Paying for College

Contact the The Office of Admissions toll-free at 1877-877-1593 | or e-mail: admissions@wou.edu | Location: WC 110

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid opens October 1st

Western Oregon University Priority Deadline February 1st

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is available beginning October 1 each year for the upcoming academic year. For the 2022-23 academic year, the FAFSA® will be available on October 1, 2021.

When applying for aid electronically, you (and your parent if you are a  dependent student) must have a FSA ID. If you do not already have an FSA ID, you can create one when logging in to studentaid.ed.gov. The FSA ID serves as an electronic signature for students and their parents. Since signatures are required on the FAFSA® application, registering and using the FSA ID helps speed up the application process. The FSA ID also serves as an identifier to allow students access to personal information in US Department of Education systems. These can include access to the Master Promissory Note for Direct Loans, PLUS Loans, as well as specific information on prior loans borrowed.

You may check the status of your electronic FAFSA® application at any time during and/or after the processing period.

Avoid Common FAFSA® Mistakes

Common FAFSA® Mistakes

The U.S. Department of Education will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR) after your FAFSA® is processed. The SAR summarizes the information you reported, contains comments alerting you if further information is required to process your FAFSA®, and states your preliminary Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Review your SAR in detail. The SAR will instruct you on how to make any necessary corrections.

Be sure that Western Oregon University (003209) is listed so our office receives your information.

What is it?

Verification is a process that compares the information on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) to federal income tax and other information used to document that your answers are correct.

How is a file selected for verification?

Certain applications are flagged by the federal aid processor for verification due to federal edit or random sampling. These applications are identified by an asterisk (*) placed to the right of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on the Student Aid Report (SAR). Other applications may be selected by the WOU Financial Aid Office to clarify information.

2022-2023 Verification Policy

If you are selected, you must submit all requested documentation in order for the Financial Aid Office to disburse your funds. You can view your required documents by going to your My Financial Aid portal. To access your My Financial Aid portal log on to your WOU Portal and select the “MyFinAid” icon on the top of the screen. You must have a financial aid record already established at WOU in order to log into My Financial Aid. The information collected may result in changes to your financial aid award and, in some cases, the repayment of funds already received. No further disbursement of financial aid funds will be given until the verification process is complete.

After a financial aid offer is available, please follow the Financial Aid Checklist Graduate/Undergraduate to complete the appropriate steps for using financial aid to help pay for your college costs.

Scholarships are gifts. They don’t need to be repaid. There are thousands of them, offered by schools, employers, individuals, private companies, nonprofits, communities, religious groups, and professional and social organizations.

To apply for WOU scholarships, the General Scholarship Application is open for students to apply between November 1st—March 1st each year. Admitted students can access the application through Portal, using the “Scholarships” icon.