FAFSA

Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The priority deadline for filing the FAFSA is April 15. BC’s school code is 003704.

The FAFSA is also the approved application for all need-based institutional and state financial aid programs.

Completing the FAFSA is the first step in exploring your financing options. Most students are eligible for some form of financial aid. Apply each year you are enrolled to find out your eligibility. There are even aid programs for students who don’t qualify for need-based assistance.

If you miss the priority deadline, file your FAFSA as soon as possible. Applications submitted after April 15, will be processed as long as funds are available.

If you are trying to complete your FAFSA and are finding the instructions confusing, contact us. We can often provide a quick answer to put you back on the road to completing your application.

Applying for Aid in Subsequent Years

• If you need a FSA ID or have forgotten your FSA ID, you can visit the FSA ID page.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards

Many types of federal and state aid require students to maintain satisfactory academic progress. You must have a minimum number of credits earned and meet a minimum grade point average, which varies depending on your academic level.

Bridgewater College Scholarships and Grants

Once you receive an academic scholarship, you have a maximum eligibility period of 8 semesters to apply it to your undergraduate degree.

After the federal processing center completes the analysis of your FAFSA, they will send you a student aid report (SAR). How you receive this depends on how you filed it:

• If you filed the FAFSA online and provided an email address, you will receive a SAR Information Acknowledgment with access information for your SAR online.
• If you filed the FAFSA by mail, or did not provide an email address online, you will receive the SAR by mail.
  The SAR includes important comments about your analysis along with the information from your FAFSA. Read it carefully!

If the processor rejected your application, the letter will let you know what you need to do next. We can’t determine your aid eligibility until we receive a valid analysis for you. Your prompt action in providing the processor with more information is vital.

If, for instance, your reported estimated income figures on the original FAFSA and the actual figures are different, you should make the appropriate corrections, sign the SAR and return it for reprocessing at the address provided.

If Bridgewater College is not listed on your student aid report, we will not be able to determine your eligibility for aid. In order to have the analysis sent to the financial aid office, email us. We will need to know your DRN number, located near the top of the first page of the student aid report. We will send a request to the processor to receive your results.

• If you filed a 2025-2026 FAFSA, the federal processing center will send a 2026-2027 renewal notification to the email address listed on your 2025-2026 FAFSA.
• If you did not provide an email address, the notification will be sent to the home address listed on your 2025-2026 FASFA.
• The Renewal FAFSA can only be filed when the Department of Education makes the 2026-2027 FAFSA available to the public. Bridgewater College’s priority deadline for financial aid is April 15. Include BC’s school code of 003704 on your application.

Students must meet the requirements specified below in order to receive Title IV federal aid.

• Qualitative Measure: Students must have at least a 1.700 cumulative grade point average by completion of their second semester and at least a 2.000 cumulative grade point average by completion of their fourth semester. A minimum year-end 2.000 cumulative grade point average must then be maintained until graduation.
• Quantitative Measure: Students must successfully complete at least 67% of the courses they attempt. Withdrawn (W) grades and transfer credits count as attempted hours for this purpose.
• Maximum Time Frame: Students must complete their program by the time they have attempted 150% of the hours required for their degree program.
• If a student does not meet the specified requirements, they may make an appeal for aid if extenuating circumstances existed. The financial aid committee rules on all satisfactory academic progress appeals.

Endowed Scholarships

Numerous endowed scholarships, funded by our generous alumni and other private donors, are also available. Each scholarship has select criteria and eligibility requirements associated with it. BC currently has more than 240 endowed scholarships. You are automatically considered for these scholarships after you submit the FAFSA.