The Student Financial Aid office at WMU determines undergraduate offers from the information that you and yourfamily supplied to the federal processor on the FAFSA.
Offer priority is given to the following in no particular order:
- Early applicants as defined by early application deadline.
- Lowest to highest family incomes.
- Academic merit.
All programs are offered based on eligibility and the availability of funds.
To determine the types and amounts of offers for which you may be eligible, WMU considers residency status anddependency status.
Residency or dependency status
Residency
Any Western Michigan University undergraduate student who has been admitted as a degree-seeking student andbegan enrollment effective with the summer I 2017 semester or later will have their residency status determined atthe time of admission, and it will remain the same throughout the student’s enrollment at Western MichiganUniversity. For questions, contactwmu-residency@wmich.edu, call (269) 387-2366 or visit theRegistrar's Office webpage.
Dependency
Your dependency status can affect your offers. For financial aid purposes, it is determined by how you answeredquestions in Step 3 of the FAFSA. If you answered yes to one or more of the questions, you are consideredindependent. If you answered no to all of the questions, you are considered dependent. Your dependency statusdetermines the maximum federal directloan limitsfor which you are eligible and whether or not you are eligible for aFederal Direct Parent PLUSLoan. If you have answered no to all the questions in Step 3 and you have extenuatingcirc*mstances which prohibit you from obtaining parental data requested on the FAFSA, you can complete adependency override appealand submit it to Student Financial Aid.
If your dependency status is changed from independent to dependent based upon corrections made to your FAFSAin Step 3 by you or a school, your FAFSA may be considered rejected until parental information is provided. If youwere offered aid prior to the correction, your offers may be adjusted after parental information is received.
Class level and admission status
Your class level and admission status determines the maximum federal direct loan limits for which you are eligible and your eligibility for grants andscholarships, federal work-study and other aid.
Undergraduate degree or no prior degree
Your class level as an undergraduate student admitted into a degree-grantingprogram with no prior degree is determined by the number of credit hoursyou have completed.
- Freshman: 0 to 25 credit hours
- Sophom*ore: 26 to 55 credit hours
- Junior: 56 to 87 credit hours
- Senior: 88+ credit hours
Graduate degree
If you have completed a bachelor's degree and you are admitted into amaster's, specialist or doctoral graduate degree program, you are considereda graduate student for maximum federal direct loan limits and you areconsidered independent. You are no longer eligible for federal or state grantsand scholarships.
Second bachelor's degree or permanent teacher certification
If you have a bachelor's degree and you have been admitted into a different undergraduate degree-granting program or you are taking courses to obtain your permanent teacher certification, then you are considered at the junior or senior level for federal direct loan limits and your dependency status is dependent upon how you answer the questions in Step 3 of the FAFSA. You are no longer eligible for federal and state grants or scholarships.
Non-degree seeking
If you are not admitted into a degree-granting program at WMU, then you are not eligible for federal or state financial aid. You are considered not admitted into a degree-granting program for financial aid purposes for the following situations:
- Guest.
- Degree status of NDA, GNA or GCP.
- Taking additional courses after graduation.
- Adding a minor after obtaining your undergraduate degree.
Enrollment status
- Planned enrollment
The semesters for which you are enrolled and your enrollment status (full time versus less than full time) affect the aid programs for which you are eligibleand your estimated cost of attendance. WMU assumes full-time enrollment for fall and spring semesters when estimating financial aid offers.
Your offer amounts may be affected if you are enrolled less than full time, less than half time, enrolled in summer I or summer II sessions, or graduating in August orDecember. Or, if youare an undergraduate student becoming a graduate student.
- Enrolled less than full time
If you will be enrolled less than full time in any semester, your offers may be reduced or canceled depending upon your actual enrollment at the time ofdisbursem*nt and the eligibility criteria for each of the aid programs. To be considered full time, a student must be enrolled in 12 credit hours as determinedat the time of census. Half-time enrollment is at least six credit hours. During summer sessions, full-time enrollment is at least six credit hours, and half-time isat least three credit hours. TheRegistrar’s Officehas complete information on enrollment.
- Enrolled less than half time
If you will be enrolled less than half time, your eligibility will be reduced. In addition, if you have received a federal Direct Subsidized orUnsubsidized Loan, your loan(s) may go into repayment.
- Enrolled in summer I or summer II
- If you are planning to enroll in summer I or summer II, you must complete a summer financial aid application—available each springsemester on ourForms webpage.
- Offers for summer I and summer II may be limited to your remaining eligibility for the federal Pell Grant, federal Direct Subsidizedand Unsubsidized Loans, federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan, federal work-study and other grants.
- Due to federal regulations, if you are eligible for the federal Pell Grant and have not used all of your eligibility prior to summer I, wemust offer what you may be eligible for in summer I based upon your enrollment and remaining eligibility. If you are eligible for a federal Pell Grant and enroll in summer II, we have to offer a federal Pell Grant to you for summer II based upon your enrollmentand eligibility and may have to reduce the amount offered to you for a subsequent semester.
- You may not be eligible for additional federal direct loans in summer I if you used your maximum amount in prior semesters. If youare offered loans for summer II, it may reduce your eligibility for subsequent semesters.
- If you need additional funds for summer I or summer II, you may be eligible for a private alternative loan with the maximum amountbased upon what we estimate your summer I or summer II costs to be, minus any other aid offered to you.
Graduation status
Graduating in August orDecember
If you are an undergraduate student graduating in August or Decemberand you have been offered federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidizedloans for fall and spring, your loans will be adjusted to not include springsemester. The amount may also be reduced depending upon the numberof credit hours you will be completing during your semesters ofenrollment.
Undergraduate becoming agraduate student
If you are planning to graduate from WMU and become a graduatestudent, you will need to notify the Student Financial Aid office in order to receivefinancial aid at the graduate level. You will no longer be eligible forfederal, state and WMU grants. However, your annual loan limits willincrease.
Estimated cost of attendance
The estimated cost of attendance is used solely for financial aid offerings and includes tuition, fees, housing, food, books, supplies, personal expenses, traveland loan fees and is estimated based upon averages for each category. These numbers are not reflective of actual or projected costs. Actual tuition, fees andUniversity housing costs are published each year, generally after July 1, and are subject to approval by the WMU Board of Trustees. Factors considered areresidency status; class level and admission status; planned enrollment; and housing options of on-campus, off-campus or living with parents.
Student Aid Index
The information you indicated on the FAFSA and federal methodology determine your Student Aid Index (SAI) and the types of aid programs forwhich you are eligible. If a change occurs to your SAI after you have been offered financial aid, your offers may be adjusted or revoked. Your SAI maychange due to verification, FAFSA corrections or an adjustment of family contribution appeal.
Other resources
You must report your additional resources to Student Financial Aid. Thereceipt of some resources may affect your eligibility for funding. If thefederal, state or WMU aid has already been paid to your account when thenotification of other resources is received, the paid aid may be reduced orcanceled before the other resources are applied. Other resources includethe following.
- Americorp benefits used to pay for educational expenses.
- Grants.
- Michigan Education Trust.
- Reimbursem*nt or payment of educational costs by a third party suchas an employer or some other agency.
- Residence hall staff free room and board benefit or stipends.
- Scholarships.
- Stipends from assistantships and fellowships.
Program eligibility requirements
WMU must monitor the program eligibility requirements for all financial aidoffered to students. Your offers may need to be adjusted or canceled if wereceive notification of any change in your residency status, dependencystatus, class level and admission status, planned enrollment, estimated costof attendance, expected family contribution or other resources.
Also, if you are not maintaining your eligibility, your offers may be canceled.
If you are receiving other resources, make sure you keep and understandany written information you have received regarding the eligibility criteriafor those other resources. If you have not received any information or youhave lost it, contact the appropriate department, agency or donor andrequest a copy of the eligibility requirements.
