ABOUT MY AID
Understanding my aid
Eligibility
Your eligibility for federal and state aid is based in part on the following considerations. Other considerations may apply. These are the most common items that impact your eligibility. For more information on aid eligibility, visit https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/requirements.
Degree Program
The degree that you are working on determines, in part, the type of aid you are eligible to receive. Below is a summary of the type of aid you may be eligible for in your current degree program. Other considerations apply, including your Student Aid Index (SAI), your lifetime loan borrowing limits, your dependency status, and others.
| Degree Program | Types of Aid – Federal and State |
|---|---|
|
First Bachelor’s Degree *Note: You must demonstrate financial need for most of these programs |
Federal Pell Grant Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (freshmen/sophomores) Federal Work Study Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans Federal TEACH Grant Federal Parent PLUS Loan Oregon Opportunity Grant |
| Second Bachelor’s Degree (Post-Baccalaureate Students) |
Federal Direct Subsidized Loan Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan |
| Certificate |
Certificate programs (not to be confused with initial teacher licensure programs) are not eligible for federal financial aid with the exception of the following two graduate level criminal justice certificates: * Social Justice * Advanced Juvenile Justice Studies |
| Conditional Admission to Master’s Program | Conditional admits to a master’s program are not eligible for federal financial aid |
| Master’s Program |
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan |
Enrollment Level
Every student is offered financial aid with the assumption that they will be enrolled as a full time student. For undergraduate students, 12 credits is considered full time. For graduate students, 9 credits is considered full time. Your aid will not disburse to you unless you are enrolled full time, or unless you notify us that you will be a less-than-full-time student. Your aid amount may be adjusted based on your less-than-full-time enrollment level. Here is a summary of types of aid and their required enrollment levels:
| Type of Aid | Enrollment Level | Amount Proration | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Pell Grant | At least 1 credit |
For first bachelor’s degree only based on the full-time Pell amount and
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| Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant | At least 1 credit | Priority awarded to Freshman through Senior with -$1,500-$0 SAI. If funds remain, then second priority will be for any Pell eligible student on override by Financial Aid Department approval. First bachelor’s degree only. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Federal TEACH Grant | At least 1 credit |
12+ credits = 100% of award 9 – 11 credits = 75% of award 6 – 8 credits = 50% of award 1 – 5 credits = 25% of award |
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| Oregon Opportunity Grant |
At least 6 credits *Note: the Office of Student Access and Completion sets eligibility criteria for this award; see their website for more information |
12+ credits = 100% of award 6 – 11 credits = 50% of award Less than 6 credits = Ineligible |
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|
Federal Direct Subsidized Loan for Undergraduates Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan for Undergraduates |
At least 6 credits |
No proration, full amount of loan awarded, subject to annual loan limits. Note: If a student completes all program requirements before the end of the year, student loans are prorated based on enrollment level. See StudentAid.Gov for additional details. |
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| Parent Plus Loan | At least 6 credits | No proration, full amount of loan awarded up to cost of attendance minus other financial aid received. |
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Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan for Graduates Graduate PLUS Loan |
At least half time (5 credits) |
No proration; full amount of awarded loan up to cost of attendance
|
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| Federal Work Study | At least 6 credits | No proration; total aid may not exceed Cost of Attendance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WOU Tuition Remissions (Ex: Merit, Diversity Commitment, WOU Remission, etc.) |
A minimum of 9 credits at WOU | Total awards of remission may not exceed actual tuition and fees charged each term. |
Census Date
Your eligibility for all types of federal, state, and institutional aid is based on your enrollment level and academic engagement by the Census Date each term. The Financial Aid Census Date at WOU is always the second Friday of each academic term. Your enrollment level at 5pm on that date will be the enrollment level upon which we base your financial aid for that term, regardless of whether you add or drop courses after that date. You will be administratively dropped for non-attendance (DN) from the course(s) by the census date and your financial aid may be revised. You must be academically engaged to show participation in a course, as reported by the course instructor(s).
Complete Withdrawals
f you completely withdraw from all courses (including community college courses for DPP Students), at any point in the term, your financial aid could be retroactively canceled—in full or in part—based on the date you withdraw. Being granted a Medical Withdrawal does not change your financial aid eligibility; withdrawals for any reason are treated equally for financial aid purposes. Students who do not participate beyond the 60% point in the term have not earned all their aid for the term, a portion will be canceled and returned to the federal program, and an owing balance may occur on your student account.
Unofficial Withdrawals
An unofficial withdrawal may be determined by administration and for circumstances such as illness, accident, grievous personal loss, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.
Repeated Coursework
If you are repeating a course for which you received an NC, D-, F, or W grade, you may receive financial aid for the repetition of that course. If you are repeating a course for which you’ve previously received a grade of: A +/-, B +/-, C +/-, D /+, S, or P, you may receive financial aid for the repetition of that course only once. If a student chooses to repeat a course to improve their grade, only the most recent grade and credits will be used to calculate the student’s GPA, even if the earlier grade was higher. Repeating courses may impact your overall Pace calculation which can impact your aid eligibility. Please see the online catalog for the most current academic regulations.
Conflicting Information
Federal law requires us to resolve any conflicting information that we have. For instance, if you report on your FAFSA® that you will be in your 3rd year of undergraduate studies (as defined by earning 90 credits or more) but you have only earned 85 credits—even if you have attended for 2 years and will be entering your 3rd year of study—this is considered conflicting information. We would change your grade level from what you reported on your FAFSA® and your actual grade level would determine your aid eligibility. Another example of conflicting information is if you have outside resources or other financial assistance that has not been reported to the Financial Aid Office or your reported financial information on the FAFSA® does not match your submitted verification documents.
Pre-requisite Coursework
A student may receive a Direct Subsidized Loan or Direct Unsubsidized Loan (or a parent may receive a Direct PLUS Loan on behalf of a dependent student) for preparatory coursework that the school has documented is necessary for the student to enroll in an eligible program. The preparatory courses must be offered as part of an eligible program offered by the school, though the student does not have to be enrolled in that program. A school may not award Direct Loans for standalone courses that do not count towards an eligible program and exist solely to serve as preparatory coursework. A student who is enrolled at least half time in preparatory coursework as described above is eligible to receive loans for a maximum of one consecutive 12-month period (not per program) beginning on the first day of the loan period. If the consecutive 12-month period of preparatory coursework spans more than one academic year, the student may receive more than one annual loan limit. To be eligible for loans under this exception, the student must be taking classes that are a prerequisite for admission. A student who is only taking courses to raise their grade-point average to be admitted does not qualify.
National Student Exchange (NSE) and Study Abroad
Students on NSE and study abroad may be placed on unsatisfactory academic progress each term until grades have been articulated by the WOU Registrar’s Office. Once grades are posted, students may notify the Financial Aid Office that their grades have been processed for aid to be re-evaluated.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
You must make satisfactory progress toward your degree to receive financial aid. For full details on our SAP policy, visit Satisfactory Academic Progress for Undergraduate Students / Graduate students.
Please note that Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards for financial aid eligibility purposes is different than WOU’s Academic Standing. Please see Academic Advising’s informational page on Academic Standing: https://wou.edu/advising/academic-standing/.
Understanding my aid
Contact
Financial Aid Office toll free 1-877-877-1593 | or e-mail: finaid@wou.edu | Location: Welcome Center 140
In-person services are Monday through Thursday 8am to 5pm and Friday 10am to 5pm. **Walk-in appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the following days/times:
- Monday, 9:00 am – Noon
- Monday, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
- Thursday, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Schedule in-person/phone/virtual appointments with your counselor using the Navigate icon.
