Summer Term

Summer

The summer term consists of several sessions, with classes consisting of 3-week sessions, 6-week sessions, 9-week sessions, and a 12-week session.  Financial aid for summer is awarded separately from the academic year, and there are differences between the summer aid process and the academic year process.  If you are planning on attending summer school, please review all of the information on this page and the details in the 2023 Summer Application, which will be available the first week in March 2023.   Federal grant and loan eligibility is very limited for the summer term.

Application Process

To be considered for summer financial aid, you must complete the following steps.

1. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the correct aid year.
   • Summer financial aid is determined using the FAFSA for the academic year which precedes the summer term (for example, summer 2023 uses the 2022-2023 FAFSA). 
   • Your FAFSA must be processed by June 30, even if your first summer session starts after June 30.
2. Complete the 2023 Summer Application, which will be available the first week in March 2023. 
   • The application must be completed by the deadline on the form.
   • Mail, email, fax, or drop off the application in our office.  
3. If you are required to submit additional documentation, you will be notified by the Financial Aid Office. 

Eligibility

Students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards in order to receive aid for summer.  If a student is academically dismissed, the student must be readmitted in order to receive aid for summer.  Students admitted as a qualifier are ineligible for financial aid.  A qualifier is a student admitted to summer school only with no future term enrollment.

Enrollment

For most aid programs (including federal loans), students must be enrolled at least half-time for summer.  Half-time enrollment is defined the same in the summer as during the academic year:

• 6 or more credits for undergraduate students
• 4.5 or more credits for graduate students

Changing Enrollment (dropping individual courses or withdrawing from all courses)

Dropping classes during the summer term (or enrolling in fewer credits than you indicated on your summer application) will adversely affect your financial aid, especially if you drop below half-time status or withdraw from all courses.  The Financial Aid Office monitors enrollment to determine if a student has dropped individual courses or has withdrawn from the summer term.  If you drop courses after the summer term has started (or enroll in fewer credits than you indicated on your summer application), we will be required to reduce or cancel your financial aid, which will result in you owing funds back to UW-W.  Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you are thinking about dropping a summer course to learn more about how it will impact the financial aid you have been awarded.

Aid Available

Pell Grants

Pell Grants are available during the summer for an undergraduate student who has not received the full Pell award during the preceding academic year. If a student has received the full Pell Grant during the academic year, then a student may receive an additional Pell Grant during the summer (depending on enrollment, Expected Family Contribution (EFC), and the Pell Lifetime Eligibility Usage for that student) only if the student is taking 6 credits or more during the summer.  

Work Study

Students interested in Work Study must indicate this on the Summer Application.  Please use UW-W online job board Handshake to search for open positions.

Direct Loans

Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans have an annual loan limit based on year in school.  If a student borrowed the total loan limit during the preceding academic year, there will be no additional Direct Loans for summer.  If the student is changing grade level after spring term, and the new grade level increases the loan limit, the student should contact the Financial Aid Office after spring grades have been processed.

PLUS Loan

Parents of undergraduate dependent students may borrow PLUS Loan during the summer by submitting a Parent Loan application through StudentAid.gov.  Be sure to apply using the correct academic year.  Summer is considered part of the previous award year (for example, summer 2023 uses the 2022-2023 application).  If the parent is denied the loan, the student may be eligible for additional Unsubsidized Loan based on the annual loan limits.  To be eligible for the Parent PLUS, loan, the undergraduate dependent student must be enrolled in at least 6 credits during the summer term.

Private Loans

Students can apply for a private loan from any lending institution that offers these loans to help pay for summer.  Visit the private loan page for more information on these types of loans.

Disbursement

Aid for summer disburses based on the first session the student attends.  For example, if a student attends the first summer session, aid will disburse by the start of that session.  However, if a student is not attending a session until July, the aid will be delayed until that time.  In addition, tuition charges for all sessions in which you are enrolled are due by the term due date, even if the session begins after the term due date and even if your financial aid has not credited toward your charges by the term due date.  Term due dates can be found here.