Financial assistance is provided by the Office of Student Financial Planning through gift aid, work, and student loans. Because college scholarships are awarded based on financial need, parental information is required for all unmarried students under age 30.
$4M
in scholarships awarded annually to the DVM program
65-70%
of students receive a scholarship each year
Step 1: Apply for Aid
Priority Deadline: February 28
To be considered for institutional gift aid, submit the following:
Important: Parental data is required for all unmarried students under age 30 to be considered for gift aid.
Secure Document Upload Portal
* We want you to have all the information you need before choosing to attend Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Meeting the application priority date will ensure your financial aid is available before the decision deadline. You can still apply after the priority date, but you may receive a delayed financial aid award offer as a result
Step 2: Finalize Aid
- A) Review Your Financial Aid Summary: Carefully review the financial aid summary you receive from the Office of Financial Aid. This summary outlines the aid you’ve been offered and what you’ve accepted.
- B) Calculate Your Actual Expenses: Use your financial aid summary to estimate your total cost of attendance and compare your aid to your actual expenses (tuition, housing, food, books, etc.). Use the Budget Worksheet to help you plan and limit borrowing when possible.
- C) You must actively Accept Federal Loans or Work Study Awards.
- D) Request Additional Aid (If needed): If your aid does not fully cover your expenses, you may apply for a private loan to cover any unmet needs.
- E) Sign Up for Direct Deposit: To receive any refunds for living expenses, sign up for Direct Deposit through Bursar Services. This ensures faster and more secure delivery of your funds.
Step 3: Read About Your Responsibilities
Expand below to learn more about applicant responsibilities
Stay informed about financial aid deadlines and comply with documentation requests by checking the Financial Aid Tracking Page and reading email and postal mail messages.
Accurately complete your application(s) for student financial aid. Errors can result in long delays in your receipt of aid. Intentional misreporting of information on federal financial aid forms is a violation of law and constitutes a criminal offense subject to penalties under the U.S. Criminal Code.
Return all additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information requested by the Financial Aid Office as promptly as possible. The college is required by federal law to have on file documentation of a student's family resources and of any circumstances necessitating a budget adjustment.
- Read and understand all forms you are asked to sign and keep copies of them.
- Attend required loan initiation and exit interviews. The college conducts loan initiation and exit interviews for all loan programs in which it participates, as required by federal law. These interviews are for the purpose of insuring that all borrowers understand the obligation to repay student loans, avenues for seeking assistance if problems arise and consequences of failure to repay.
- Accept responsibility for all agreements you sign. The signing of a promissory note for a long-term loan initiates the disbursement of loan moneys and signifies your acceptance of a moral and legal obligation to repay the loan after leaving college. Default on any federal loan or failure to repay a federally funded education grant disbursed for a period in which you were not enrolled makes you ineligible for all federal aid until due repayments are made.
- Inform the College of Veterinary Medicine Financial Aid Office of any changes in your economic or financial circumstances. This includes any outside resources, (grants, assistantships, fellowships, earnings, loans, endowments, etc.) not counted at the time your application was originally reviewed and financial need determined.
- Review annually the future costs of education loans and establish a personal education debt limit compatible with realistic income expectation.
- Keep this college, your lender and your loan guarantor informed of your enrollment status and your address at all times. Changes in enrollment status can affect financial aid eligibility and loan repayment schedules. Maintenance of contact with lenders is essential for any situation that deviates from the expected scholastic time schedule or loan repayment schedule. Keep your addresses (home, local, billing) up to date with the university online at studentcenter.cornell.edu.
Financial aid applicants should be aware of our Financial Aid Policies.
Additional steps for the different borrowers
First-Time Borrowers
If this is your first time borrowing federal loans at the College of Veterinary Medicine, you must visit studentaid.gov to complete the following before any federal loan can be disbursed:
**All MPNs must be signed online before the start of the fall semester. **
HPSL Recipients
If you are receiving a Health Professions Student Loan (HPSL), you must complete:
**There is a 3-day rescission period, so complete this step promptly. **
VA Benefit Recipients
If you are receiving Veteran Education Benefits, you must:
Federal Financial Aid Changes affecting graduate and professional students for 2026-27
