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The Colgate Grant is Colgate’s institutional, need-based grant available to students regardless of citizenship. The Colgate Grant is based entirely on demonstrated need as determined by the CSS Profile—it is not dependent on a student’s grade point average (GPA) or major, etc. Colgate does not offer academic merit scholarships. 

At Colgate, the Colgate Grant is typically the largest portion of an aid offer.

This is a federally funded grant, available only to U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens. Eligibility is determined by the FAFSA. If funding for this program is reduced, Colgate may not be able to replace this deficit. Pell Grant amounts reduce the Colgate Grant eligibility dollar-for-dollar.

• New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP): This grant is available only to eligible New York State residents. By filing the FAFSA, New York State residents will be linked to the TAP application. If funding for this program is reduced, Colgate may not be able to replace this deficit. TAP Grant amounts reduce Colgate Grant eligibility dollar-for-dollar.
• New York State Scholarship for Academic Excellence: Scholarship of $500 and $1500 per year offered by New York State to students achieving academic excellence while in high school. Eligibility is determined by New York State.
• World Trade Center Scholarship: Scholarship for children, spouses, and financial dependents of innocent victims who died or were severely and permanently disabled as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Eligibility is determined by New York State.

Colgate offers institutional athletic scholarships without regard to citizenship to selected student-athletes in certain sports. Recipients and scholarship amounts are determined by the relevant Colgate coach.

While Colgate does not offer academic merit-based scholarships, students are encouraged to apply for outside scholarships from community and national organizations to help reduce their overall educational costs.

If a student receives a scholarship or tuition benefit from somewhere other than Colgate, they must report it to the Office of Financial Aid using the Outside Resource Form on the .

• Outside scholarships awarded based on merit can often help offset educational costs. 
• The combination of outside aid and financial aid from Colgate cannot exceed the annual cost of attendance. 
• Outside aid awarded based on merit will first offset a student’s family contribution, work-study, and/or loan. 
• The Colgate Grant will only be reduced to prevent total financial aid from exceeding the annual cost of attendance.

Outside entitlement aid from state or federal sources, including veterans' benefits, and tuition benefits received from a parent's employer, reduces the Colgate Grant dollar-for-dollar.

Federal Direct Loans are fixed-interest loans funded by the U.S. government and are available to U.S citizens and eligible non-citizens. Effective for the 2026-27 academic year, the requires students to maintain full-time enrollment (in courses applicable to their degree) to remain eligible for the maximum amount. Changes to enrollment will reduce a student’s loan funding.

Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans

• Federal Direct Subsidized Loans: Do not start to accrue interest while the student remains enrolled at least half-time in a degree-seeking program. Depending on a student’s financial need, determined by the FAFSA, a portion of a student’s annual loan limit may be offered in a Federal Direct Subsidized Loan.
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans: Accrue interest immediately upon disbursement. They are not based on financial need.

How to Apply

1. Submit the FAFSA: Complete the .
2. Request funds: Submit the "Federal Direct Student Loan Request Form" via the Supplemental Forms page in your .
3. Complete requirements: First-time borrowers must visit to finish Entrance Counseling and sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN).

Borrowing Limits, Interest Rates, and Policies
 

An undergraduate student's grade level is determined by their total course credits earned:

• First year in school = 0 to 5.99 course credits earned
• Second year in school = 6 to 13.99 course credits earned
• Third/fourth year in school = 14 to 22+ course credits earned

Effective for the 2026-27 academic year, the requires students to maintain full-time enrollment (in courses applicable to their degree) to remain eligible for the maximum amount. Changes to enrollment will reduce a student’s loan funding.

Repayment

• Undergraduate Subsidized/Unsubsidized: Start date begins 6 months after the student is no longer enrolled at least half-time
• Unsubsidized Loan for Graduate Students: Start date is dependent on federal borrowing history; loan can be deferred while enrolled at least half-time

Loan repayment amounts can be calculated by using the federal . Note, the loan simulator does not yet reflect the repayment options that will be available starting July 1, 2026, based on the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill in 2025. 

The Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan is a federal credit-based loan with a fixed interest rate, available to parents of dependent undergraduate students. Parents must apply and be credit approved by the Department of Education to borrow this loan.

Federal Borrowing Limits

Effective for the 2026-27 academic year and beyond, the established new federal limits for the Parent Plus Loan:

• Annual maximum: $20,000 per student, per year (all parents combined)
• Lifetime maximum: $65,000 total per student (all parents combined)

To ensure four years of funding, parents should limit borrowing to approximately $16,250 per year (or less) to avoid reaching the lifetime cap before the student graduates.

Loan Limit Exception

If a student or parent borrowed a federal loan for their student at Colgate prior to the 2026-27 academic year, the parent may be eligible to continue borrowing under previous limits for up to three years. Learn more.

Interest Rate

• 2026-27 interest rate: 9.07%

How to Apply

1. Complete the FAFSA: Complete the .
2. Apply for the Parent PLUS loan: The parent must log in to with their Parent FSA ID to apply.
3. Sign the Master Promissory Note: If approved, first-time borrowers must sign the MPN on the same site.
   Colgate will receive your application electronically within several business days.
4. Denied Applications: If denied, parents may appeal or apply with an "endorser" (cosigner) at .

Private education loans are an alternative loan option to federal loans. They are credit-based loans offered by banks, credit unions, and other private lenders. Some state governments also offer alternative loans with the state acting as the lender.

Private loans are issued by non-governmental lenders; they are not part of the federal student aid program and generally have different terms, interest rates, and repayment options that are not as generous as federal loans.

Colgate does not endorse any private loan lenders. However, to get you started on understanding what borrowing options are the right fit for you and your family, we’ve provided some tips for comparing loan options below.

Before You Borrow: Understand Your Federal Options

We strongly encourage students and families to exhaust all federal loan eligibility before considering private loan options. Federal loans typically offer benefits that private loans do not, including:

• Fixed interest rates that are often lower than private rates.
• Income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness programs.
• Subsidized options, where the government pays the interest while you are in school.
• Death and disability discharge protections.

More information on comparing federal loans to private loans is available on the .

Comparing Private Loan Details

If you decide a private loan is necessary, we recommend comparing multiple lenders to find the best fit. Pay close attention to these key factors:

• Interest rate: Is it fixed (stays the same) or variable (can increase over time)?
• Cosigner requirements: Most students will need a creditworthy cosigner to qualify or to receive a lower rate.
• Fees: Look for $0 application or origination fees.
• Repayment terms: When does repayment begin? Is there a grace period after graduation?

How to Apply

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss your specific financing needs before starting an alternative loan application.

1. Choose a lender: You have the right to select any lender. Many students use comparison tools to view the lenders used by students at this institution in the past.
2. Complete the application: Apply directly on the lender’s website. 
3. School certification: Once the loan is approved, the lender will send a certification request to the Office of Financial Aid. The Office of Financial Aid will certify the loan after receiving the certification request.
4. Disbursement: After certification, funds will be sent directly to the college and applied to the student’s account.

Historical Lenders

This is a list of lenders from whom Colgate students have borrowed in the past. ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï does not endorse any specific lender. It is up to the student to choose the lender that works best for them.

• Ascent Funding
• Citizens Bank
• College Ave
• Custom Choice Loan
• Earnest
• Empower Federal Credit Union
• Finance Authority of Maine (FAME)
• First Capitol Federal Credit Union
• Granite Edvance Corporation
• Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corporation (KHESLC)
• Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA)
• Navy Federal Credit Union
• New Jersey College Loans (NJ Class)
• Pennsbury Scholarship Foundation
• Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)
• Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA)
• Sallie Mae
• Service Federal Credit Union
• SoFi
• Vermont Advantage Parent Loan

• Undergraduate Subsidized/Unsubsidized: Start date begins 6 months after the student is no longer enrolled at least half-time.
• Unsubsidized Loan for Graduate Students: Start date is dependent on federal borrowing history; loan can be deferred while enrolled at least half-time.
• Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans: 60 days after the loan is fully disbursed (paid out) for the academic year. Parents can opt to defer payments while the student is enrolled at least half-time and for up to six months after the student graduates or drops below half-time status.

Loan repayment amounts can be calculated by using the . Note, the loan simulator does not yet reflect the repayment options that will be available starting July 1, 2026, based on the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill in 2025.

Yellow Ribbon

Colgate participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, a component of the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. Eligible military veterans can learn more at . Please note that veterans must be entitled to the maximum benefit rate to be considered for this program, or for their dependents to be considered for it.

This is both an institutional and federal aid amount offered only to certain eligible veterans. The Yellow Ribbon benefit may be used to help cover on-campus expenses. Recipients and Yellow Ribbon amounts are determined by Colgate and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Other Veteran's Benefits

Application forms, information, and assistance in applying for benefits are available at .

• Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Educational Assistance (Chapter 32)
• Dependent and Survivors Educational Assistance (Chapter 35)
• Montgomery GI Bill® (Chapter 30)
• Vocational Rehabilitation for Service-Disabled Veterans
• Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserves Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 1606
• Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33)

Note: Entitlement aid, such as VA educational benefits, reduces a student's Colgate Grant amount on a dollar-for-dollar basis. For further Colgate policies and procedures regarding veterans' benefits, visit Policies and Procedures.