Financial
Aid
The
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire offers financial assistance
through scholarships, grants, loans, and student work experience.
The majority of this assistance is awarded based on financial
need. There are, however, resources available through
scholarships, unsubsidized loans, and student employment for
students who do not qualify for need-based aid.
Financial
need is based on the student’s educational expenses and the
contribution that is calculated using the financial information
provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
For detailed information on financial aid, visit the UWEC
Financial Aid homepage at: http://www.uwec.edu/Admin/FinAid/homepg.htm.
HOW
TO APPLY
All
students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) to apply for financial aid. Prospective students may
obtain a FAFSA from their local high school or library. Most
UW-Eau Claire continuing students, who applied for financial aid
in the previous year, will be mailed a renewal application by the
Department of Education to apply for the next academic year.
Students who do not receive a renewal application by January 31
should obtain a standard FAFSA from the Financial Aid Office.
Students must reapply for financial aid each year. The FAFSA is
required in order to apply for all need-based programs and for the
Direct Unsubsidized Ford Loan. Reminder: The Blugold System
is a resource for specific information about current financial aid
status and financial aid disbursed on students’ accounts.
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DEADLINES
Students
must reapply each year they wish to be considered for financial
aid. To assure first consideration for funding, the FAFSA should
be submitted by April 15. Late applications will be considered
only for residual amounts.
A separate
financial aid application is required of students attending Summer
Session. This application is available through the Blugold System.
Students who do not have access to the Blugold System may pick up
an application at the Financial Aid Office.
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ENROLLMENT
STATUS
Students
must be enrolled at least half-time to qualify for most kinds of
aid, although undergraduate students who have very high need may
qualify for a small Pell Grant at less than half-time status.
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STANDARDS
OF SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS
FOR FINANCIAL AID
Federal
regulations require students to maintain satisfactory academic
progress toward a degree in order to receive financial aid. The
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is required to develop and
apply a consistent and reasonable standard of satisfactory
progress for all students receiving federal financial aid. These
standards are applied to all periods of attendance, regardless of
whether or not a student has received financial aid in the past. A
complete copy of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress policy is available
in the Services and Standards handbook. There are three
standards or components of satisfactory progress:
• minimum GPA,
• minimum credits
completed, and
• maximum time
frame
Standard for Grade
Point Average
Students
need to maintain a resident GPA of 2.00 according to the
University's Academic Standing and Progress policy.
Standard for
Minimum Credits Completed
Students
must successfully complete 67 percent of their enrolled credits.
Failing a class or maintaining an incomplete in a class is not
considered successfully completing the class.
Standard for
Maximum Time Frame
Undergraduate
students may receive financial aid for a maximum of 180 attempted
credits when enrolled in degree programs which have a published
minimum requirement for graduation of 120 credits. Attempted
credits are credits the student was enrolled in at the end of the
tenth day of classes, plus all accepted transfer credits. A degree
program that requires more than 120 credits is an exception and
financial aid may be further extended. An additional 90 credits of
financial aid eligibility is allowed for undergraduate students
seeking a second degree. Graduate students are allowed 54 credits,
which represents three years of full-time enrollment.
Monitoring
Procedures and Reestablishment Options
These
standards are monitored once a year at the end of spring semester
using Registrar’s information. Future financial aid will be
denied for students who fail to meet the standards of academic
progress.
Students may
reestablish their financial aid eligibility by earning an academic
standing which meets the above criteria. Students with extenuating
circumstances that prevented them from making satisfactory
progress are encouraged to describe and document those
circumstances in writing. Their appeal will be reviewed by the
Financial Aid Appeals Committee to determine whether financial aid
eligibility should be reinstated. Student will be notified of the
appeal decision in writing.
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SCHOLARSHIPS
Qualified
UW-Eau Claire students are awarded a combination of federal,
state, university, and private scholarships on the basis of
academic excellence or special talent. Some scholarship programs
also specify financial need as a requirement of eligibility. Award
amounts and student eligibility requirements vary depending on the
individual scholarship criteria.
UW-Eau
Claire Foundation, Inc., Scholarships and Other Named Scholarships
and Awards. Detailed information on scholarships
available to UW-Eau Claire students is available on the
Scholarships page. The same information is also available on the Financial
Aid Office Homepage.
Tuition
Remission: Wisconsin
Statutes provide for awarding a limited number of scholarships to
students who are not residents of Wisconsin. These awards range in
value and can be up to the difference between resident and
nonresident tuition.
Remissions
for Nonresident Students: Students
who are not residents of Wisconsin are considered for tuition
remission by submitting the FAFSA.
Remissions
for International Students: Undergraduate
international applicants are considered for an annual award
ranging from $2,000-$4,000. Awards are based on academic merit and
financial need, which is information provided in the admission
application. No separate application is necessary.
Private
Scholarships:
Many private scholarships are sponsored by civic organizations,
clubs, industries, and businesses. Students should contact their
local high school counselors or principals for information about
private scholarship programs available in the local community. The
UW-Eau Claire Financial
Aid Office Homepage features links to free scholarship search
services. A collection of private scholarship information is also
available on the Financial
Aid Office Homepage.
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GRANTS
A
grant is gift assistance and does not have to be repaid. Various
grants are awarded to students who establish a high financial need
as determined by federal and state guidelines.
Federal
Pell Grant: The
Federal Pell Grant is a federal aid program designed to be awarded
to high need students. It may be combined with other forms of aid
in order to meet a student’s total financial need.
Bureau
of Indian Affairs (BIA):
Native American students with one-fourth or more American Indian
blood, as certified by the appropriate Indian Agency, may be
eligible for BIA funds. Students should contact their respective
tribes and the UW-Eau Claire Financial Aid Office to obtain proper
application materials and instructions.
Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG):
This federal grant program is available to students establishing
an exceptionally high financial need. It is used to supplement
other types of aid in meeting a student’s total financial need.
Wisconsin
Higher Education Grant-II (WHEG-II): Wisconsin
Statutes provide for the awarding of grants to residents of the
state who can establish a high financial need. The value of these
awards will vary with the financial need of each recipient.
Students
who are not Wisconsin residents should contact the agency in their
home state regarding the availability of state grant monies for
attendance at out-of-state schools.
Wisconsin
Indian Assistance (WIA): Native
American students who are residents of Wisconsin and have
one-fourth or more American Indian blood, as certified by the
appropriate Indian Agency, are eligible for WIA funds if they show
a financial need. Blood certification and WIA eligibility will be
required only once; after a student has received an initial award
at UW-Eau Claire, eligibility will continue, based upon an annual
evaluation of financial need.
Lawton
Undergraduate Diversity Retention Grant: These
grants are awarded to students who demonstrate financial need, who
are Wisconsin or Minnesota residents, who have achieved sophomore
standing with a resident GPA of 2.00 or higher, and who can
increase under-represented ethnic student enrollment.
Talent Incentive
Program (TIP):
These are need-based grants available to low income Wisconsin
residents. Students may receive up to $1,800 per year for a
maximum of five years. Students must complete an application for
TIP which includes additional selection criteria. For an
application or additional information, contact the UW-Eau Claire
Financial Aid Office or your local Wisconsin Educational
Opportunity Office.
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LOANS
Federal
Direct Ford Loan: Degree
seeking students who are enrolled at least half-time and who
demonstrate financial need are eligible. Depending on need,
students may borrow up to $2,625 as a freshman, $3,500 as a
sophomore, and $5,500 as a junior or senior, not to exceed a total
of $23,000 as an undergraduate. There is no interest charged while
the student is enrolled at least half-time. Six months after
leaving school, or falling below half-time, the borrower begins
payment. The interest rate for Federal Direct Ford Loans varies
from year to year but currently cannot exceed 8.25 percent per
year. Information on the interest rate, set each July 1st for the
following year, is available from the Financial Aid Office.
A
financial aid application, available at the Financial Aid Office,
must be completed in order to be considered for this loan.
Federal
Direct Unsubsidized Ford Loan: Available
to students who may not qualify for any, or may qualify for only
part, of the regular (subsidized) Federal Direct Loan. In any
year, the combined amounts of subsidized and unsubsidized Federal
Direct Ford Loans cannot exceed the loan limits for that grade
level. An independent undergraduate or graduate student has
additional Federal Direct Unsubsidized Ford Loan eligibility. An
independent student may borrow up to the potential grade maximums
listed above plus a potential $4,000 for freshman and sophomores
and $5,000 per year thereafter as an undergraduate, and a
potential $10,000 per year as a graduate student.
This
loan allows students to defer making payments on the principal of
the loan while they are in school, but students are responsible
for paying the interest on the loan once the money is disbursed.
Students can choose to either pay the interest while they are in
school or have it added to their principal to be repaid after they
are no longer in school, understanding that allowing the interest
to accumulate may be an expensive option.
Hanson
Music Loan (Mathilda
and Caroline Hanson): An endowment fund in excess of $65,000 has
been created to provide loans to music students who do
satisfactory academic work. Applications are available in the
Financial Aid Office.
Federal
Perkins Student Loan:
The amount of the loan is determined by the availability of funds
and the student’s financial need. Repayment must be completed
within a ten-year period at the rate of five percent per annum
interest, beginning nine months after the borrower ceases at least
half-time enrollment. A borrower of Perkins Loan may have all or
part of his/her loan (including interest) canceled for engaging in
public service such as teaching, law enforcement, service in the
Peace Corps or ACTION, or service in the military. Contact the
Business Office for specific cancellation criteria.
Federal
Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS): This
loan is available to parents of dependent undergraduate students.
The maximum loan amount that can be borrowed is the difference
between the cost of attendance and other financial aid received.
Financial need is not a criterion.
Repayment
on principle and interest begins within sixty days of the final
disbursement. The interest rate is variable from year to year but
currently cannot exceed nine percent per year. Federal Direct PLUS
applications are available from the Financial Aid Office.
Student
Educational Loan Fund (SELF):
Minnesota residents who have first exhausted other sources of
financial aid may apply for the SELF loan. Undergraduate students
may borrow up to $4,500 per year as freshmen and sophomores;
juniors and seniors up to $6,000 per year; and graduate students
up to $9,000 per year. The interest rate may vary quarterly
throughout the life of the loan, and a credit worthy co-signer is
required. Quarterly payment (interest only) begins 90 days after
disbursement, and continues as long as the student is in school.
At termination of study, monthly payment (interest only) begins
and continues for up to 12 months. On the 13th month out of
school, monthly payments of both principal and interest begin or
the student may make two additional years of interest-only
payments. Students interested in obtaining this loan should
contact the Financial Aid Office.
Short
Term Loans (Bernhardt
J. and Anne E. Aanes Loan Fund): An endowment fund in excess of
$300,000 was established, and the interest income is available for
short-term loans to students. Loans must be used for educationally
related expenses, not to exceed $200. Loans are to be repaid
within four weeks with no interest or service charges.
Ombudsman
The Department of
Education has established an ombudsman to work with student
borrowers to informally resolve any loan disputes or problems. If
you have concerns about the terms of your loan that cannot be
resolved by talking to your lender, you are encouraged to contact
the Ombudsman Customer Service Line at 1-877-557-2575.
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EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
Employment
opportunities are available through the University and in the
local community. Available positions are posted on the Job
Placement Board, located across from the Financial Aid Office in
Schofield Hall, and on the UW-Eau Claire Financial Aid Office
homepage on the World Wide Web.
University
Employment:
The University provides both Federal Work-Study (FWS) and
University-sponsored employment opportunities for students. FWS is
available for students who demonstrate financial need, and
eligibility for this program must be obtained before beginning
employment. FWS positions offer a wide range of opportunities and
are available in most departments across campus. Community service
placements are an option under FWS. UW-Eau Claire also offers a
substantial University-funded student employment program, referred
to as Non-federal Work Assistance. All currently enrolled students
are eligible to seek employment in the Non-Federal positions, and
financial need is not a criterion for employment. Students may
work up to 40 hours per week.
Off Campus
Employment: Many
positions are available in the local community. Employers often
call the University to list job vacancies and those positions are
posted on the Job Placement Board, as well as on the UW-Eau Claire
Financial Aid homepage on the World Wide Web. Over 800 students
are placed in community employment through these listings each
year.
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RETURN
OF FINANCIAL AID FUNDS
WHEN A STUDENT WITHDRAWS
When
a student withdraws from the university during the semester,
federal regulations require that the university determine whether
a portion of the student’s federal financial aid (other than
work-study) must be returned. The amount of aid the student may
keep when withdrawing is in direct proportion to the length of
time the student remained enrolled during the semester. If the
student was enrolled for 20 percent of the semester before
withdrawing, 80 percent of the federal financial aid must be
returned to the aid programs. If the student stays through 50
percent of the semester, 50 percent of the aid must be returned.
Once the student completes at least 60 percent of the semester,
the student may keep 100 percent of the aid received.
Consequently,
if a student withdraws before completing at least 60 percent of
the semester, the student may owe a repayment. The student will be
billed for any balance owed as a result of returning the financial
aid funds, and the university will notify the student of the
dollar amount owed.
Any
financial aid that must be returned to the federal aid programs
will be used first to reimburse loans received for the semester
and then grant funds.
The specific
repayment priority is:
1. Unsubsidized
Ford Loan
2. Subsidized Ford
Loan
3. Perkins Loan
4. Parent’s Loan
for Undergraduate Students
5. Pell Grant
6. Supplemental
Educational Opportunity Grant
7. Other federal
aid programs
Examples
of the refund calculations are available in the Financial Aid
Office. Actual, individualized calculations are done in the
Business Office.
For
state funds, institutional funds and outside resources:
Financial
aid received from state, institutional, and outside resources is
not part of the federal return of funds repayment calculation. If
remaining funds are available from the institutional refund after
the federal return of funds requirements are satisfied, the
remaining refund will be distributed in the following priority
order:
1.
State aid programs
2. Institutional
programs
3. Outside
financial aid resources, if appropriate
4. Student
Credit
Drop (but not withdrawal from the University)
If a student drops
credits before financial aid has been disbursed, the aid will be
adjusted, if necessary, to correctly reflect the current
enrollment status. Once all the financial aid has been disbursed,
tuition refunds for credit drop are applied to unpaid charges or,
if all charges have been paid, returned to the student. The
student, however, will be held to the financial aid satisfactory
progress standards based on the enrollment status when the aid was
disbursed.
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FUNDS
FOR PURCHASING A COMPUTER
Students
may be eligible for additional loan funds to cover the purchase or
rental of a computer. Contact the Financial Aid Office for details
of this policy.
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ADDITIONAL
SOURCES OF FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE
Graduate
Students: Graduate
students are eligible for scholarships, fellowship assistantships,
loans, and employment programs. Contact the Office of Admissions
(attention: Graduate Admissions), UW-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI
54701, or call (715) 836-4733 for application procedures for
graduate student financial aid.
Veterans
Administration Grants, G.I. Bill Benefits, National Guard Tuition
Grants, Wisconsin Veterans Grant, Veterans’ Work Study: A
Veterans Counselor is available in Schofield Hall, Room 128, for
students seeking information or assistance with these programs.
Vocational
Rehabilitation: Various
financial programs are available to students who qualify. Further
information is available from area Vocational Rehabilitation
Offices.
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