/ Offices/ Financial Aid/Undergraduate Students/Important Dates and Deadlines

Financial Aid Timeline

For undergraduate students applying for financial aid for the 2026-27 year, our timeline is returning to normal. The FAFSA is scheduled to open on October 1!

September

Relax! You have plenty of other things to think about, but if your high school is offering a FAFSA workshop, you can attend to see what’s in store for you in October.

October

October 1: FAFSA Opens! Go to StudentAid.gov to set up your account and file the 2026-27 FAFSA. Remember to list Lewis & Clark on your FAFSA.

International students should complete the International Student Application for Financial Assistance.

November

Students applying for admission under Early Action and Early Decision must file their FAFSA by November 1.

December

We’ll begin releasing financial aid offers to students who are admitted under Early Action and Early Decision who have filed their FAFSA.

January

January 15: Priority filing deadline for the FAFSA for students applying for admission under Regular Decision Admissions.

February

February 1: Verification documents due for Early Action admitted students selected for verification.

February 15: Priority filing deadline for Continuing Students to submit the FAFSA.

February 15: Verification documents due for Regular Decision admitted students selected for verification.

March

March 1: Priority filing deadline for the FAFSA for students applying to Lewis & Clark as Transfer Students. If submitting a transfer admissions application after March 1, please submit the FAFSA as soon as possible after submitting the admissions application.

Mid-March: We’ll release final need-based financial aid offers for Regular Decision students at the time of admission.

March 30: Verification documents due for Continuing Students selected for verification.

March–May

We’ll release final need-based financial aid offers for Transfer students on a rolling basis (dependent on when the FAFSA was filed).

May

May 1: Incoming students wishing to enroll at Lewis & Clark must submit the enrollment deposit by May 1. See Admission Letter for further details.

June

Early June: Continuing Students who filed a valid FAFSA by February 15 and returned additional documentation by March 30 should receive a financial aid offer in June.

As soon as you know that you’ve received any external scholarships, let us know by following the instructions on our External Scholarships page.

July

July 1: Complete the steps necessary to secure student loan funds shown on your financial aid offer for the upcoming school year.

Mid-July: Billing statements for the fall semester will be sent to students in mid-July by the Student Accounts Department.

Mid-July: Students and/or parents who wish to sign up for a monthly payment plan through Nelnet should enroll no later than mid-July.

August

August 1: Parents wishing to borrow a Federal PLUS Loan should complete an application with the U.S. Department of Education no later than August 1.

August 1: Students wishing to borrow a private education loan should select a lender and complete an application with that lender no later than August 1.

Early August: Double-check to make sure all steps necessary to secure financial aid are completed so funding will be applied to the student account at the beginning of the fall semester.

The fall semester billing due date is in early August.

September

Early September: If you are eligible for work-study and wish to work on campus, bring the necessary original employment documents to campus in the fall. Additional information regarding student employment and what documents are required can be found on the HR Student Employment website.

October

October 1: FAFSA is available to file for next year.

November

Mid-November: Billing statements for spring semester charges are sent to students in mid-November by the Student Accounts Department.

December

Mid-December: The spring semester billing due date is mid-December.