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Early Financial Aid Assessment

Macalester offers two Early Decision admission rounds for students who know that Macalester is their first-choice college. Students who apply via Early Decision commit to attending Macalester if they are admitted and enjoy the benefit of knowing their college destination in December (Early Decision I) or February (Early Decision II).

Macalester’s Early Financial Aid Assessment (EFAA) program removes barriers to Early Decision by providing an official financial aid eligibility statement before students commit to applying. Students who are interested in Early Decision can receive an official statement of financial aid and merit eligibility before they commit to applying through Early Decision.

When can I apply for an early financial aid assessment?

Students who are considering Early Decision and would like an early financial aid assessment begin by completing the Macalester Preliminary Application. The Preliminary Application is not a full application for admission; it consists of biographical information and provides students with log-in information to activate their Macalester application portal. Starting on September 1, students can submit an official request for an early financial aid assessment.

To receive the early financial aid assessment, financial aid application materials must be submitted between October 1 and December 15. Macalester will provide financial aid results approximately one week after receiving all financial aid application materials. Please note the admission application deadlines are November 1 for Early Decision I and January 1 for Early Decision II.

What will I learn from an early financial aid assessment?

The EFAA process offers two pathways:

Need-based EFAAs: For families who believe they may qualify for financial aid, particularly if the Net Price Calculator indicates eligibility for need-based aid. Any merit scholarships awarded upon admission are incorporated into the need-based grant amount.

  • Assesses eligibility for need-based financial aid, including grants, loans, and student employment, based on family financial circumstances.
  • Provides a reliable preview of need-based aid but does not directly evaluate merit-based scholarships. 
  • Requires financial documents (e.g., CSS Profile, tax documents) to evaluate financial need.

Merit-based EFAAs: For families who have determined they are unlikely to qualify for financial aid, or whose Net Price Calculator results show no financial aid eligibility, and who seek an estimate of merit-based scholarship amounts.

  • Evaluates eligibility for merit-based scholarships based solely on academic qualifications, independent of family finances.
  • Focuses exclusively on merit scholarships, not need-based aid like grants, loans, or employment.
  • Requires a high school transcript (through junior year) and a list of planned senior year courses.

How do I apply for an early financial aid assessment?

To request and apply for an early financial aid assessment, please complete the following steps. You can also review our frequently asked questions about applying for financial aid.

International students: Please note that you do not need to provide tax documents as part of your financial aid application. After completing the Macalester Preliminary Application and requesting an early financial aid assessment, please review the steps to apply for financial aid as an international student.

Need-based EFAAs

Need-Based EFAA ItemsTimeline
Macalester Preliminary ApplicationNo later than December 15
Request an early financial aid assessmentSeptember 1 to December 15
CSS Profile (all biological/adoptive parents,
regardless of current marital status)		October 1 to December 15
Tax Documents (IDOC Submission)October 1 to December 15
  1. Complete the Macalester Preliminary Application (and activate your application portal)
    Visit macalester.edu/admissions/apply for more information. After completing the Preliminary Application, use the log-in information you receive by email to activate your application portal.
  2. Request an early financial aid assessment
    Submit an official request for an early financial aid assessment. If you apply for financial aid but have not submitted this request, the Financial Aid Office will not know that you would like to receive an early assessment.
  3. CSS Profile
    Visit cssprofile.collegeboard.org to complete the CSS Profile. Include Macalester’s code (6390) in the school release section. There is a fee associated with filing the CSS Profile, which is automatically waived for many low-income filers. Divorced/separated parents: If your biological/adoptive parents are not married and do not reside in the same household, both parents must complete separate CSS Profile applications in order for you to be considered for financial aid from Macalester. For more information about this requirement, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. If you do not have contact with one of your biological/adoptive parents or cannot have that parent complete the CSS Profile, you can request this requirement be waived. Some students will have this requirement waived automatically based on information on their custodial parent’s CSS Profile.
  4. Tax documents (IDOC Submission)
    After completing the CSS Profile (step 3 above), you will receive an email from the College Board IDOC service. This email will come from [email protected] and will provide instructions to use IDOC to submit tax documents and applicable supplements required to apply for financial aid from Macalester. Your IDOC information will specify which documents are required. In general, they will include your parents’ 2024 federal tax return and W-2 forms. Parents who do not file a tax return will be asked to complete a Non-Filer Statement (provided by the IDOC service).

Merit-based EFAAs

Merit-Based EFAA ItemsTimeline
Net Price CalculatorAny time
Macalester Preliminary ApplicationNo later than December 15
Request an early financial aid assessmentSeptember 1 to December 15
High school transcriptSeptember 1 to December 15
  1. Use the Net Price Calculator
    Merit-based EFAAs are for students who do not plan to apply for need-based financial aid, or who will only qualify for a very small amount of need-based aid. We encourage families to use our Net Price Calculator to estimate their financial aid eligibility and determine if a merit-based EFAA is the right option.
  2. Complete the Macalester Preliminary Application (and activate your application portal)
    Visit macalester.edu/admissions/apply for more information. After completing the Preliminary Application, use the log-in information you receive by email to activate your application portal.
  3. Request an early financial aid assessment
    Submit an official request for an early financial aid assessment. In the request form, select the option to receive a merit-based EFAA.
  4. High school transcript
    Upload a copy of your high school transcript and a list of planned senior year courses to your Macalester application portal. You may also provide ACT/SAT test scores if you plan to supply test scores when you apply for admission.