After applying for financial aid, you will receive your Financial Aid Award Letter from the Office of Financial Aid. The Award Letter contains information about your financial aid eligibility, including:

• Your Cost of Attendance
• The types and amounts of funds you're eligible to receive
• Your rights and responsibilities regarding financial aid 
• How to notify us of any additional funds you're receiving
• How to decline any of the funds you’ve been offered

Depending on the completeness of your financial aid application, you may receive one or all of the following versions of the Financial Aid Award Letter:

Tentative Financial Aid Award Letter
If you are a prospective HMC student who has been offered admission, you may receive a tentative Financial Aid Award Letter if the information you supplied is incomplete. The tentative Financial Aid letter includes an estimate of your award eligibility and a letter explaining what additional information you need to provide before we can make an official offer of financial aid.

Additional information might include:

• A signed copy of your and your parents tax forms for the past year
• Business/Farm Supplement (entirely), if your parent did not complete all Schedules on the past year corporate and/or partnership federal tax returns (i.e. Schedule L Balance Sheets per Books)
• Additional tax forms related to corporations or partnerships

Please note: The aid listed on the tentative Financial Aid Award Letter is not final. It is not credited to your student account, and may be adjusted after we receive your additional information.

HMC students returning for their Sophomore, Junior, or Senior years will not receive a tentative Financial Aid Award Letter. Returning students will receive a Financial Aid Award Letter only after all necessary information is received. Only incoming Freshmen receive tentative offers of aid.

Official Financial Aid Award Letter

Once we have received all the information required to verify your financial aid, we will send you an official Financial Aid Award Letter. You may receive this letter after you have responded to a tentative Financial Aid Award Letter, or this may be your first notification of aid eligibility (if you supplied all the information needed in your original application).

You must sign the Financial Aid Award Letter to accept the award or decline any or all of the aid offered. Return one signed copy of your award and complete all applications and promissory notes for the student and/or parent loan(s) which you have accepted.

Revised Financial Aid Award Letters
Once you’ve received an official Financial Aid Award Letter, revisions may be necessary because:

• You received an outside scholarship
• Your Cost of Attendance budget has changed
• Additional funds have been approved
• You’ve decided to decline one of your awards

Any change to a Financial Aid Award Letter will be reflected on a new, revised Financial Aid Award Letter. Revisions are sent throughout the year if necessary; A signed copy of your Financial Aid Award Letter must be returned to the Office of Financial Aid by the deadline specified on your Financial Aid award letter or within 10 days of receipt. 

Last Updated: October 2009