Determining Your Financial Need

Cost of Attendance - Student Aid Index = Financial Need

Cost of Attendance (COA) includes all expenses billed by RIT and additional estimated expenses for books, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses.

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships provides detailed Cost of Attendance Budgets for undergraduate and graduate students. These budgets are used to determine the amount of need-based financial aid that you are eligible to receive. We also encourage families to use these budgets to plan for college expenses.

Tuition and Fees Net Price Calculator

Student Aid Index (SAI) is based on a federal calculation using the information provided on a student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The SAI is made up of two parts: the student contribution calculated using their information on the FAFSA and the parent, step-parent, or student's spouse contribution also calculated using the information provided in their section of the FAFSA.

Your SAI is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college, nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive. It is a number used by schools to determine financial aid eligibility.

Prospective students can normally submit the FAFSA form beginning October 1 of their senior year of high school. Filing deadlines vary by the type of student and application deadlines.

File the FAFSA

For those looking for an earlier estimate of what federal student aid they may be eligible to receive, Federal Student Aid offers a tool to estimate federal student aid.

After you subtract your Student Aid Index from RIT’s Cost of Attendance, you will be left with your financial need. Your financial aid offer is a resource you and your family can utilize to fulfill this need. Through a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and student employment granted by RIT, the federal government, your state of residence, and/or other outside sources like private institutions and banks, you can subsidize your financial need to make your education financially possible.

• Scholarships
• First-Year Scholarships
• Transfer Scholarships
• NTID-Supported Scholarships
• Need-Based Grants
• Federal Loans
• Student Employment Office

RIT Graduate Scholarships and Assistantships are awarded by academic programs. Students who qualify for a full RIT tuition waiver or full reimbursement from an employer or an outside agency are not eligible for an RIT Graduate Scholarship.

Contact your graduate program coordinator to discuss opportunities

Federal Loans

Student Employment Office