Step 3: Award Notification

The Award Letter

Students who are new to UW-Whitewater will receive a paper award letter, and continuing students will receive an email.  All students can view their aid on WINS once the award notification has been mailed or emailed.  Before that time, WINS will say the award is not available.  Awards for the upcoming academic year are sent beginning February 1.

For a printable version of important Award Letter information, please review the appropriate aid year's brochure below:

•  Understanding Your 2020-2021 Financial Aid Offer

•  Understanding Your 2019-2020 Financial Aid Offer

Steps for Accepting Aid

Review all of the award offer carefully to understand the Cost of Attendance and types of aid offered. The deadline to accept the award is May 1. You may lose out on some funding if your award is not accepted prior to May 1. Accepted awards can be declined at a later date for students who change their mind.

1. Log into WINS.
2. From Student Home, click on the Financial Aid tile.  Click Continue when asked to Conduct Business Online.
3. Once the Financial Aid page opens, click Accept/Decline.
4. After clicking on the Edit icon (which looks like a pencil), check Accept or Decline in the Award Decision column for each award.  If you would like to reduce one of your loans, choose accept, check the Reduce box, then change the amount in the Accepted column (if reducing your loan, note that the amount you put in there will be divided equally between fall and spring semester).
5. Click Submit!
6. If you have not already signed the Student Permission Form, this will display.  Please read, then click Next.  Check the "Yes, I have read the agreement" box and click Submit. This allows federal financial aid to pay miscellaneous charges such as books, parking permits, weight room fees, and health service fees. For more info, review the information provided by Student Accounts.

Reporting Changes

We typically award your financial aid for fall and spring, assuming full-time enrollment (12 or more credits per term for undergraduate students and 9 or more credits per term for graduate students).  You must email the Financial Aid Office regarding any award details which are incorrect.  This includes:

• Changes to enrollment.
• Residency status changes.
• If you were packaged for the academic year, but plan to graduate in December.

Please include your ID# in all communications!

Student Permission Form

Federal financial aid (Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and all Federal Direct Loan programs) will automatically pay for current tuition, fees, housing, and meal plan costs.  In order for federal financial aid to pay other costs such as bookstore charges, library fines, healthcare charges, weight room pass, parking pass, etc, students can provide permission to the university.  If you did not complete this while accepting your award and would like to do so, log into WINS, select the Financial Aid tile from Student Home, and click on Student Permission.  If  a student wishes to rescind this authorization, they must contact the Student Accounts Office at (262)472-1373.  Federal financial aid cannot pay finance charges or payment plan fees even with permission.

Remaining Cost

After reviewing the award letter, if you have remaining costs, this can be met in a variety of ways. Parents may borrow the PLUS Loan or students may borrow a Private Loan with a credit-worthy cosigner.  These loans require separate applications completed by the borrower.

The Financial Aid Office also encourages students to review the payment plan offered by the university. Payment plan due dates for the current semester are published by the Student Accounts Office.

Outside Sources of Aid

Any outside assistance could affect financial aid eligibility. Students are required to report any sources of aid you will receive which are not included in your award package such as private scholarships, DVR, employer paid tuition, Resident Assistant benefits, tuition waivers, or other sources of aid.  Please submit a Scholarship Form to the Financial Aid Office.  If you learn of other resources at a later date, please submit a a form at that time.

Authorizing Release of Information

If you wish to allow the Financial Aid Office to discuss your financial aid with your parents, guardian, or spouse, please authorize the Release of Information by logging in to WINS, going to Student Home, selecting the Financial Aid tile, and then clicking Release Financial Aid Info. Conditional releases, restricting the release of information to a specific individual, need to be submitted in writing to the Financial Aid Office.

Important Information

When you accept your award, you agree that you understand the following important information:

• Financial aid is subject to change due to changes in enrollment, changes to the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), changes to the Cost of Attendance, receipt of outside aid, and/or residency status changes.
• Students must meet all eligibility requirements for financial aid.
• Students must be aware of Satisfactory Academic Progress policies and Withdrawal policies.
• Financial aid will be used to pay your tuition, fees, on campus housing, and meal plan charges.  Authorization must be given for financial aid to pay other goods and services. Federal financial aid cannot pay finance charges or payment plan fees.
• Under certain instances, scholarship, grants, and fellowships may be subject to income tax.  Refer to the IRS for more information.  Keep receipts for any qualified educational expenses.

Special Circumstances

If your family's financial situation has changed, you may want to discuss this with your financial aid administrator to determine if this changes your eligibility for financial aid.

Step 4: Receiving Your Aid