demonstrate eligibility as determined by the Office of Financial Aid, maintain satisfactory academic and social standing with the University, and meet the specified financial aid application deadlines. If a family’s financial situation remains essentially the same, a student’s Bucknell aid should remain consistent over their four years at Bucknell University. However, changes in income, assets, and number of children below age 24 in the family who are enrolled at least half-time in undergraduate degree-seeking programs can increase or decrease need-based aid eligibility from year to year, so students will need to reapply for aid each year.

Withdrawals & Leaves of Absence

If you are a current financial aid recipient, please understand that when you withdraw, federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to calculate the percentage of the semester you completed to determine whether we must return any of your federal financial aid to the federal government and/or Bucknell financial aid to the University. As a result, it is possible that you will owe the University a balance because your financial aid eligibility will have changed. In addition, please be aware that federal loans that you have borrowed will go into repayment six months after you drop below half-time enrollment unless you are in an approved leave-of-absence status as defined by the federal government for Title IV financial aid purposes. However, the federal Title IV leave-of-absence definition is more stringent than the Bucknell leave-of-absence definition, so they are not the same. In the vast majority of cases, Bucknell leave of absence does not qualify as a federal Title IV leave of absence. Therefore, your official status to the federal government must be reported as a withdrawal and your loan repayment will begin six months after the effective date.

If you will be returning to Bucknell after a voluntary leave, health leave, or involuntary leave of absence, please be aware that you must reapply for financial aid each year. Although we cannot make guarantees, if you are eligible, we will do our best to provide financial aid to you. Our deadline for returning students is Feb. 15, so please be sure to complete your financial aid file by this date.