Introduction

Selecting a college has always been an important decision. We recognize that costs are an important factor in a student's college search process, and we offer this guide to help students and their families prepare for investing in a high quality liberal arts education.

Many forces shape each student's financial assistance at Earlham. There are federal guidelines and funding levels to follow, Admissions' achievement scholarships, Earlham's own grants and policies, state grants and outside scholarships, and of course, each individual student's information about their own resources. Our goal is to disseminate our limited funding equitably across need and ability levels, so that as many students as possible can make their choice about coming to Earlham on the basis of the educational compatibility between the student and the College — in other words, to enable students to make the choice based on the College and not just the cost.

A financial aid officer wears many hats: counselor, teacher, information gatherer, administrator, policy enforcer; but by far the most important, all-encompassing role is that of a resource for students. Although students only tend to think about us once a year (when they are applying or re-applying for aid), we are here primarily as a source of information and assistance for students who are pursuing an Earlham education. The main reason we created this guide is to provide an informative overview of financial assistance available at Earlham, and how to go about accessing that aid. It is also important to us that the guide be concise so that students and parents can digest the information at their own pace. If you have any ideas for future editions of this guide, please contact our office.

Private education costs can seem prohibitive to even the most affluent families. We encourage everyone to apply for financial aid, so that we can help make Earlham an affordable investment in your future.