You don’t have to choose. The 10% Promise is a simpler alternative to traditional financial aid, which relies on detailed formulas that can take time to complete and understand. The Whitman 10% Promise:

• Requires no additional forms beyond the FAFSA
• Doesn’t rely on complicated formulas
• Allows faster, easier planning for families

Here’s how it works: if you submit the FAFSA, we’ll apply the 10% Promise to determine your financial aid package. If you also submit the CSS Profile, we’ll complete a full financial aid analysis and compare both approaches to maximize your financial aid.

For the 10% Promise, Whitman uses your family’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) as reported on your federal tax return (Line 11 on Form 1040) and on your FAFSA. AGI is a standard federal measure of income and ensures a consistent, transparent calculation for all families. 

For the 10% Promise, AGI is based on parent income. Student income is not included for dependent students. 

In situations where parents are divorced or separated, family AGI will be based on the parent who submitted the FAFSA, meaning the parent who provides more than 50% of the student’s financial support.

For independent students, the student’s (and spouse’s, if applicable) AGI will be used for the 10% Promise.

Assets reported on your FAFSA (such as real estate, investment accounts or businesses) are excluded from the 10% Promise calculation.

We base your financial aid package on the information you choose to share:

• FAFSA only: We use your AGI, and the total amount of your scholarships and grants will be no less than the amount of full tuition minus 10% of your AGI. 
• FAFSA + CSS Profile: We complete a full, in-depth financial need analysis. Because Whitman always meets 100% of your demonstrated financial need, for some families this may result in an even higher amount of financial aid than the 10% Promise.

The only choice you make is how much information you share. We’ll make sure you receive the financial aid offer that results in the lowest cost for your family.

Additionally, the 10% Promise applies for up to four years, as long as you remain eligible for financial aid and continue to submit the FAFSA annually. The amount will change if your family’s AGI changes, but you can count on the 10% Promise for all four years.

The 10% Promise specifically ensures you receive scholarship and grant funding that reduces your tuition cost to 10% of your AGI. Any federal loans or work-study you qualify for are included in your financial aid offer and can be used to pay for additional costs such as food and housing. 

All applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships and may apply for talent scholarships, regardless of which financial aid documents they submit. These scholarships are used to help fulfill the 10% Promise—but they don't stack on top.

Here’s how it works:

• If the cumulative amount of your merit and/or talent scholarships exceeds what you would be expected to pay for tuition under the 10% Promise, you’ll pay an even lower amount.
• If the cumulative amount of your merit and/or talent scholarships is less than the 10% Promise, we’ll add need-based scholarships to bring your financial aid package to the full 10% Promise amount.

The amounts of any merit and talent scholarships you receive are guaranteed for four years at Whitman, regardless of future changes in your AGI.

For many families, the 10% Promise will result in a financial aid offer that is similar to, or better than, the offer they would receive through the traditional financial aid process at Whitman based on the CSS Profile. However, the CSS Profile allows us to consider additional factors that may result in more financial aid, such as:

• Your financial situation is complex
• Your income has changed significantly
• Your family has multiple students attending a four-year college
• Your family has very high financial need that would require scholarship funding that covers not only tuition, but also additional costs like food and housing

That’s why, if you submit both the FAFSA and CSS Profile, we automatically review both approaches and offer you whichever option provides the greatest amount of support.

The Whitman 10% Promise is available to first-year and transfer students entering in Fall 2027 who are U.S. citizens and/or eligible non-citizens submitting the FAFSA.

For dependent students who are U.S. citizens with non-citizen parents who do not file taxes or students with undocumented status, we will need additional information to determine income. In these situations, we’ll work with you directly to understand your family’s financial circumstances and determine your eligibility for financial aid.

International and undocumented/DACA students should apply for financial aid through Whitman’s international student or undocumented/DACA processes.

This commitment will apply to the first-year class and transfer students entering in Fall 2027. Over the following three years, as each new class arrives, it will expand until all future Whitman students benefit from the 10% Promise.

Whitman’s Admission and Financial Aid teams are here to help every step of the way.

We’re happy to walk through your situation, explain your options and make sure you feel confident about your financial plan. Contact us at admission@whitman.edu or finaid@whitman.edu.