Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to receive financial aid, you must:
- Be admitted to UW-Stout in a degree program as a degree-seeking student (special students are not eligible).
- Be a citizen, permanent resident of the United States or other eligible non-citizen as detailed in the FAFSA instructions. (International student aid is very limited and is contingent on available funding.)
- Demonstrate financial need through FAFSA's need analysis.
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
- Be in compliance with Selective Service Registration.
- Have a social security number.
- Sign a statement of educational purpose/certification statement on refunds and default.
- Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate, or you must pass an independently administered test approved by the U.S. Department of Education, or meet other state standards approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
Financial Need
Financial need equals the cost of school attendance minus student/family resources. The Financial Aid Office will make every effort to meet your calculated financial need. The ability of the university to meet this need depends on available funding and other restrictions and guidelines mandated by the federal and state governments. In many cases, funds are inadequate to fully meet students' financial need. This is particularly true for students who apply late. Students who demonstrate the greatest need receive priority consideration for aid on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Student and Family Resources
The analysis of a family's financial strength includes consideration of income, assets and debts; family size; medical and dental expenses; number of children in post-secondary education; and other factors. Information used to analyze the family's financial strength is taken from the data provided on the FAFSA.
Resources that are considered include awards from agencies outside the university, and you and your spouse's assets and earnings.
If you apply as your parent's dependent, both your ability and your parent's ability to contribute will be evaluated.
If you are independent and single, only you are expected to contribute to your cost of education. In order to apply as independent, you would have to comply with any one of the dependency standards set by the U.S. Department of Education:
- Be at least 24 years old.
- Be working on a master's or doctorate program (such as MA, MBA, MD, JD, or Ph.D., etc.) during the school year that you are applying for.
- Be a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
- Have children who receive more than half of their support from you.
- Have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30 of the school year that you are applying for.
- Be an orphan or ward of the court or you were a ward of the court until age 18.
- Be married.
If both you and your spouse are students, each of you must complete a separate application. If your spouse is not a student, he or she is expected to contribute a calculated spouse contribution based on his/her income and assets.
Students who are planning to marry should apply using their current marital status.