How can I tell if my aid is ready for the school year?
You can check your Financial Aid Status on MyUW. You will be able to see what types of aid that you have been offered, if you have holds on your award, or if promissory notes need to be signed for your loans. You can also accept/reject your aid offer in this section of your MyUW account. Be sure to go through the entire process of accepting or rejecting the individual different types of aid to ensure that your offer has been officially 'accepted' or 'rejected' and does not remain in the original 'offer' status.
When/How is aid disbursed?
Certain conditions must be met in order to allow funds to disburse. You must have satisfied all of the paperwork needed, all corresponding holds must be removed, and you must be enrolled for the number of credits you are set up to receive. You need to register for full time credits if your aid is awarded to you as a full time student (12 credits for undergraduates, 5th years and professional students, or 10 credits for graduate students). We begin disbursing aid a few days before the start of each quarter. If you have signed up for direct deposit, and all of the above criteria has been met, funds should arrive in your bank account by the first day of the quarter. Please bear in mind that it takes approximately 2-3 business days for the direct deposit to arrive in your personal bank account after aid has disbursed to your student account. We have the current quarter's disbursement dates and other details available if you would like to read more.
What is a preliminary award?
Your award notice will inform you if your award is preliminary or final. If you see the indication 'preliminary award', then this means we need more information (such as a tax return or asset information) from you to confirm your eligibility for aid. Once we receive and process the necessary documentation, we will send you a final award notice that may vary from the original preliminary award. Please take into account that a preliminary award is subject to change and is an estimate of your eligibility. We cannot release aid to you until we have calculated your actual eligibility.
If you have a preliminary award and are not sure what we need from you to finalize your award, then please contact us for more information. Please provide the necessary documents to us as soon as you can so we can finalize your award package. If you have recently turned in documentation to us we may not have been able to review it yet and will be in touch with you at a later date.
How long does it take for you to review information I sent in for my preliminary award or request to revise my aid?
The amount of time it takes us to respond to you depends on our workload (volume of other students with requests) and the time of year. For most of the year, we reply in about 2 weeks (3 weeks for appeals) and will respond sooner if we can. During the May-August months we can take up to 4-6 weeks to respond. We will make every effort to get your aid ready for you for autumn quarter if your information comes to us before September 1. For information received after September 1, we will try to complete the review before the tuition deadline for the quarter, but you may want to review information on the short term loan program to help with your expenses before your aid is ready.
Because of the volume of students who want aid, it is important for you to apply early and respond to any requests for information as soon as possible.
MyUW shows a hold on my account, what does that mean?
Holds prevent aid from disbursing to you for a variety of reasons. Usually, holds are placed because we are missing requested documentation or you may not have completed enough credits in the previous quarter or prior academic year. There is information about the type of holds on your MyUW account under financial aid status and you are welcome to contact us with any remaining questions about how to resolve the hold(s) on your aid. It is important to continually check your UW email, as we will notify you there in regards to the paperwork we need from you.
Does where I live make a difference in the amount of aid I receive?
Yes, if you plan to live with your parent(s) or other relatives where you will not pay rent (or pay much in rent) then your aid may be adjusted to reflect your lower housing costs. Please contact us if your living arrangements change during the school year. You need to let us know if you change your plans to live or not live with your parent(s) or relatives during the school year.
We use the same costs for on or off campus housing, so you do not need to tell us about changes you make between these two categories. For example, if you were to live in a dorm for the first quarter, and then move into an apartment or house for the next two quarters, then you do not need to update us. This is because the housing costs are calculated the same for on campus and off campus room and board. However, if you are living in a dorm, apartment, or house and then decide to move back home with your parent(s) or relatives, then you must notify our office of this change.
My financial aid award is not enough to cover my expenses. What are my options?
You have several options:
Talk to one of our counselors to see if any adjustments can be made to your award. Loans, both need based (Perkins and Subsidized Stafford) and non-need based (Unsubsidized Stafford, Parent PLUS, or Graduate PLUS) may be available.
If your income or resources (or that of your parent(s)) has decreased significantly since you filed the FAFSA, then you can complete and submit a Revision Request for Change in Financial Situation for our office to review.
If you incur expenses during the school year that are not part of the standard student budget that we use to award financial aid, you may complete a Revision Request for Additional Expenses and submit it to our office. We will review your request to determine if these additional expenses are allowable and can be used to increase the budget. If we are able to approve the request, then we will determine if there is any additional financial aid that can be awarded. Please note that not all expenses are allowable, so please read the directions on the Revision Request for Additional Expenses carefully and provide the appropriate documentation with the request. Additional aid usually comes in the form of loans.
Do I need an appointment to see a counselor?
No, our counselors generally don't take appointments but see students Monday-Friday, from 9 to 5 on a drop-in basis. You can also email or phone our counselors with questions as well. During May-August, we are closed during certain mornings in order to catch up on paperwork so you can check the financial aid home page for our current schedule.
Is it too late to apply for aid for this year?
No, you can still apply for aid, but keep in mind you should try to apply at least 4-6 weeks before the end of your enrollment for the year because we need sufficient time to complete the process before your enrollment ends. The Pell Grant program (for qualified undergraduates) and the government loan programs remain available throughout the year. You can start the application process at http://fafsa.gov.
Do I let you know if my marital status changes or the size of my family changes during the school year?
Yes, please let us know if you experience these type of changes during the school year. Our counselors will advise you if any adjustment to your award is possible.
What happens if I want to go part-time instead of full-time?
Part-time students (less than 12 credits for undergraduates, 5th year, and professional students, and less than 10 credits for graduate students) can receive financial aid. However, most of our institutional grants and scholarships, Perkins Loans and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) require full-time status. Usually, Pell and State Need Grants can be prorated for less than full-time attendance (State Need Grant goes down to 3 credits and Pell Grant goes down to 1 credit). For example, you might receive half of your normal Pell Grant for 6-8 credits of enrollment. The Stafford Loan Programs, Parent PLUS loans and Graduate PLUS loans only require part-time attendance. Please check in with a Work Study counselor to find out about less than full-time eligibility for the Federal and State Work Study programs.
If you want to attend less than full-time, you should talk to one of our counselors about adjusting your aid. In addition, if you have extenuating circumstances that are preventing you from attending full-time, you can file a Priority Appeal Form to see if you can keep any of your aid that normally requires full-time attendance.
What happens if I drop a class?
When you withdraw from a class, there can be implications during the quarter, at the end of the quarter, and at the end of the academic year. If you have aid for the quarter you have not yet received, it may be canceled and your future aid eligibility may be affected due to Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. If you pass fewer than full-time but at least half-time credits at the end of the quarter for which you receive aid, you will be put on financial aid probation. If you drop below half-time enrollment, you will lose your eligibility for aid at the end of the quarter (unless you received "less than half-time aid" for the specific number of credits that you passed); and if you have student loans, you will begin your grace period. In addition, you may lose your eligibility for the future if at the end of the year you are short of the annual credit requirement.
Remember the basic rules: You must enroll for sufficient credits to establish eligibility, you must complete a minimum half-time credit load each quarter you receive aid (6 credits for undergraduate, professional and teacher certification students; 5 credits for graduate students), and you must complete your total annual credit requirement by the end of spring quarter.
What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?
Basically, when you receive aid you are responsible for completing a certain number of credits per quarter and per year as well as maintaining your grade point average at a minimum of 2.0. In addition, you need to finish your degree within a maximum number of years. You should read the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy carefully. Keep in mind that there is an appeal process if you had extenuating circumstances arise that affected your ability to maintain satisfactory academic progress.
What happens if I withdraw from the quarter?
Four things:
If you are contemplating withdrawing from the whole quarter or have withdrawn, be sure to review the Withdraw/Refund/Repayment information and contact one of our counselors if you have questions.