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Student Financial Aid

Category: News and Updates

Recent news on the Office of Student Financial Aid

Autumn Quarter Aid Disbursement

Autumn 2026 quarter financial aid disbursement to tuition account begins September 23, 2026.

To have your aid disbursed, you must have been offered and have accepted your aid, not have any holds on your aid, if you are borrowing loans have completed required entrance counseling and signed promissory notes, and are registered for the minimum required credits.

For some common questions please see below.

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 your aid is set up for. You need to register for full time credits if your aid is offered 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 to pay tuition and fees. We have the current quarter’s disbursement dates and other details available if you would like to read more.

Your grants and loans will come in about two business days before the start of each quarter and pay toward your tuition and fees (generally, your dorm too, if you are in a dorm and you requested on your dorm forms that you want financial aid to pay). After it pays, and if there is an amount left over it will go to your bank account in two to three business days (if you signed up for direct deposit) or a check will be mailed to you.

If you have signed up for direct deposit, the refund will be send to your bank account in 2-3 business days. If you are not signed up for direct deposit, a refund check will be mailed to your local address.

Here are the most common reasons for aid not disbursing:

    • You are not full time. (12 or more credits for undergraduates, 10 or more credits for graduates)
    • You received private aid that was not reported to the Office of Student Financial Aid.
    • You did not meet Satisfactory Academic progress (See links: Undergraduate | Graduate)
    • Loans: If your loans have not disbursed it may be the above reasons or you may not have completed the required forms or entrance counseling for the loan programs.

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 also important to continually check your UW email, as we will also notify you there in regards to the paperwork we need from you.

Your housing charges were placed on your account to capture the portion of the aid that was left over after your tuition charges were paid. However, that amount did not cover your full housing balance. You will need to contact Housing and Food Services at 206-543-4059 to find out the remaining balance and to make the appropriate arrangements to pay it.

Student Fiscal Services and Professional & Continuing Education use different accounting systems. You must confirm that both show a -0- balance for the quarter. For more information about PCE’s payment options, contact them at 206-685-8936 or review “Fees, Aid & Payment”.

For those students signed up for direct deposit, the direct deposit process takes 2-3 business days. Once you see your financial aid disbursed to your student account in MyUW, it will take an additional 2-3 business days to appear in your personal bank account. You must be signed up with an open and valid bank account to have funds direct deposit to your personal bank account. Otherwise, a check will be mailed to you from Student Fiscal Services.

For more information about the disbursement process, see How to Receive Your Financial Aid.

 

 

We have the current quarter’s disbursement dates and other details available if you would like to read more.

Federal Loan Updates for 2026–27

Important changes to federal student loan programs are coming.

Legislation recently passed by Congress, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3) Act, will result in significant modifications to the Federal Direct Loan program beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year (effective July 1, 2026).

These changes primarily affect graduate/professional students and parents of undergraduate students. If you are planning to utilize federal loans to finance your education in 2026–27 or later, we encourage you to review these updates carefully to understand how they may impact your financing plan.

Federal Student Aid has published updates and FAQs. You can view the updates on their OB3 Updates website.

For all students – Schedule of Reduction

Beginning July 1, 2026, the amount you can borrow in Federal Direct Student Loans will depend on how many credits you’re enrolled in. To receive your full loan amount, you must be enrolled full time (12 credits for undergraduate and professional students, 10 credits for graduate students). If you enroll in fewer credits, your loan amount will be reduced based on your actual course load. There are no exceptions to this policy. 

To qualify for federal student loans at all, you must be enrolled at least half time (6 credits for undergraduate and professional students, and 5 credits for graduate students). 

This policy uses what’s called a “schedule of reduction,” which means your loan eligibility can change throughout the academic year if your enrollment changes. For example, if you start autumn quarter full time but later drop a class or withdraw, your loan amounts for winter and spring quarters may be reduced.  

For Graduate & Professional Students

The most significant changes concern the Graduate PLUS Loan program and new lending limits for Direct Unsubsidized Loans.

Elimination of Grad PLUS for New Borrowers

Effective July 1, 2026, the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan program will be eliminated for new borrowers. This means you will no longer be able to borrow up to the full Cost of Attendance (COA) minus other aid using federal loans alone, unless you qualify for the “Legacy Provision” (see below).

New Loan Limits

The legislation establishes new annual and aggregate (lifetime) limits for Direct Unsubsidized Loans, distinguishing between “Graduate” and “Professional” students.

  • Graduate Students (Master’s, PhD, etc.):

    • Annual Limit: Remains $20,500.

    • Aggregate Limit: Capped at $100,000 (does not include loans borrowed as an undergraduate).

  • Professional Students (Medical, Dental, Law, Pharmacy, etc.):

    • Annual Limit: Increased to $50,000.

    • Aggregate Limit: Capped at $200,000 (does not include loans borrowed as an undergraduate).

Note: The Department of Education is currently finalizing the specific list of programs that qualify as “Professional.”

Legacy Provision (Grandfathering)

You may continue to borrow under the current rules (including Grad PLUS Loans up to the Cost of Attendance) for up to 3 additional years if you meet BOTH of the following criteria:

  1. You are enrolled in the same credentialed program in 2026–27 that you were enrolled in prior to July 1, 2026.

  2. You borrowed a federal student loan (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, or Grad PLUS) for that specific program before July 1, 2026.

If you change programs or start a new degree after July 1, 2026, you will be subject to the new limits.

For Parents of Undergraduate Students

The Parent PLUS Loan will remain available but with new “hard caps” on borrowing amounts.

New Annual & Lifetime Caps

Starting in the 2026–27 academic year, Parent PLUS Loans will be limited to:

  • Annual Limit: $20,000 per student, per year.

  • Aggregate Limit: $65,000 per student total.

Currently, parents can borrow up to the full Cost of Attendance minus other aid. This new cap means some families may need to seek alternative financing such as private loans if their funding gap exceeds $20,000.

Legacy Provision for Parents

Parents may continue to borrow under the current rules (up to the full Cost of Attendance) for up to 3 additional years if:

  • The student they are borrowing for is enrolled in the same program they were attending prior to July 1, 2026.

  • The parent borrowed a Parent PLUS loan for that student before July 1, 2026.

New Lifetime Borrowing Cap

The legislation introduces a total aggregate lifetime limit of $257,500 for all federal student loans combined. This cap applies to the total outstanding principal balance of all your federal loans (Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Graduate PLUS loans).

  • Note: This aggregate limit excludes Parent PLUS loans.

How to Prepare

We understand these changes may create uncertainty as you plan for future years. Here are steps you can take now:

  1. Check Your Loan History: Log in to StudentAid.gov to view your current total loan balance.

  2. Understand Your Status: Determine if you will likely qualify for the Legacy Provision. If you are currently enrolled and have borrowed federal loans, you generally will.

  3. Plan for the Gap: If you anticipate your costs will exceed the new federal limits (especially for new graduate students or parents), begin researching private student loan options or preparing personal savings.

We are here to help you. Please reach out to us if you have any questions.

The Office of Student Financial Aid is closely monitoring federal guidance. We will update this page as final regulations are published by the Department of Education.

Last updated: June 5, 2026.

2026-2027 Financial Aid Applications Now Available

What you need to know

  1. Submit your FAFSA: You can file your 2026-2027 FAFSA.
  2. UW’s priority filing date: The UW’s priority date for filing the FAFSA is extended to February 28, 2026 due to the changes to the FAFSA form, and later release date. Your 2026-2027 FAFSA should be received by the federal processor no later than February 28, 2026 for priority consideration of all of our aid programs.
  3. The 2026-2027 FAFSA will ask about 2024 tax information. For more details about how to complete the form, please see this page.
  4. For more information, please visit our web page Applying for Aid.

For assistance with completing the form please review Federal Student Aid YouTube Channel: FAFSA Videos.

Undocumented Students/Other Select Applicants:
For 2026-27 school year, complete the WASFA Application by the UW’s priority filing date of February 28, 2026 to be considered for state and institutional need-based aid.

For complete instructions on the application process, please visit our web page Financial Aid for WASFA Applicants.

Advising Hours

You can get in contact with our financial aid counselors by calling 206-543-6101 during our phone service hours, by visiting us in Schmitz Hall during our in-person advising hours, or by emailing us at osfa@uw.edu.

In-person advising – Room 105 Schmitz Hall:

During the break from August 20th through September 11th in-person advising hours will be closed. In-person advising will resume September 14th. 

Counselors are also available by Phone:

Monday – Friday

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

If you have questions regarding our processing time, or email response time, please see our current processing times on this page.

Net Price Calculator

University of Washington undergraduates receive about $440 million in financial aid per year. Over 50% of our undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid. We know that many families are concerned about their ability to pay for college.

Please see our Net Price Calculator page for more information.

Summer Aid Disbursement Dates

Important Financial Aid Disbursement Dates for Summer 2025:

  • June 20, 2025 – Grants and scholarships begin to disburse
  • July 1, 2025 – Federal Student Loans begin to disburse*

*To align with the effective date of the reduced interest rates for the Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, as well as Graduate and Parent PLUS Loans, the federal student loans will not disburse until July 1. For details about the Federal Loan programs, including interest rates please review this page. 

Please note, it can take 2-3 business days for disbursement funds to reach your bank account.

If you need help with your non-tuition expenses because your loan funds are not available until July 1, you may receive a no-fee short term loan. You may apply for a Short Term Loan on MyUW.

If you apply for the loan by June 30, the $30 loan fee will be waived.

Summer quarter funds cannot be disbursed until all the steps to the financial aid process have been completed and you are registered for the appropriate number of credits. If your aid has not disbursed on these dates, please check your Financial Aid Status on MyUW to determine what else is needed to complete the process.

 

Welcome New Huskies!

Congratulations New Husky! We understand you and your parent(s) may have many questions about the financial aid process. We hope that this page will help you find the answers to your questions.

2025-26 Financial Aid Applications Now Available

What you need to know

  1. Submit your FAFSA: You can file your 2025-2026 FAFSA.
  2. UW’s priority filing date: The UW’s priority date for filing the FAFSA is extended to February 28, 2025 due to the changes to the FAFSA form, and later release date. Your 2025-2026 FAFSA should be received by the federal processor no later than February 28, 2025 for priority consideration of all of our aid programs.
  3. The 2025-2026 FAFSA will ask about 2023 tax information. For more details about how to complete the form, please see this page.
  4. For more information, please visit our web page Applying for Aid.

For assistance with completing the form please review Federal Student Aid YouTube Channel: FAFSA Videos.

Undocumented Students/Other Select Applicants:
For 2025-26 school year, complete the WASFA Application by the UW’s priority filing date of February 28, 2025 to be considered for state and institutional need-based aid.  The WASFA form will be available starting in December, 2024.

For complete instructions on the application process, please visit our web page Financial Aid for WASFA Applicants.

Summer Hours

You can get in contact with our financial aid counselors by calling 206-543-6101 during our phone service hours, by visiting us in Schmitz Hall during our in-person advising hours, or by emailing us at osfa@uw.edu.

Phone service hours:

Monday – Friday

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

In-person advising:

In-person advising will be suspended until September 16th, 2024 in preparation for the upcoming Autumn quarter.