Application Process

1. Application Process: It is recommended that you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in January of the year you plan to attend WVU. However, the absolute deadline is March 1st in order to be considered an on-time applicant for financial aid. FAFSAs received by the federal processor after that date will be considered for Direct Student Loans and Pell Grants only. The quickest and most accurate way to apply is online using FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.gov. The FAFSA School Code for WVU is 003827.

If you need assistance completing the application you can obtain information from the experts at the Federal Student Aid Programs (1-800-4FED-AID), or you can call us at the WVU Financial Aid Office at 304-293-5242 and we will be happy to assist you.

Once your application is processed by the Federal Processing Center, a notification will be sent to you either electronically (if you included an email address on the application) or by a paper Student Aid Report (SAR). If you listed WVU as a school to receive information (FAFSA School Code: 003827), we will electronically receive your information from the processing center and begin to determine your eligibility.

2. Verification: Federal regulations require WVU to select a certain number of applications for a review process called Verification. If your application is selected, you will be notified by our office through a written request for additional information. You will have 30 days to submit the required documents. Your financial aid will NOT be processed until all required documents are received.

3. Respond to your award offer: You will receive an award notification. Information about different types of financial aid offered at WVU can be found on our Types of Aid page. Some award types have additional requirements to be completed prior to aid disbursal. To avoid cancellation of certain award types, you must respond to the aid offer within 30 days through your STAR account or by returning the Award Letter if you are a first time freshman. Some aid types cannot be reinstated after being canceled or declined.

You may respond to your financial aid offer electronically by accessing the financial information on your STAR account. The procedure to do this electronically is:

1) Log on to your MIX account at http://www.mix.wvu.edu
2) Click on STAR tab
3) Click on ‘Click Here to Enter STAR’
4) Click on ‘Student Services, Housing, and Financial Aid’
5) Click on ‘Financial Aid’ tab
6) Click on ‘Award’
7) Click on ‘Award by Aid Year’
8) Select aid year (2009-10)
9) Click on ‘Accept Award Offer’ tab

4. Special Circumstances: If your family income has declined in 2009 due to unexpected circumstances, please contact the Financial Aid Office after the initial submission of the 2009-10 FAFSA. In some instances, US Department of Education will recalculate eligibility.

Tips on Applying for Financial Aid

1. Apply On Time—There are deadlines for maximum aid consideration that will most likely affect your Financial Aid. You can view the Financial Aid Timeline for specific deadlines. The FAFSA can be completed online at www.fafsa.gov.
2. Be sure applications are complete and correct.
3. When in doubt, ask questions.
4. Know your rights and responsibilities.
5. Read correspondence completely and respond promptly.
6. Establish a budget for your college expenses and stick to it.
7. Complete your Federal tax returns as soon as possible, and keep signed photocopies.

Please remember that applying for financial aid and fulfilling all necessary requirements is your responsibility.