Is financial aid available?

Financial aid is available for online courses in summer 2023.

Precollege Studies awards a limited number of partial scholarships based on

  • A family's demonstrated financial need
  • A student's academic achievement and promise
  • The availability of funds

Scholarships are reserved for credit-bearing online summer courses.

In determining need, we consider a number of factors, such as family income and other available resources, family size, the number of siblings in college, exceptional family medical expenses, and/or geographic differences in the cost of living.

Financial aid is available to eligible U.S. and international students.

Precollege Studies financial aid operates independently of Cornell University's Office of Financial Aid.

Award amounts

Award amounts vary from $1,680 (Cornell tuition rate for one credit) to $5,040 (rate for three credits). If you're awarded a partial scholarship, you must let us know immediately whether you accept it.

The balance is due as soon as you receive your financial aid decision, whether or not you are awarded aid.

If you anticipate that the remaining balance will still be burdensome for your family, we suggest you begin now to investigate, with the help of your guidance counselor and others in your community, possible sources of additional financial aid.

See student fundraising and additional aid resources.

Apply early

We award aid until our funds are depleted, which may occur before the application deadline, so it is to your advantage to apply as early as possible.

We cannot guarantee that all eligible applicants will receive aid, even if they apply well before the financial aid deadline.

Deadlines and decisions

  • Financial aid deadline: March 31, 2023
  • Financial aid decisions: April 28, 2023

Eligibility

We will consider you for financial aid only after you have

  • Submitted all of your admissions materials
  • Submitted all of your financial aid materials (see below) by the required deadlines (see above)
  • Been accepted into a course

How to apply for financial aid

Note:

  • The documents below should be returned as PDFs by email to precollege@cornell.edu or by fax to 607.255.6665.
  • If your parents are divorced, both the custodial and noncustodial parent must complete and return a separate financial aid application.

U.S. citizens or permanent residents must submit:

  • A completed and signed financial aid application (PDF).
  • A copy of a filed and signed 2021 or 2022 federal income tax return with W-2s and schedules, OR a copy of 2021 or 2022 income statement if tax returns are not filed.

Note: Social security numbers and bank account numbers must be blacked out on every page of financial documents.

If you're in the process of applying for U.S. permanent resident status, please send acceptable documentation of permanent residence status (e.g., a photocopy of Form I-151) along with the financial aid application.

Non-U.S. citizens must submit:

  • A completed and signed financial aid application (PDF).
  • Documentation of your family's income, with proof of end-of-year earnings for 2021 or 2022 in the form of a tax return or comparable documentation (in English and in U.S. dollars).