Disbursements & Refunds

Only financial aid eligible students who have begun participating in one or more courses are eligible to receive financial aid disbursement(s) scheduled for that subscription period.

You must establish attendance for every course you are enrolled in by the 8th day of the subscription period.

On the ninth day of each subscription period, your records are reviewed for academic engagement. If you have participated, you will have the financial aid scheduled for that subscription period released and applied to your student account.  If you have not participated, you will not have financial aid released and may be considered as withdrawn for financial aid purposes.

Schedule of Financial Aid Disbursements

In general, your annual financial aid funds are divided into four equal installments to align with the start of each new subscription period when tuition is due.  Typically, two subscription periods equate to one payment period.  Similarly, two payment periods equate to one academic year.  (For more information on payment periods and academic years, please click here.)

Note:  Not all students will receive a disbursement at the start of every subscription period.  Click here to watch a short video to learn more about the requirements for receiving additional disbursements.

Financial Aid and Tuition Responsibility

In some cases, your financial aid disbursement may be less than your tuition bill.  In those instances, students will be responsible for providing another form of payment to satisfy the remaining tuition balance. Visit this page to learn more about how to make a payment.

Alternatively, if your financial aid exceeds your tuition bill, you will be sent a refund check.

Post-Withdrawal Disbursements

If you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a post withdrawal disbursement. You will be notified by the UW Flexible Option Financial Aid Office if you qualify for a post withdrawal disbursement. To learn more about this, please visit this page.

Disbursement of financial aid funds begins on approximately the 9th day of the subscription period to the Bursar’s Office of your home institution so the funds can be applied to your university charges. If the amount of aid you accepted exceeds the amount you owe the university, you will be issued a refund. These funds can be used for your other educational expenses.

Refund Check Issuance

After the ninth day of the subscription period, refund checks are processed. If you haven’t received your refund within two weeks of the refund date in your student information system (e.g. PAWS or SOLAR), you can contact your home campus billing office to get a status of your refund.

If you have received a refund and wish to return the funds, contact the home campus billing office for additional information.

Contact Information:

• UW-Milwaukee Office of Student Accounts
• UW-Parkside Cashier’s Office

You may be eligible to receive a portion of your federal financial aid early to purchase required books and supplies. If you are eligible, you will be notified by the UW Flexible Option Financial Aid Office via your university email account.  How you receive funds to purchase textbooks and supplies varies by institution so be sure to read about your institution’s process below.

Eligibility Requirements for Textbook Purchasing Funds

The following requirements* must be met no later than 10 days before the start of the subscription period to be eligible for a refund for books and supplies:

1. You must have a completed FAFSA.
2. All supporting financial aid documentation (if applicable) must be submitted and processed. Visit the Student Resource Center for your program of study to access and log in to your campus portal and view your To Do List to learn whether you are required to submit any additional documentation to supplement your FAFSA.
3. Your Academic Plan of Study (APS) must be completed and submitted to your Success Coach.
4. Your financial aid must be awarded. Log in to your UW Flexible Option Financial Aid Student Portal to view your award information.
5. You must be registered for a competency set(s) in the upcoming subscription period.
6. The amount of federal financial aid you accept is approved for disbursement and is greater than your tuition for the upcoming subscription period.
7. If you accept Direct Loans, the Entrance Loan Counseling and Master Promissory Note must be completed at https://studentloans.gov.
8. You must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.
9. You must be at the beginning of a payment period.

*Other requirements may apply.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Eligible students will receive a portion of their federal financial aid early to purchase books and supplies. A refund will be sent in accordance with their refund preference (see the UW Milwaukee refund section of the UW Milwaukee website). This refund may be used to help purchase books at UW Milwaukee’s approved bookstore vendor, https://uwm.ecampus.com/

University of Wisconsin Parkside

Eligible students will receive a portion of their federal financial aid early to purchase books and supplies. A refund will be sent in accordance with their refund preference (see the UW-Parkside E-Refunding section of the UW Flexible Option website). This refund may be used to help purchase books at UW Parkside’s approved bookstore vendor, https://www.bkstr.com/uwparksidestore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials

Opt-Out Information

You may choose not to use financial aid to purchase books and supplies. To opt-out of receiving your federal financial aid early, email the UW Flexible Option Financial Aid Office. The email must be from your “home” campus student email account.