Applying for Aid

Important FAFSA Information

• The Federal school code for Paul Smith’s College is 002795
• The FAFSA opens on October 1 and should be completed no later than March 1

PSC Financial Aid Student Portal

All financial aid processes at Paul Smith’s College are tracked through the PSC Financial Aid Student Portal that you will access using your Student ID and password.

The PSC Financial Aid Student Portal will allow you to:

• Check the status of your financial aid application
• View outstanding documents needed to finalize your financial aid
• See missing documents
• View your current financial aid offer
• Accept or decline your offered aid
• View important messages about your awards
• Check the status of your student loans for the current year
• Review your loan history

Granting Parents Access

If your parents are involved in your financial aid process, we encourage you to share the information in your portal with them. Only students are assigned Student IDs and passwords for this system. Parents should not have access to your Financial Aid Student ID or password.

Although you may receive periodic emails from our office regarding missing paperwork and/or updates to your financial aid, your portal is our official communication channel with you. It will be very important for you to monitor your portal and your email to stay up-to-date on your financial aid.

Future Students

Students accepted to Paul Smith’s College should file a FAFSA as soon as possible, but no later than March 1 of their enrollment year. However, Paul Smith’s College will still accept a FAFSA filed past the March 1 priority date.

To complete the FAFSA, an FSA ID must be created by the student and a parent (if dependent for FAFSA purposes). For specific information about Federal Financial Aid programs, FSA IDs, or the FAFSA, please visit the Federal Student Aid website.

After the FAFSA is received by Paul Smiths College, all accepted students will receive a detailed financial aid offer via email and get access to their PSC Financial Aid Portal.

Your Student ID will be mailed or emailed to you by the Admissions Office and will be on the award offer emailed by the Financial Aid Office. Your password is unique to the Financial Aid Portal and is not synced with other PSC portals. Please keep your password in a safe place and do not share it with others.

International Students

International students are not required to complete any additional applications for financial aid. You can learn more about available scholarships and additional funding sources on the International Applicant page.

Returning Students

To maintain financial aid, you must submit FAFSA paperwork each year. It is important to submit accurate and complete parent and student information. Your financial aid, such as the Paul Smith’s College Grant, Federal Pell Grant, and Federal SEOG award, may change based on changes to your Student Aid Index (SAI). If you have any questions, contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Income Changes & Special Circumstances

Financial aid eligibility for federal and institutional grants is based on the information you provide on the FAFSA. The income and asset information you submit is evaluated by a formula called Federal Methodology as set by Congress. This formula assumes that 2023 income is a good predictor of a family’s financial strength during the student’s 2025-2026 academic year.

The Office of Financial Aid at Paul Smith’s College recognizes that many families have changes in income or family situations that cannot be reflected in the 2023 tax return data. For this reason, students can appeal their financial aid eligibility if they have unique financial circumstances. Please contact the Financial Aid Office at financialaid@paulsmiths.edu for further instructions.