No. You will only be billed for direct costs, which include tuition and fees along with on-campus housing and meal charges. To figure out your out-of-pocket cost, you can total the direct costs and subtract your total scholarships, grants and the loans you will accept.

A subsidized Stafford Loan is a loan that does not accrue interest while a student is attending school on at least a half-time (six credits for undergraduate students) basis. The government subsidizes the interest on the loan during that time. A subsidized loan will not begin to accrue interest until repayment starts. If you are going to borrow loans, accept any subsidized loan funds you are offered first. An unsubsidized Stafford Loan does accrue interest from the time of disbursement. While no payments need to be made while a student is in school, a student always can make payments on an unsubsidized loan. Making payments while in school can help keep interest from accruing and save a lot of money in the long run.

Applying for scholarships isn’t just a thing to do while you are in high school. There are many scholarships out there for sophomores, juniors and seniors. There are national scholarship databases that every student should have a profile on. Some common resources are Fastweb, Going Merry and Scholarships.com. The benefit of these databases is that you create a profile at the start, and any time a scholarship matches your profile, you will be sent an application. Also - don't overlook the smaller awards. They can really add up and often have smaller applicant pools!

The first step is always to complete the FAFSA. After you complete the FAFSA, please communicate to the Office of Financial Aid that there has been a change. This could be a job loss, a death, an illness or additional siblings in college. We are here to help. Many times, we can change the FAFSA information to be a more accurate picture of your current situation. We encourage all students and their families to communicate with our office often! We are here to be a resource for you.

Doing the FAFSA is optional. If you do not do the FAFSA, you will only qualify for the institutional scholarships that you were awarded upon your acceptance to a school. We encourage everyone to do the FAFSA. All students will qualify for at least an unsubsidized loan. Federal loans (like unsubsidized loans) come with a variety of repayment options. They also don’t require a credit check and can have much lower interest rates than private options. Also, many families are surprised that they do qualify for subsidized loan funding or a state grant. It's important to note, many private scholarships require FAFSA completion. You don’t want to take yourself out of the running by not completing your FAFSA.

The federal student aid website is a great resource and it's where you complete the FAFSA. There you will also find a dashboard to track your loan borrowing, see who services your loan, and explore repayment calculators to help you plan ahead. Finaid is also a helpful resource with information about private scholarships, how the aid works and more. And of course, the Office of Financial Aid is always here to help answer your questions and support you along the way.

Financial aid is mainly offered through scholarships, grants, loans and federal/institutional work study.

Scholarships are usually awarded based on merit. They are what we call “free” money. They do not have to be paid back and are usually awarded from institutions or outside sources. We encourage students to apply for these often to maximize that free money.

Grants are usually need-based and reliant on FAFSA data. They are awarded by the federal government (Pell grants, FSEOG), states (a Wisconsin grant) and institutions. They are also “free” money and usually based on FAFSA data.

Loans are awarded by the federal government or alternate lenders. They have to be paid back after a student graduates or stops attending. Federal loans come in the subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans. There are also federal parent loans. It's important to note, federal loans offer several payment options and built-in safety nets, along with fixed interest rates. Both students and parents can be borrowers on an alternative loan. However, students typically need a co-signer. Pay attention to interest rates and whether they are fixed or variable when exploring these.

Work study allows students to work on campus and earn a paycheck. Many students use this funding for indirect cost and living expenses. They are also great jobs for gaining professional experience.

Unfortunately, this is not one of the criteria that make a student independent for FAFSA purposes. If you are under 24, an undergraduate, single, not supporting any children, not an orphan or in legal guardianship, not homeless, and not in active duty or a veteran, your parents will need to be on the FAFSA. In rare extreme cases, we can do a dependency override to make a student independent. These usually are in cases of severe abuse and abandonment. If you are experiencing this, please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss this further.

Yes. You are eligible for federal aid. You can do the FAFSA with your parents. There is a tool for them to create an FSA ID on the federal student aid website (where you do the FAFSA) without having a social security number.

Yes. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or better to be in good standing for financial aid purposes. They also need to earn credit for 67% of the courses that they attempt to complete. Withdrawals and F grades impact this percentage.