Education and Insurance

              Regardless of what a prospective student is looking for in a school, a collage's financial aid policy can sometimes outweigh almost any other aspect of the institution when that student is deciding to apply. Carleton knows this fact, and the Office of Student Financial Services claims that no student should hesitate to apply ti the collage because of its cost.

                                 

             Carleton has a need-based financial aid policy, meaning that there is an expectation that the family will contribute as much as they can toward the cost of education. Of course, this contribution varies with each family. For the 2006-2007 school year, all Carleton students who demonstrated financial need had those needs met. Half of Carls receive need-based aid, and more than $33.5 million was awarded to Carleton student in 2005-2006. Nearly two thirds of that money was funded by Carleton grants and scholarships, which do not have to be repaid. Outside aid comes from federal and state grants and national, regional, and local scholarship. In each class, Carleton sponsors seventy-five or more National Merit and National Achievement Scholarships. Carleton does not, however, offers scholarships for athletics, the arts, or academic performance, since most student would be eligible for one of those anyway, Carleton also participate in the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Pell Grant programs, as well as the Perkins Loan Program, the Stafford Student Loan program, SELF Loans, and a number of other loan programs.

   
                 Most of Carleton's financial aid packages consists of grants from Carleton and outside sources, a loan, and a work contract. About three fourths of all students works on campus most as a part of the work-study programs through their financial aid. First-year students don't work more than eight hours a week, and upper-class students don't work more than ten hours a week. Most student find that their work more than ten hours a week. Most students find that their work is manageable and often a rewarding part of their overall Carleton experience. From working in the Burton dining hall dish room to writing press releases for the Media Service office, students are an important part of the "nuts and bolts" of the collages' operations. Because students only work  part-time and loans are generally between $2500 and $3500, the bulk of financial aid awarded to students comes from Carleton's grants-- a testament to the fact that the collage seeks to provide educational opportunities to academically qualified students, regardless of their financial situations.