Submitting a Pledge

If you have read our guidelines and know of a program that should be included in our list, please let us know. Please send a web site url, press release, or other public information about the program to:

debtpledges [at] ticas [dot] org

We'll get back to you with any questions or issues.

Answering the questions below is not required in order to submit a pledge for inclusion in our list, but we have included them to give a sense of the information we are looking for. Please feel free to supplement the public materials you send with specific answers to any of these questions.

A. Who Qualifies?

What types of students are targeted by the plan? (See common requirements)

If there are income cutoffs (such as “200% of poverty level based on family size”), does it apply to parent income only or both parent and student income combined?

Does the pledge screen out families with assets or EFCs above a particular level?

Are there any other restrictions that are not commonly used to determine eligibility for financial aid, such as test scores, GPA, residency requirements, etc.?

B. How is EFC determined? How is it used?

In determining need and income, does the school use the Federal Methodology, the CSS Institutional Methodology, or a different method?

Is the student/family expected to cover the full EFC before other aid is packaged?

Does the pledge apply only to a standard student budget, or will you consider costs associated with the student’s individual circumstances and /or program of study?

Is there a standard or minimum student contribution from income included in the EFC or financial aid package (i.e. a summer savings expectation)? If so, how much? Is it a standard or a minimum (i.e. if need analysis indicates a higher level, would that higher level be applied?)

C. How much work-study and/or need-based loans are included in the pledge?

Besides the summer savings expectation (#7), is there any additional self-help expectation (an amount of work-study and/or loans)? How much and what types?

Are there other sources of aid in the package other than gift (grant) aid, such as loans or work study? If so, what is it, and how much?

D. Does the pledge account for the full student budget?

Is the total cost of attendance covered by the package? If not, what expenses remain unaccounted for?

E. How are outside scholarships handled?

If a student has outside scholarships, does this contribution reduce their loans and work study first, or their gift aid?

F. For more information:

What document or url provides the best, most complete and up-to-date description of the financial aid policy or program?