The Financial Aid Process

Official offers of financial aid are available only to students who have been admitted to an aid-eligible program at Drake University.

To apply, visit drake.edu/admission.

Many of Drake’s scholarships are awarded automatically at the time of admission. However, some require an application, audition, or other action from you. For maximum consideration for available scholarships, it is important to be admitted and complete all requirements by the deadlines given.

Information about available scholarship opportunities is available on the Drake Scholarships webpage.

The 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available December 1, 2024. Eligible students must complete the FAFSA to be considered for need-based assistance or federal loans. Drake recommends that students complete the FAFSA no later than March 1 (preceding the upcoming year of enrollment). The FAFSA must be completed for each year the student wishes to apply for need-based aid or federal loans.

Some FAFSAs are selected for a review process called “verification”, through which Drake is required to collect documentation to verify the accuracy of submitted FAFSA information. It is important to respond promptly to all requests from the Financial Aid Office. Failure to complete verification will result in delays in the awarding and/or processing of a student’s financial aid, and could ultimately result in the cancellation of a student’s financial aid eligibility. Incomplete financial aid requirements can be viewed in Financial Aid Self-Service. 

If you or your family has special circumstances that are impacting your ability to pay for college, you can submit a Financial Aid Appeal. Appeals should be completed soon after the FAFSA is submitted, or whenever the situation becomes known. Be sure to include all supporting documentation when submitting an appeal.

The financial aid award notification outlines a student's scholarships, grants, work-study, loans, and other resources. Students can submit a Tuition Deposit by May 1st (or 3 weeks after receiving their financial aid offer) to indicate their intention to enroll at Drake. 

Please note: The tuition deposit does not guarantee a financial aid offer—it is subject to change if a student’s eligibility changes (usually as a result of updates to the FAFSA, or the receipt of additional awards). Even students that receive awards that fully cover tuition (i.e. Tuition Exchange) are expected to submit a tuition deposit.

Drake students fund their education in a variety of ways. The first step in developing your plan for payment is to account for all of your costs. Your costs will include billable costs like tuition, fees, campus housing and meal plans. You will also have indirect costs like books & supplies, transportation, and other personal expenses. The Financial Aid Office has developed Financial Planning Worksheets (available here) to help you develop your plan for payment. If you need help estimating your costs, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Your financial aid notification will summarize the amount of gift aid (scholarships and grants) for which you are eligible. Gift aid does not need to be repaid. Gift aid is applied as a payment on your account, and the amount of your costs not covered by gift aid is called your net cost.

Your net cost may be covered by any combination of the following sources: college savings, contributions from income (see information for Drake’s Payment Options), outside scholarships/support, Federal Direct Student Loans, Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans, or private student loans. Loans must be repaid, usually soon after a student ceases to be enrolled on a half-time basis.

If your plan to pay includes the use of loans, there are some steps you must complete to receive those loans. There are different requirements for each of the loan programs available at Drake. Loans cannot be processed until all loan requirements have been met.

Detailed instructions to apply for each type of loan program can be found here.