How to Use This Page
Understanding financial aid is the first step toward an affordable education. This page is designed to provide some clarity on the general process toward receiving aid. This page is just step one, so follow the links provided throughout to ensure you’re understanding the process fully.
For All Students: Key Steps You Must Take
There are a few very important steps that all students need to take in order to receive financial aid. Each year you need to:
- Apply for financial aid using either the FAFSA or WASFA. Our Title IV federal school code is 003798
- Priority filing date is February 1
- Review the Cost of Attendance for the upcoming academic year
- Familiarize with the Types of Aid that are available
- Make sure you understand how your privacy is protected under FERPA
There may be more steps you need to take beyond the steps listed above! For additional details about financial aid that are specific to your situation, we encourage you to stay on this page and review the links below.
Find the Right Guidance for You
Some parts of the financial aid journey may vary based on who you are, so to make sure you’re completing all the necessary steps, choose one of the categories below to learn key information specific to your situation.
Prospective Students
Choosing the right college for you is an exciting step! We know that financial aid is a core component of that process. As a prospective student, there are some key steps you should take to be sure you are prepared to apply for and receive aid at the University of Washington. Review the guidance below for an overview.
Understanding the cost of attendance is a key part of determining the right school for you. The University of Washington is committed to offering an affordable, world class education, and over 50% of undergraduates receive financial assistance.
Review our cost of attendance page to learn the estimated costs of a UW education for the upcoming academic year.
The Net Price Calculator provides a financial aid estimate for prospective full-time, undergraduate students. By answering a few simple questions, the calculator will present you with an estimate of your full-time cost of attendance and financial aid eligibility.
Take your college fit research a step further by accessing the tool, to gain a valuable estimate of your education costs.
Determining your budget for college is just as important as knowing how much college costs. This includes knowing how much you want to spend right now and how much you want to borrow through student loans.
The loans page provides valuable information that can help you understand how borrowing works, which may help you determine a budget for yourself.
Learning about the types of aid that is available to you helps you better understand your financial aid offer. When the time comes to review and accept your aid offer, knowing what each type of aid entails will help you make an informed decision. The University of Washington offers students a wide range of financial aid types to help make school more affordable.
Review the types of aid page to learn more about all that is available.
Other Useful Resources
Cost of Attendance
We know that many families are concerned about their ability to pay for college. UW is committed to making a world-class education affordable for all.
Net Price Calculator
The Net Price Calculator provides a financial aid estimate for prospective full-time, undergraduate students.
Key Dates
There are several important dates that you should be aware of throughout the financial aid application process. Make sure you meet all key deadlines.
Husky Promise
The Husky Promise is our guarantee to Washington state students that we will not let financial challenges stand in the way of achieving a UW degree.
Newly Admitted Students
Welcome new students! Now that you’ve been officially admitted to the UW, there are a few additional steps you need to take to ensure you’re ready to receive a financial aid package. We’ve compiled the necessary resources below to ensure you receive your financial aid package seamlessly.
Your UW NetID is your key to accessing UW services, and you will need it to log into MyUW to view and accept your aid offer. After you applied to UW, you received an email inviting you to set up a NetID. That email also included a system key, which you will need to begin setting up your NetID.
Once you have found that email and your system key, you can follow this link to create your NetID.
Accepting your aid offer is NOT the same as accepting your offer for admission. In order to receive aid, you will need to go through the process of reviewing and accepting your finance aid offer.
If you already have a UW NetID, you can use that to sign in to MyUW to review your aid offer. Once there, follow the guidance on our Apply for & Receive Aid page to make sure you complete this process fully.
Financial aid generally begins disbursing one week prior to the first day of the quarter.
There are some conditions and additional steps associated with financial aid disbursement. Visit the disbursement page to learn more about this process in detail
Receiving an aid offer is only one part of your financial aid journey. You will also need to meet certain obligations to remain eligible for aid, such as maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), enrolling for the proper amount of credits, meeting GPA requirements, and more.
Choosing to attend college in another state is a significant financial investment. As a non-resident student, your financial aid award will primarily consist of federal financial aid. We encourage students and their families to take that into consideration in their decision to attend the university.
To learn more about the types of aid that is available to out-of-state students, we encourage you to review the Non-Resident Students page.
Other Useful Resources
Revision Request Form
If your circumstances have changed and you would like to request and change to your aid offer to better suit your needs, you may submit one of the revision request forms.
Key Policies & Information
There are several need-to-know policies and information that you should be aware of to ensure you remain eligible for aid throughout your academic journey.
Continuing Students
As your journey at the UW continues, there will be certain steps that you will need to complete in order to receive financial aid each year. The guidance below will help you prepare to receive and maintain your aid for as long as you’re a student.
In order to receive aid, you will need to go through the process of reviewing and accepting your finance aid offer.
Each academic year, you will need to sign in to MyUW to review your aid offer. Once there, follow the guidance on our Apply for & Receive Aid page to make sure you complete this process fully.
Financial aid generally begins disbursing one week prior to the first day of the quarter.
There are some conditions and additional steps associated with financial aid disbursement. Visit the disbursement page to learn more about this process in detail
Receiving an aid offer is only one part of your financial aid journey. You will also need to meet certain obligations to remain eligible for aid, such as maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), enrolling for the proper amount of credits, meeting GPA requirements, and more.
The financial aid offer that you receive in one academic year will NOT automatically transfer to the next year. If you would like to continue receiving aid throughout each academic year, you must complete the application process annually. FAFSA and WASFA applications open on October 1st each year.
For guidance on how to apply for financial aid, visit the Apply For & Receive Aid page.
Other Useful Resources
Revision Request Form
If your circumstances have changed and you would like to request and change to your aid offer to better suit your needs, you may submit one of the revision request forms.
Key Policies & Information
There are several need-to-know policies and information that you should be aware of to ensure you remain eligible for aid throughout your academic journey.
Transfer Students
Welcome to our newest transfer students! We understand that switching institutions means navigating a new set of financial aid processes, and we’re here to simplify that transition. We’ve compiled the necessary resources below to ensure you receive your financial aid package seamlessly.
Your UW NetID is your key to accessing UW services, and you will need it to log into MyUW to view and accept your aid offer. After you applied to UW, you received an email inviting you to set up a NetID. That email also included a system key, which you will need to begin setting up your NetID.
Once you have found that email and your system key, you can follow this link to create your NetID.
Accepting your aid offer is NOT the same as accepting your offer for admission. In order to receive aid, you will need to go through the process of reviewing and accepting your finance aid offer.
If you already have a UW NetID, you can use that to sign in to MyUW to review your aid offer. Once there, follow the guidance on our Apply for & Receive Aid page to make sure you complete this process fully.
Financial aid generally begins disbursing one week prior to the first day of the quarter.
There are some conditions and additional steps associated with financial aid disbursement. Visit the disbursement page to learn more about this process in detail
Receiving an aid offer is only one part of your financial aid journey. You will also need to meet certain obligations to remain eligible for aid, such as maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), enrolling for the proper amount of credits, meeting GPA requirements, and more.
The financial aid offer that you receive in one academic year will NOT automatically transfer to the next year. If you would like to continue receiving aid throughout each academic year, you must complete the application process annually. FAFSA and WASFA applications open on October 1st each year.
For guidance on how to apply for financial aid, visit the Apply For & Receive Aid page.
Other Useful Resources
Revision Request Form
If your circumstances have changed and you would like to request and change to your aid offer to better suit your needs, you may submit one of the revision request forms.
Key Policies & Information
There are several need-to-know policies and information that you should be aware of to ensure you remain eligible for aid throughout your academic journey.