Skip to content Skip to navigation
Vassar
Skip to global navigation Menu

Managing Your Student Contribution and Self Help Financial Aid

A Vassar education is a valuable investment in your future. As a student, you are helping to fund this investment in a variety of ways. It is important that you understand your contributions and how they impact you now, during your time at Vassar, and once you graduate.

Student Contribution

Vassar believes that students find greater value in education when they help contribute from their own resources. The student contribution incorporates a modest amount from the student’s summer work earnings as well as a portion of their personal assets. Vassar expects all students to work or intern each summer, including the one before you arrive on campus for your first year. If you do not work, then you will need to find another way to fund your student contribution (i.e. through an additional loan). We typically discourage students from planning to fund it solely through their work study earnings as those paychecks are best used to support your expenses during the school year.

Federal Loan fast facts

If you completed a FAFSA, then you may have a Federal Direct Loan in your financial aid offer. Here are some important facts:

  • Federal Direct Loans come in two forms: Subsidized and Unsubsidized. Both loans accrue interest, however Subsidized Direct Loans will not accrue interest while you are in school.
  • The amount you can borrow is determined by class year. As a first-year student, you are eligible to borrow up to $5,500. (If you would like to borrow above the amount included in your aid offer, please email finaid@vassar.edu or contact us to review student loan options.)
  • Interest rates for federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans first disbursed after July 1, 2026 will be fixed at 6.52%. They are subject to a small origination fee (about 1%) so the amount credited to your account will be slightly less than the amount listed in your aid offer. There are a wide variety of repayment options offered. Repayment begins six months after ending your student status, whether at Vassar or after finishing your graduate education.

Student jobs/work study

Work Study is a student employment program that provides students with part-time jobs on or near campus. It does not mean that you get paid to study; rather it allows students to work and earn a paycheck to help cover their expenses while enrolled in school.

Vassar does not automatically place students into work study jobs. All available jobs are posted on JobX, Vassar’s online student job application site. Students are responsible for determining which jobs best align with their skills and interests and submitting applications for those positions. There are over 1,600 job openings available in almost every department and office on campus. Jobs include admission tour guides, academic research assistants, tutors, museum docents, nursery school aids, information-technology help, lifeguards, administrative office assistants, front desk attendants, etc. Students typically work an average of seven hours per week.

Unlike other financial aid awards that are applied directly to the charges on your student account, work study funds are earned through a biweekly paycheck according to the hours that you work. It is expected that students use their earnings to cover their indirect/personal expenses (i.e. books, supplies, travel expenses) but they may also need to contribute a small portion to their bill.

Prepare for common expenses

When your financial aid is calculated, we consider not just your tuition, housing and food, but also budget for other anticipated costs such as books, supplies, and transportation. Unfortunately, Vassar is not able to increase your scholarship aid should you find that your actual expenses exceed the budgeted amount. Therefore, you must plan accordingly and spend wisely.

Now is the best time to establish a plan for how you’ll fund your expenses so that you don’t run out of money during the school year. Make a list of your expected costs and calculate how much you can reasonably save for potential unforeseen costs. We recommend using a free service like CashCourse to help you.