Receiving Financial Aid

The Review Process

Each FAFSA is reviewed in the order it is received.

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Check Your Status and See What is Needed:

You will receive emails with any necessary prompts and to keep you in the loop, but you can always keep track of your financial aid process through the Financial Aid & Scholarships app in your eWeber Portal.

1. Go to your eWeber portal. Search for “Financial Aid & Scholarships.”
2. Click on "View & Accept Awards" to view the status of your application. As part of the review, our office may require additional information, as requested through your Wildcat email and/or Financial Aid Verify. 
3. Once you have submitted all required documents and our office has processed your information, your financial aid award will be packaged, and you will receive an award letter through your Wildcat student email.

REMINDER: During peak times, files can take at least 8 weeks or more to be reviewed from the time you submit your FAFSA. We recommend you plan accordingly and complete FAFSA by April 1. 

Changing Your FAFSA:

If you feel your FAFSA did not accurately reflect your financial situation, you may be able to petition for an income adjustment that could affect your award amount.

Disbursement

Disbursement, or receiving your packaged aid, generally occurs the week before the semester begins, but it may vary, depending on the type of aid.

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Federal Financial Aid

Pell Grants, SEOG, LEAP, UCOPE, TIERG, Perkins and Stafford Loans:

• Summer & Fall Aid Disbursement: Applied up to two days before the tuition deadline (because of the shorter time period between semesters). 
• Spring Aid Disbursement: Applied up to 10 days before the semester begins.
• Tuition and fees are due: the Friday before classes start. 

Federal Work Study earnings are paid every two weeks. 

WSU Scholarships

Once you have registered, as long as you have fulfilled the requirements to accept your particular scholarship, the scholarship is automatically deducted from your total bill at the Cashier’s Office.

WSU is required to verify your lawful presence in the United States before any scholarship funds can be released.

Other Aid

If you received a third-party scholarship, the organization/individual who awarded you must communicate with the WSU Cashier’s Office in order to apply your awarded funds toward your tuition and fees. If you are getting an alternative loan, your loan servicer will need to communicate with the WSU Financial Aid and Scholarship Office.

Your Billing Statement

You will receive a registration billing statement after you have registered. You are responsible to pay for any remaining charges that your federal financial aid does not cover. The WSU Financial Aid Office does not cover library fines, traffic fines or other non-educational fees. You may be charged an additional $40 late fee if tuition is not paid before the deadline. Any overpayment will be mailed to you in a check or directly deposited into your account of choice once tuition is paid.

What if My Financial Aid is Not Disbursed When Tuition is Due?

You can always contact us so we can look up your particular situation. If you follow priority deadlines (April 1 for FAFSA and July 1 for scholarships), you should have your aid packaged and in your account on time. If aid is not posted by the time tuition is due and you anticipate aid via the estimated aid calculator or have received communication from WSU that you have been awarded aid, you can set up a payment plan to ensure you can stay in school and do not receive late fees. Once the aid is applied to your account, you can pay off your payment plan. Payment plans are interest-free and have no pre-payment penalty, but do have a small set-up fee (which is less than a late fee).


Contact the Bursar for payment help and Financial Aid & Scholarships for help with financial aid or scholarships.

 

**Financial aid and scholarships will not disburse if you have not met Satisfactory Academic Progress, have not completed your FAFSA requirements, or if you do not meet the enrollment/disbursement requirements for a particular award.

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What is Financial Aid Packaging?

Once your financial aid requirements have been completed, your financial aid award will be packaged. Your award will depend upon your eligibility, cost of attendance, outside resources, other institutional aid and your expected enrollment. 

Awards are packaged in the following order: Pell Grant, FSEOG, third-party sponsors (vocational rehabilitation, AmeriCorps, Department of Workforce Services, etc.), institutional awards (WSU scholarships/waivers), Federal Work Study, subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans and Perkins loans. 

Dependent students and their parents wishing to apply for a PLUS Loan (Federal Parents Loan for Undergraduate Students) will need to submit the PLUS Loan Request. This award is not automatically included in the packaging process. 

If your award offer does not include an award you were expecting, you may not be eligible for that award (ex: Pell Grant), or funds may have run out (ex: Federal Work Study). If you have any questions about your award, please contact the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office.