Determining Aid Eligibility & Types of Loans Financial Aid Programs for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Determining Aid Eligibility
Students must apply for financial aid annually. The financial aid application cycle usually begins in late January/early February. The student’s aid eligibility is determined based on multiple factors, including the student’s academic program, the annual cost of attendance for the program, and the financial need of the applicant.
The cost of attendance, also called the financial aid budget, is based on the annual billed charges for tuition and fees and the indirect costs associated with the student’s attendance in their program. Tuition and fees are established annually by the Dental school administration and the Tufts Board of Trustees. The indirect costs, which can vary by academic program, include living expenses (rent, utilities, food, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses), books, and supplies are also adjusted annually with the help of multiple sources such as student surveys, consumer price indexes provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and information provided by agencies that manage required board and licensing exams.
Federal student financial aid regulations dictate what types of costs/expenses can be included in the cost of attendance. To this end, the school must set a uniform living expense allowance for those living off-campus or with a parent/other relative (other than their spouse). Financial aid is meant to support the student’s costs associated with their attendance at TUSDM and is not meant to support the student’s spouse.
The Financial Aid Office will review the student’s financial aid application materials to determine the amount of financial aid the student can receive. By subtracting the Student Index (SAI) computed by the Department of Education from the annual cost of attendance, the student’s financial need can be calculated.
Please remember that the financial aid the student receives can never exceed the cost of attendance set by the school.
Independent Students and Institutional/Federal Campus-Based Financial Aid Programs
The Financial Aid Office will utilize financial information from the student and their parents to determine eligibility for the following need-based programs:
- Tufts Grant
- Tufts Loan
- Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL)
- Loan for Disadvantaged Students (LDS)
The Financial Aid Office (FAO) will utilize student and parental financial information to determine eligibility for these need-based programs. To calculate the student’s financial need, the FAO will subtract the SAI and calculated Parental contribution from the annual cost of attendance. While not all parents are willing or able to contribute towards educational costs, reviewing the financial information from both students and parents allows the FAO to determine who has the highest need.
Independent Student Status and Federal Student Aid Programs
Students enrolled at TUSDM are Graduate Health Professions students and are independent for federal aid purposes. Only the student’s (and their spouse, if applicable) financial information is used when determining eligibility for federal student aid programs.
Students applying for Federal Direct loans only are packaged up to their cost of attendance with the following non-need-based loans:
- Direct Unsubsidized Loan
- Direct Grad PLUS Loan
SAI will not be used to calculate eligibility for these programs. The amount of funding the student can receive from these loans will be derived by taking the student’s costs of attendance and subtracting any other financial aid the student receives, such as institutional financial aid programs, outside scholarships, grants, and Federal Work-Study.
Financial Aid Programs for US Citizens and Permanent Residents
Students enrolled in the DMD or DIS programs who are US citizens or Permanent Residents of the United States can be considered for institutional needs-based grants and loans and other types of federal student loans. Postgraduate students who are US Citizens or Permanent Residents and who are enrolled in accredited post-graduate programs can be considered for federal student loans only to cover all or part of their yearly cost of education. Foreign students may apply for private education loans provided they have a qualified US Citizen or Permanent Resident act as co-borrower. Both foreign and domestic students can also qualify for merit-based financial aid.
Although students are considered independent from their parents by federal definition, certain types of federal and needs-based institutional grant and loan programs require parental financial information in order to determine eligibility. The following information provides a summary of the financial aid programs available to TUSDM students. Information on how to apply for the financial aid programs outlined in this section can be obtained in Financial Aid Application Forms and Cost of Attendance for DMD and DIS Programs section of this website. Information as to how financial need is determined is provided in the section entitled Determining Financial Need above.