First Year Experience Office of Student Financial Aid

First Year Experience Office of Student Financial Aid

Access Through financial aid programs, we make the UW affordable to low and middle income families who would not otherwise be able to attend.

Diversity • Financial aid programs help the UW accomplish diversity goals • Socioeconomic diversity—our best funds are focused on the lowest income students • We administer Diversity Scholarships and the University Opportunity Grant program to award targeted funds to diverse populations.

First Year starts before they get here • We reassure parents and students that aid is available • We try to make them believe it is possible to attend—don’t rule us out! • We’re present at high school nights, college fairs, Minority Student Invitational sessions, Diversity Scholars sessions, Plan a Transfer Day

Financial Aid Awards • Financial Aid award letters are sent to students 4 -6 weeks before the May 1 response deadline. • “Negotiations” begin—really a second look at student and parents’ finances—can we better reflect their ability to pay and adjust their award accordingly? • We rush to provide the best information we can before May 1.

For our parents and students- • One of our goals is to remove and alleviate financial burdens and anxieties so students can concentrate on their academics and extracurricular activities at the UW.

New Student Counseling • First year counseling is more about process at the UW—how does aid work, how is aid disbursed, how much can I get? • Provided through individual counseling as convenient for student—in person, phone or email counseling available. • Loan counseling is available, but not as much interest from students until their later years.

Parents! • Parents are an important part of the first year experience. • Our counselors spend many hours of individual counseling time answering parents’ questions about financial aid and their student’s eligibility. • For families out of the area, we provide comprehensive information via our web page, email and phone service.

Scholarship Program Coordination • Coordinate award notification of scholarships with Admissions, Space Grant and Honors programs • Provide eligibility information to Gates Millennium, WEF Achievers • Counsel Achievers throughout the years on financial matters • Assist in private scholarship search

Work Study Opportunities • We administer the work study program to provide work opportunities (primarily oncampus) to new freshmen and transfer students. • On campus work study helps students connect with the campus, provides meaningful job experiences, and helps finance their higher education costs.

Satisfactory Academic Progress • We monitor students’ academic progress each quarter, on an annual basis and for length of time to complete degree. • We review appeals from first year students who did not meet the financial aid satisfactory academic progress requirements. • Counsel students in where to get help on campus with their personal and academic issues that are preventing academic success.

Other First Year Activities • Parent Orientation sessions • DAWG Days Orientation sessions • SSS/Trio Welcome sessions • Provide funding for Early Fall Start participants