The purpose of financial aid is to help students and families meet educational expenses that cannot be met through their own resources. Financial aid can be either need based or non-need based. For most financial aid programs, students are required to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As the name states, the FAFSA is free. The information provided on the FAFSA will help determine your eligibility for federal financial aid.
There are several types of financial aid available. Loans and student employment are considered “self-help aid” because loans have to be repaid and, by working, you earn money for educational expenses. Grants and scholarships are considered “gift aid” because they generally do not have to be repaid. Please know, you are required to report any additional educational aid (e.g. scholarships, employer tuition reimbursement) you expect to receive. You can do so by completing this UW Flexible Option Additional Aid Reporting form and submitting it to the UW Flexible Option financial aid office.
For help in understanding the financial aid application process, check out the videos below. Additionally, because UW Flexible Option is non-term competency-based education, financial aid is administered differently from other, more traditional education programs. See UW Flexible Option Financial Aid Overview to learn more about these important differences.
FAFSA Overview
After the FAFSA: What Happens Next
Steps to Apply For and Receive Financial Aid
Gain admittance into a federal financial aid eligible UW Flexible Option degree or credit-bearing certificate program. Click here to see whether your program is eligible. Create your FSA ID. The FSA ID (Federal Student Aid ID) is a username and password combination that serves as a student’s or parent’s identifier to allow access to certain U.S. Department of Education web sites. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your federal financial aid information and electronically signing your Federal Student Aid documents. The FSA ID replaced the Federal Student Aid PIN in May 2015. If you haven’t logged in to a Federal Student Aid site since May 10, 2015, you will need to create a FSA ID before you can log on in the future. If you already have a PIN, you can link your information to your new FSA ID by entering your PIN while registering for your FSA ID. Submit your FAFSA form online at fafsa.gov. Use the school code for the institution granting the UW Flexible Option degree or certificate you are enrolled in: If you submit your FAFSA online with an electronic signature(s), you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) in 2-4 days. Otherwise, you can expect to receive your SAR in 2-3 weeks. The SAR is a summary of the information provided on the FAFSA. Review the information for accuracy. If you have a special circumstance when completing the FAFSA or if your income has changed please contact our office to discuss how we might assist you. Here are a few examples of situations you may want to discuss with our financial aid advisers: Complete the Academic Plan of Study (APS) for Federal Student Aid in consultation with your Success Coach. You will receive your Award Notification via email in 7 to 10 days upon completing your Academic Plan of Study (unless additional information is required). Monitor your home institution student email account for instructions on how to create an account with the UW Flexible Option Financial Aid Student Portal. Use this account to: Complete Verification, if required. You will be informed by the U.S. Department of Education if you are selected for Verification on the Student Aid Report (SAR). The U.S. Department of Education selects approximately 30% of students who complete the FAFSA for Verification. Verification is a process whereby the school confirms that the data reported on the FAFSA is accurate. If you are selected for Verification, you will receive notices via email to your school email address of the required Verification documents that must be submitted to the student financial aid office. Please respond to any notices you receive as soon as possible to limit delays to your financial aid processing. Please know, you may have to provide documentation of your taxes in order to complete verification. Complete Entrance Loan Counseling and the Master Promissory Note (MPN) If you accept a federal student loan, you must complete Direct Loan Entrance Counseling and the Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) online prior to disbursement. Grants are automatically accepted. Establish attendance for every course you are enrolled in by the 8th day of the subscription period. Pay tuition. If your financial aid is less than your tuition, the difference must be paid by other means by the 8th day of the subscription period. See the Academic Calendar for the exact dates of your subscription period. See the billing section of the UW Flexible Option web site for information on how to pay your bill.Step 1
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Consumer Information
Federal regulations require that prospective and enrolled students, and other interested parties, be provided with information about the institution and its operations. Please note that some information will not apply to UW Flexible Option students.