The Financial Aid Office serves to help students find ways to finance their higher education. The basic principle of financial aid is to provide resources for those who would be unable to afford post-secondary education without aid. Federal and state regulations determine how those resources are distributed. 

The first step in securing financial aid is to find out if your distance education coursework is included in the provisions of the federal and state regulations. Contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss your options. The staff of the office has counseling caseloads assigned by the first letter of your last name. Email your financial aid counselor or phone the office at 715-232-1363. 

If your distance education coursework is an eligible program, you will need to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine your financial need. The FAFSA is your one-stop application for federal and state grants, loans or work-study.

If you wish to file electronically with an electronic signature, you must first secure your Department of Education PIN number. You may also file electronically without a PIN number and print the paper signature page to mail in. Or you may file electronically without a signature and you will be sent a Student Aid Report (SAR) form the Department of Education to sign and return. 

The FAFSA is available in paper format also, available at any post-secondary financial aid office. Before you fill out a FAFSA, either on-line or on paper, you will need to assemble your documents, and your parents’ if you are dependent. You will need federal income tax returns, W-2 forms, records of untaxed benefits received, current bank statements, and records of other savings and investments, such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds. 

The results of the FAFSA are used by the Financial Aid Office to determine your eligibility for the various grant, loan and work programs. The office will mail you the determination in an award letter that you would need to sign and accept or reject and return. First time borrowers on some of the loan programs will need to complete a required entrance counseling session on-line, and a promissory note. That information will be sent to you also when your FAFSA results are available. 

Federal and State financial aid will be credited directly to accounts. (Note: The student must carry the required credit load at the time of disbursement.) All university charges will be deducted from the funds prior to any refund to the student. Refunds will be automatically sent to your Stout OneAccount. You must go to www.uwstout.edu/stoutonecard/ to activate your new ID card and choose how you wish to receive your refund(s). Subsequent changes made to the course schedule will likely result in additional charges or refunds. Any refunds that occur as a result of schedule changes will be automatically sent to your Stout OneAccount.

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Send comments about this web page  to finaid@uwstout.edu

Revised: March, 2002