Financial Aid

We understand the sacrifices families make to fund graduate and undergraduate education. While our admissions process is need-blind (which means your income has no bearing on whether or not you are admitted to the college), we commit to offer all the aid we can to every eligible admitted student. Approximately 90 percent of students who apply to Goddard’s graduate and undergraduate programs are independent, working adults. More than one-third of all undergraduate students receive need-based financial assistance in the form of the Federal Pell and the Student Educational Opportunity grants. Students also receive aid in the form of subsidized and un-subsidized federal loans, and the college awarded more than $450,000 in institutional scholarships and grants in the last academic year. We encourage you to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid as soon as you start your application.

Below you will find information about the resources that may be available to you to assist you in covering the cost of your education.

Available Financial Assistance

Federal Pell Grant

  • Federal Pell GrantThe Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate students to promote access to education. The Federal Pell grant does not have to be repaid. Federal Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s or a professional degree.Amounts can change yearly. The maximum Federal Pell Grant award is $5920 for the 2017-2018 award year (July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018). The amount you get, though, will depend on your financial need, your cost of attendance, your status as a full-time or part-time student, and your plans to attend school for a full academic year or less. Details are available online.

    Institutional Grants and Scholarships

    Goddard offers a number of scholarships and grants to new and returning students. These include:

    • Partnership Grants: New students with affiliations to one of a dozen organizations may be eligible for grants upon admission to Goddard College.
    • Friend of Goddard Grant: If you are recommended for admission by a member of the Goddard College community, you may be eligible for a Friend of Goddard Grant. A qualifying letter must be submitted when applying for admission (it can not be submitted after the application has been reviewed).   
    • Pearl Fund Scholarship: Students who demonstrate financial need; who aspire to earn their first bachelor’s or master’s degree; who have been out of school for five or more years; or who have been out of the workforce for five or more years may be eligible for the Pearl Fund Scholarship.
    • SEED Award: The S.E.E.D. funds support and sustain cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity in the Education Program. Award is available for all students in the Education Program in Seattle and Plainfield, Vermont. Read more online.
    • Spirit of Goddard Scholarship: Given to students with financial need, and who demonstrate a commitment to the mission of the College, which is to advance cultures of rigorous inquiry, collaboration, and lifelong learning, where individuals take imaginative and responsible action in the world.
    • Priscilla Backman Scholarship for Activism
    • Corinne Mattuck and Employee Sponsored Student Emergency Fund

    Scholarships are offered each year to new or returning students. For complete current scholarship listings and eligibility requirements, please visit our scholarships page.

    External Scholarships

    We have compiled a list of over 300 scholarships from various websites. Each scholarship has a brief description and a link to the organization’s website. Please keep in mind that these scholarships are not associated with Goddard College in any way. Any question you may have about the content of the scholarship must be directed to the individual organization. Scholarships are organized alphabetically and can be reached by selecting the appropriate header at that top of the page.   A-Z Scholarships July 2015

    Federal Loans

    All student loans are processed through the Department of Education’s Direct Loan program. All new borrowers must complete a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling.

    Please go to www.StudentLoans.gov to complete your Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling. The FSA ID – a username and password – has replaced the Federal Student Aid PIN and must be used to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID confirms your identity when you access your financial aid information and electronically sign Federal Student Aid documents. If you do not already have an FSA ID, you can create one when logging in to fafsa.gov, the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS®) at www.nslds.ed.gov, StudentLoans.gov, and StudentAid.gov. The Department of Education will notify us once you have completed both items.

    Based on eligibility and level, undergraduate students may be eligible for subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Dependent undergraduate students may be eligible for Parent PLUS loans.

    Graduate students are eligible for Unsubsidized Stafford Loans and, for those needing additional funding, Graduate Plus Loans.

    Information on federal loans can be found at www.studentloans.gov.

    Students may also access information on private loans at www.FinAid.org/loans.

    Please refer to Goddard’s Code of Conduct Related to Student Loan Activities.

    Veteran Student Benefits

    The Office of the Registrar acts as a liaison between students and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and certifies enrollment for veterans or their dependents so they may obtain educational benefits.

    To apply for benefits, an accepted or continuing student should complete an Application for Education Benefits (VA Form 22-1990).

    Questions about veteran’s benefits should be addressed to the registrar, Josh Castle, at josh.castle@goddard.edu or 802.322.1672.

    Additional Information

    Students are also encouraged to research non-institutional scholarships available to them. Following are a selection of websites worth reviewing:

Applying for Financial Aid

Known as the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the gateway of consideration for federal, state or institutional aid. This form is completed annually by current and prospective students to determine eligibly for student financial aid, including the Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Federal student loans. The FAFSA form can be found and completed at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

When submitting the FAFSA, we encourage you to request the IRS retrieval option, which will populate income sections of the application, saving you time and reducing the likelihood of transcription errors.

Net Price Calculator

The Net Price Calculator is intended to provide estimated net price information.

Estimated Cost of Attendance equals cost (tuition and required fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other related expenses) minus estimated grant and scholarship aid. This does not include the low interest Federal loans that students are eligible to borrow in order to supplement their educational expenses. Read more. 

Contact a Financial Aid Counselor

Once you’ve been admitted to the College, a financial aid counselor can provide you specifics on your eligibility for aid. You may schedule an appointment to speak to a financial aid counselor by writing to finaid@goddard.edu. Be sure to include which program you will be attending and your anticipated starting date.