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Student Financial Services

Prospective Students Applying for Aid

Please note that new applicants will only be able to upload documents to their BentleyConnect portal after they complete the admission process.

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Financial Aid Dates and Deadlines

Application TypeApplication DeadlineDecision Notification Begins
Early Decision INovember 15Late December
Early Decision IIJanuary 15Early February
Regular Decision and Early DeferredJanuary 15Late March
TransferApril 1Rolling

 

Steps to Apply for Financial Aid

You are eligible to apply for need-based aid if you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Please be sure to complete all of the steps below so we can provide you with an award before the enrollment deposit deadline.

Step 1: Complete the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)Our FAFSA school code is 002124. All applicants for financial aid must complete this form, which will be used to determine your eligibility for federal and state aid.  If you do not wish to be considered for Bentley need-based aid, you may complete the FAFSA only. Please let us know if you will not be completing the CSS Profile.

Please note, the FAFSA Simplification Act has delayed the availability of the FAFSA data to schools for the 2024-25 application year. Applications will be reviewed without a FAFSA and tentative awards issued. Federal aid will be confirmed once FAFSAs are received after the May 1 deposit deadline. The review of the FAFSA will not impact the total aid provided to you in an initial financial aid package unless significant differences in income or asset information are brought forward.

Step 2: Complete the 2024-2025 College Scholarship Service PROFILE. Our CSS code is 3096. Applicants who wish to be considered for Bentley need-based funding must complete this form. Please note: Noncustodial parents will need to create their own account and complete their own CSS Profile. Please see these instructions for creating parent accounts.

Please note: due to the further delay of FAFSA information being made available to schools, we are unable to accept CSS Profile Waiver Requests at this time.

Step 3: Submit signed copies of 2022 federal tax returns, including all schedules and all W-2 and/or 1099 forms for your parents. Financial documents should be uploaded via BentleyConnect portal. Please note that we do not subscribe to the IDOC upload service, so we are unable to view documents that have been uploaded to the College Scholarship Service site via IDOC. Additionally, for security purpose, we cannot accept documents via email that contain sensitive information such as social security numbers.

Step 4: Review our list of Supplemental Forms to ensure that there are no additional forms that need filing (e.g. for parents who own a business or real estate other than their home). Please note that Supplemental Forms for 2024-2025 will be available soon.

Step 5: Monitor your Financial Aid Checklist regularly through the BentleyConnect Portal as additional documents may be required during our review of your application. Be sure to check your email for additional requests and reach out to the Office of Financial Assistance with any questions about requirements.

Financial Aid Forms and Documents

Required Forms

RequirementDetails
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)Apply at studentaid.gov
CSS ProfileApply at cssprofile.collegeboard.org
Parent 2022 IRS Tax Returns and W-2 and/or 1099 StatementsTax returns must be physically signed and include all schedules (Sch 1, 2, 3, C, E, F)

 

Forms That May Be Required

RequirementDetails
Noncustodial ProfileRequired of divorced/separated or single parents. Apply at cssprofile.collegeboard.org
2022 Business Tax Returns or Business/Farm SupplementRequired of those who own a business or are self-employed
Clarification of Property Value FormRequired of those who own one or more rental properties or rent out a portion of their primary home

 

Non-filers and Foreign Tax Returns

If your parents do not file a federal tax return, please complete Non-Filer Forms, which can be found on the Supplemental Forms section of our website. Please note, if your parents file a foreign tax return, you must submit this along with a translation page. If your parents work in a country where individual taxes are not filed, please provide an income statement from their employer. Contact your counselor for questions on appropriate documentation for non-US tax filers.

Documents should be uploaded using the BentleyConnect portal. Documents may also be faxed to 781-891-2448 or mailed to:
       Bentley University Office of Financial Assistance
       Rauch 104
       175 Forest Street
       Waltham, MA 02452

Verification Requirements

The Department of Education randomly selects certain FAFSA records for a process called Federal Verification. If your FAFSA record was selected, there are additional financial aid requirements necessary to confirm your financial aid eligibility. You will know if you have been selected for verification by a message included in your FAFSA confirmation report (the SAR or Student Aid Report).

Your Bentley financial aid requirements may include a signed copy of the Verification Worksheet, available on our Supplemental Forms page, and the use of IRS Data Retrieval on your FAFSA or an IRS Tax Return Transcript for both the parent and student. If you are unable to retrieve a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS, we are currently able to accept a signed copy of the 2022 tax return in its place. If the student did not file taxes in 2022, we will need a copy of the Statement for Students Not Filing a 2022 Tax Return, which can be found on the Supplemental Forms page. In the event a parent did not file, we will need verification of nonfiling from the IRS. For all cases of nonfiling; we can no longer accept a Statement for Parent Not Filing a Tax Return. If any additional documents are required, a financial aid counselor will contact students directly.

Please contact your financial aid counselor with any questions about this process.

Guide to Financial Aid

Office of Student Financial Services

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 pm.
Phone: +1(781)-891-3441; Fax: +1(781)-891-2448
Email: sfs@bentley.edu