Summer Financial Aid Request

Priority Deadlines & Registration

• 2024/25 FAFSA must be received by February 15, 2024
• Summer Financial Aid Request Form due by May 1, 2024
• All outstanding documentation requested on Self-Service Financial Aid due by May 1, 2024
• Must be registered for all of your summer 2024 courses prior to requesting summer aid

 General Eligibility Criteria

• To be considered for institutional financial aid, such as a scholarship or grant from Lewis & Clark, you must be enrolled full-time. (Minimum of 12 credits over the two summer sessions).
• To be considered for federal financial aid, such as a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, you must be enrolled at least half-time. (Minimum of 6 credits over the two summer sessions).
• You must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). We recommend you review the Undergraduate Policies page for additional detailed information.

How To Apply for Summer Financial Aid

To apply for summer financial aid, you must complete the following:

• Complete a 2024/25 FAFSA.
• Register for all of your Summer 2024 credits.
• Submit the CAS 2024 Summer Financial Aid Request Form by May 1, 2024.

• Submit ALL required documentation by May 1, 2024. Check Self-Service via WebAdvisor to determine if you have additional requirements.

  Note: Summer classes begin as early as May 15th. You must complete all of these steps before a financial aid award can be prepared. Once you receive an award you may be required to complete additional steps to secure the aid before it can be disbursed to your student account.

After You Apply for Summer Financial Aid 

Once you have been awarded, we will send an email notification to your Lewis & Clark email address advising you to log into Self-Sevice to review your award letter. Most students will see an award offer which includes 3 semesters: Summer, Fall, and Spring. If this is the case, you will also notice that any Federal aid offered to you has been split evenly over the 3 semesters. Because the Federal aid offered is being stretched over 3 semesters (as opposed to the standard fall/spring), we strongly advise you to do a little budgeting to determine the gap between your anticipated charges for each semester, and the financial aid offered each semester.

To secure your financial aid, you must complete the steps on the “Securing Your Aid” page, where you will be guided through the process of accepting any work-study and/or loans which may have been offered.

If your parent(s) will apply for a Parent PLUS Loan, they will need to complete the PLUS application (and MPN if applicable) online. There is information about the PLUS Loan and an application link on our “Federal Direct PLUS Loan.

Things To Keep In Mind

The tuition rate for summer courses is significantly less expensive than the cost of tuition during the regular academic year (fall and spring semesters). Because of this reduced tuition rate, institutional financial aid (i.e., Lewis & Clark scholarships/grants) will be prorated down based on the reduced amount of your summer tuition costs.

Example of prorated aid: “Student A” enrolls in 12 credits for summer. If summer per credit tuition is $1,000, and their Lewis & Clark institutional aid usually covers 25% of tuition during the regular Fall/Spring academic year, “Student A’s”  summer prorated Lewis & Clark aid would be $3,000 assuming they continue to meet all other eligibility criteria. (12 credits x $1,000 tuition per credit = $12,000 tuition charge. And, $12,000 tuition charge x 25% =$3,000).

If you receive financial aid for the summer, you are using one of your Lewis & Clark semesters of aid eligibility. Typically, undergraduate students who start at Lewis & Clark as freshmen have up to eight semesters of financial aid eligibility. A student who transferred to Lewis & Clark from another institution will have a reduced number of semesters for financial aid eligibility, and should refer to their Transfer Eligibility Letter. We advise all students who wish to use financial aid during the summer to make sure that taking summer courses will allow you to graduate at least one semester earlier than you otherwise would have.

You are responsible for making arrangements and submitting payments to Student & Departmental Account Services (SDAS) for any charges on your account, which are not covered by your financial aid. We recommend you review their website for deadlines and important information about making a payment.