At the University of Washington, our goal is to remove barriers to your education. The information on this page is designed to provide a clear framework for your financial support. We encourage you to review all of the information below, especially the must-read policies, to ensure you know what is required of you as a student receiving financial aid.
Must Read Policies
Below you’ll find the essential policies that keep your aid active and your progress steady. If anything listed here doesn’t make sense to you, reach out to our office for support.
All undergraduate, graduate, and professional students are required to adhere to satisfactory academic program (SAP) standards in order to remain eligible for financial aid.
Undergraduate students policy
To remain eligible for financial aid undergraduates must meet the requirements below:
- Complete a minimum of 80% of the cumulative credits you attempted. At the end of spring quarter each year, we will divide your total credits completed by your cumulative attempted credits. If the percentage is 80% or above (standard rounding rules apply), you have met the progress requirements and should be on pace to finish your degree before the maximum timeframe.
- Finish your program within a maximum timeframe, which cannot exceed 225 attempted cumulative credits.
- You must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA as measured at the end of spring quarter.
If you do not meet the 80% or minimum GPA requirements or exceed the maximum timeframe limit, you are no longer eligible for financial aid unless granted an exception based on the appeal process described below.
Graduate & professional students policy
To remain eligible for financial aid graduate and professional students must meet the requirements below:
- Complete a minimum of 67% of cumulative attempted credits for federal aid (standard rounding rules apply), measured at the end of spring quarter.
- Program completion within a maximum timeframe, which cannot exceed 105 attempted credits for a master’s program and 285 attempted credits for a doctoral program (including all master level credits earned at the UW).
- Have a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or greater at the end of spring quarter as monitored by OSFA.
Please note that medical, dental, pharmacy and law students’ academic progress for financial aid is monitored by their colleges directly and may have more stringent requirements than described in this policy.
To read more about Satisfactory Academic Progress for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, review this page.
If you are a financial aid recipient and withdraw from all of your classes, any refund of university charges will be returned to the financial aid programs.
You may be required to repay all or a portion of the aid you received if you fail or withdraw from your classes. Repayment will vary depending on the type of financial aid you received, the amount of time that has passed since the quarter began, and the number of classes you attended.
For federal aid programs, if you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a post-withdrawal disbursement. If your post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, we will ask your permission before we disburse any additional funds. You may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so you don’t incur additional debt.
You should review the terms and conditions for all aid that you receive, to be sure you understand the nuances of withdrawal and refund for each program.
Review this page to learn about the full withdrawal and refund policy.
The aid offered to you was based on your information provided on your aid application, your financial circumstances, enrollment plans and SAP status as originally reported. If you receive additional aid or if your circumstances change, our office may be required to make adjustments to your aid offer. Because of this you are required to notify us if:
- You receive any additional financial aid (scholarships, grants and loans) and any other educational or tuition assistance
- Receipt or loss of a Graduate Teaching, Research Assistantship, Fellowship, Traineeship or Resident Advisor
- You change from living with parent or relative to living in a University residence hall or off campus or vice versa
- You withdraw from the University prior to the first day of the quarter
Please bear in mind that if you do not report these changes to our office in a timely manner, you may not receive your aid, you may not receive your aid when you need it, you might owe some or all of your aid back or your aid may be reduced at short notice to you.
You may be asked to verify some or all of the information provided in your financial aid application. The goal of the verification process is to confirm the accuracy of the data you provided. If you receive a request to verify your information, please be sure to respond to the request promptly to avoid delay of your aid. We have a selection of undergraduate and graduate forms available online to help facilitate this process. If you have any questions about verification, feel free to contact our office for support.
Other Important Information
Beyond the essentials, there are a few extra things that can help you make the most of your time at UW. While the information listed here isn’t “make or break” requirements for your aid, the guidance below is still helpful for navigating your financial aid journey.
The glossary of terms provides definitions for many common terms used on aid offer notices by schools nationwide. This information may help you compare aid offer notices you receive from different schools.
Loan repayment is a serious obligation. To help you navigate this process, we’ve pulled together some key resources that should answer many of your questions. If you need help managing your loan repayment plan, we encourage you to contact our office for support.
There are federal income tax credits available to students and their families who have tuition and other eligible college related expenses. We have compiled a list of resources and information related to tax benefits on this page.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) requires educational institutions to develop and comply with a code of conduct that prohibits conflicts of interest for financial aid personnel [ HEOA § 487(a)(25)]. Any University of Washington officer, employee, or agent who has responsibilities with respect to student educational loans must comply with this code of conduct.
You can review the full code of conduct on this page.
In compliance with legal requirements, the University of Washington has made available to students and parents information pertaining to the University’s:
- General institutional operation
- Financial aid
- General completion and graduation rates
- Annual security report
- Completion and graduation rates for student athletes
- Athletic program participation rates and financial support.
Links to related policies and contact information for university officials is available on this page. UW can provide hard copies of any of the information displayed on websites provided upon request via email.
Related Resources
Eligibility
Most of the financial aid programs we offer do have some common eligibility rules. Learn more about those rules on this page.
Appeals & Special Circumstances
If you have special circumstances, you may be able to appeal your aid offer in accordance with those circumstances.