Overview of Awarding

• To be considered for federal financial aid programs, including student loans and parent PLUS loans, a student must file the appropriate year Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA.  
• Our priority processing date is March 1st of each year.
• FAFSAs on-file at the federal processor by this date will receive 1st notice of the anticipated or offered financial aid package for the following fall and spring.  Students who file after this date are considered for all remaining available funding.
  • Students who are new to the University (newly admitted and transfer students) and whose FAFSAs were received at the federal processor by March 1st will be sent a Preliminary Financial Aid Award Notification usually in April.
  • All continuing WSU students will be sent a Financial Aid Award Notification in early summer.

Contents:

• Accepting Awards
• Changes to Your Awards
• Determining Financial Need
• Making Awards
• Receiving Your Aid (See Disbursement)
• Revised Award Notifications

Making Awards

• Once the Financial Need Eligibility has been established, the automatic packaging system creates a "package" or set of awards to be offered to the student in a Financial Aid Award Notification letter.

• Students are automatically assumed to be enrolled full-time (12 or more credits per term for undergraduates, 10 or more credits per term for graduates, vet/med or pharmacy students) and enrolling for both fall and spring terms.

• Students are automatically considered for all aid programs (including loans) for which they are eligible.  
  • Only if a student indicates on the FAFSA that they do NOT want Work-Study would that program be excluded.
  • Some programs have specific requirements such as being a Washington Resident or enrolled in a specific program (such as nursing, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, etc.).
  • All programs require that the student be in good academic standing.  (See Satisfactory Academic Progress for more information.)
• Awards from agencies or persons other than WSU also are included in the package because students offered federal financial aid may not receive more aid than their cost of attendance regardless of the source.

Accepting Awards

When the student receives the Financial Aid Award Notification letter (or Award Letter for short) a response is expected to be returned to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Services.

1. Grant programs are always assumed to be accepted, therefore no response on these programs is indicated on the letter.

2. Work-Study are always assumed to be accepted, therefore no response on these programs is indicated on the letter.

3. All loan eligibility must be accepted and returned in order for the loan process to continue to the next step.

   1. Stafford Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized)

      • If you are a student borrower who previously completed a Master Promissory Note at WSU and have not taken a leave of absence, you are NOT required to complete a new loan application.

        • Accepting the loans on your award notification will allow the OSFA to process your loans with the same lender used during the prior period and to automatically request the funding of your loan. 

        • If you have decided to change your lender from the one you used previously at WSU, you are required to contact EdFund at 1-888-715-5797 and complete a new loan application.

      • If you are a first time Stafford Loan borrower at Washington State University, you will be able to complete your loan applications shortly after your award acceptance.

        • You will need to complete the loan application on the web.

        • Included on the EdFund website will be a list of federal loan lenders.  You will need to choose one.

        • You will also need to complete an Entrance Counseling/Interview (this link will take you to the website) before the loan funds will be disbursed to your student account. If you need the Entrance Interview information mailed to you, please contact our office.

      • Unaccepted Stafford Loan amounts remain in the award package but since no acceptance has been made, no loan funds are requested.

   2. Parent PLUS Loan For Undergraduate Students - For more information on the Federal Parent Loan For Undergraduate Students (PLUS) Loan, check our web.  

      • If you are awarded a Federal Parent PLUS Loan, 

        • If your parent wishes to accept the loan, they will need to accept the loan by returning one copy of the Financial Aid Award Notification to our office indicating so, listing the amount they wish to borrow.

        • Your parent borrower will also need to complete and return the Parent PLUS Loan Application Request.

      • When both items have been received, a Washington State University PLUS Loan application will be set up on the web for your parent borrower to complete.

        • If your parent borrower needs a printed application mailed to them, they should contact EdFund at 1-888-715-5797.

        • Included on the EdFund website will be a list of federal loan lenders.  Your parent borrower will need to choose one.

      • Unaccepted PLUS Loan amount remain in the award package but since no promissory note has been issued, no loan funds are requested.

   3. Perkins Loans, Nursing Loans, Health Professions Loans - for more information on the Perkins Loan Program, the Nursing Loan Program,  the Pharmacy Health Professions Loan or the Veterinary Medicine
      Health Professions Loan, follow the links.

      • If you are awarded one of these federal loans, 

        • If you wish to accept the loan, you will need to accept the loan by returning one copy of the Financial Aid Award Notification to our office indicating so.

        • The University Receivables/Student Loan Office will then send you a Promissory Note packet for you to complete and return.

        • Once the completed Promissory Note packet has been received by University Receivables/Student Loans, the loan will be set for disbursement along with any other available financial aid.

      • If you wish to refuse the loan you must indicate so on the Financial Aid Award Notification before returning it to our office.

Changes to Your Awards

• Students who enroll less than full-time or plan to enroll for only one semester must notify our office so that their awards may be adjusted.

  • Unadjusted awards will not release for disbursement (payment) to the student's account until these changes are completed. 

  • Student may/should notify our office of these changes by filing a Revision Request.

• Other changes that might impact your award include:

  • Undergraduate to graduate status

  • Non-resident to resident of Washington state

  • Campus student to Distance Degree Programs student

Revised Award Notifications

• Whenever your Cost of Attendance, your Expected Family Contribution, and/or your financial aid awards change, we will send you a Revised Award Notification.  

  • Additional outside awards such as scholarships may cause changes to other awards.

  • If appeals based on special circumstances are granted, the student's eligibility will change and in turn may make other types awards available to the student.

• When revising the award package due to additional resources, scholarships and grants will always be adjusted last while undisbursed loans and unearned work-study will be adjusted first.

  • If you receive a revised award notification, you should carefully compare the new letter with the prior letter and note what changes have been made.  

  • If there is a Guide to Your Revised Aid Notification enclosed, it will contain information concerning why the change was made and anything you might need to do because of the change.  

• Awards may change at any time during the term or year.

• All current awards can be accessed via myWSU.   

• As always, please contact our office if you have questions.