Frequently Asked Questions

FINANCIAL AID AND ELIGIBILITY

How can I apply for more financial aid to cover my balance and books?

Why hasn't my financial aid paid on my account?

Please ensure you:

  • Have completed all financial aid requirements.
  • Are in a degree-seeking program, or an eligible certificate program.
  • Have completed a FAFSA for the current academic year. All federal aid, some state aid and some university-level aid require a FAFSA for the current year.
  • Are enrolled in the required number of credit hours for the offer:
    • Fall and Spring
      • Undergraduate
        • Full-time: 12+ credit hours
        • 3/4 time: 9-11 credit hours
        • 1/2 time: 6-8 credit hours
        • Less than 1/2 time: 5 or less credit hours
      • Graduate
        • Full-time: 6 credit hours
        • 3/4 time: 4-5 credit hours
        • 1/2 time: 3 credit hours
        • Less than 1/2 time: 2 or less credit hours
    • Summer I and II
      • Undergraduate
        • Full-time: 6+ credit hours
        • 3/4 time: 4-5 credit hours
        • 1/2 time: 3 credit hours
        • Less than 1/2 time: 2 or less credit hours
      • Graduate
        • Full-time: 3 credit hours
        • 1/2 time: 2 credit hours
        • Less than 1/2 time: 1 credit hour
  • Are meeting satisfactory academic progress (SAP) as indicated by the policy.
  • Are not in default on a federal student loan.
  • Please visit Bronco Express, contact us at (269) 387-6000, or finaid-info@wmich.edu if you are meeting the above guidelines or your reason is not listed here.

How do I increase my aid? My aid was less than it was last year.

  • Federal loans can be increased or transferred via the student financial aid adjustment form. They can only be increased if you have not been offered up to the yearly and overall aggregates (see loan limits), and if you have not been offered up to the cost of attendance.
  • Federal Pell Grants, WMU Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) cannot be increased above the offered amounts.
  • If your financial aid amounts decreased between now and previous years, you could have reached the limit for certain types of financial aid such as federal loans or the Federal Pell Grant. It could also change due to changes in your financial aid and household data on your FAFSA.

What other grants or scholarships can I apply for?

Student Financial Aid scholarships displays some, but not all scholarships that are available. Other scholarships may be available through your department or externally. 

Why am I not eligible for financial aid?

LOANS

What other loans can I or my parent apply for?

  • Parents of dependent, undergraduate students can apply for the Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan. If the parent applying for the Federal Direct Parent PLUS loan is denied, the student may be eligible to increase their Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan by completing the student financial aid adjustment form.

Why isn't my private alternative loan applied? When will it be applied?

  • Once a private loan is certified, all lenders have a right-to-cancel period that must pass before they will send the funds. Please check with your lender to determine when they will send the funds to the school. If the funds are sent electronically, it could take 3-5 business days before we receive and apply them. If the funds are sent via check, it depends on the U.S. postal service as to when they deliver the check. You should allow 7-10 business days for a mailed check to arrive at WMU. If the check requires you to sign for it, we will send you an email notification advising you to come into the financial aid office and sign for it, before it is applied to the bill.
  • Ensure you are meeting your lender’s terms for the loan. Some lenders require a student to be enrolled at least half-time, others require a student to meet satisfactory academic progress, and others require that you are in a degree-seeking program. Others do not. Guest students receiving private loans should contact Bronco Express if loans are not applied.

How much have I taken out in loans? How do I pay on my loans?

  • You can review your loan history in the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) by visiting studentaid.gov and logging in with your FSA ID and password. Every federal student loan you have received will be listed on this website in the order they were disbursed.
  • All federal loans are assigned a loan servicer. You can review their information on NSLDS by clicking the number to the left of each loan and scrolling down. You will contact the servicer with billing inquiries on your loans, including deferment and forbearance requests.

How do I defer my loans?

You must get your loan servicer’s deferment form and provide it to the Registrar's Office for completion. Your servicer’s contact information should be included with the form, including their name, phone number and mailing address. A fax number is optional, but recommended. If your servicer does not have their own form, you must reach out to the Registrar's Office and request they send verification of your enrollment to your servicer, and provide their contact information. Loan deferment forms are not accepted or processed at Bronco Express or Student Financial Aid.

REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESSING

What financial aid requirements need to be completed before receiving financial aid?

Please review your financial aid requirements in Self-Service.

How long does it take for submitted documents to be processed?

Standard processing time for most documents is 5-10 business days (1-2 weeks) from when they are received by our processing office (when they appear on Self-Service). Some documents, such as appeals, can take longer and processing time as a whole can increase during peak times. Please check our homepage for current processing times. 

I received an email, what does it mean?

Please read the email in its entirety and follow any instructions indicated. If it is still unclear what must be done, you may contact Bronco Express:

  • In person: Please bring your Bronco Card and either print the email, or be able to pull up the email electronically for explanation by a Bronco Express team member.
  • By phone: Please have your WIN ready and be able to read the email to the phone representative.
  • By email: Forward the email to finaid-info@wmich.edu with your WIN included.

What’s the status of my paperwork?

Please check your financial aid requirements on Self-Service. Submitted paperwork generally appears there within two business days (longer during peak processing times). In addition, standard processing time is typically 1-2 weeks and can be extended during peak times.

My verification form is on hold, but I submitted all documents, do I need something else? When will it be processed?

Please check your requirements and ensure nothing is marked “Incomplete” or “Requested, not Received” on your financial aid requirements. If “Requested, Not Received”, please submit the requested documents. If “Incomplete” or all documents are on hold, please contact Bronco Express to see if anything additional is needed.

I received an email that says I have pending financial aid, but everything is accepted. What do I have to do?

This means you have financial aid requirements to complete before your financial aid can be disbursed. Please check your financial aid requirements on Self-Service. Review the following table for what each requirement status means:

StatusMeaning and action
Pending Final ReviewThe requirement is currently under review or in queue to be reviewed by our office. No further action is needed at this time.
Received Incomplete, ReturnedThe submitted document is missing required information or documents. If it is a document, it will be returned to you via mail with a letter indicating why it is incomplete. Contact Bronco Express to determine what is needed if necessary.
Unable to ProcessWe are unable to process the document. This could be because we are missing information, we have conflicting information, you do not meet the guidelines to process the document or another reason. Please contact Bronco Express for more information.
On Hold, Unable to ProcessWe have received the document and are holding it until we are able to process it. This status could indicate we are waiting on additional information. Please contact Bronco Express for more information.
Endowed Scholarship Application PendingYour endowed scholarship application is awaiting department decision. There is nothing additional that you need to do.

I want to make sure you received my document(s). I submitted it "x amount of time" ago and multiple times but it doesn't show up on my account.

  • Please allow up to two business days for requirements to appear on Self-Service. The time can be increased during peak times.
  • Ensure you have submitted the correct documents and they are complete.
  • Contact Bronco Express to determine if your documents were received or if you need to resubmit.

Why do I keep receiving emails from you?

Email notifications are sent to notify you of important information. If you are no longer affiliated with WMU and are still receiving emails, please contact Bronco Express at (269) 387-6000 to determine the cause of the email and request they be stopped.

Where can I send documents? How do I contact you?

Most documents can be submitted electronically. Please visit financial aid's forms page to find your specific form and send accordingly. Some forms will need to be printed, hand signed and then turned into Bronco Express. 

How do I use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool or request a Tax Return Transcript?

Students and Parents

FEDERAL WORK-STUDY

Am I eligible for Federal Work-study?

More information regarding Federal Work-study eligibility is available through Student Financial Aid. Please keep in mind, even if you meet the eligibility requirements, Federal Work-study is not guaranteed due to limited funding.

What jobs can I apply for during the school year?

Please visit Career and Student Employment Services website.

BILLING AND REFUNDS

Where do I find information refunds, billing and the payment plan?

Accounts Receivable houses information regarding refunds, billing, signing up for the payment plan and eRefunds. Please note that parents cannot sign up for eRefunds. Any refunds from a parent loan will be mailed to the address indicated on the parent loan application, and any refunds from a credit card overpayment will be returned directly to the card.

What happens if I don't pay my bill on time?

If you do not pay your account balance on time a hold may be placed on your account, which may prevent you from registering for classes, the ability to obtain a transcript or diploma. You may also be subject to service charges of 1.5% monthly (18% annually). If your account is sent to a third-party collection agency for non-payment, you will be responsible for any collection fees which may be based on a percentage at a maximum of 39% of the debt, and all costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees, we incur in such collection efforts.

Can you predict my future charges?

Since there are many variables that could affect your balance, (i.e. taking courses on the main campus vs online vs EUP, class/lab fees, etc.), we would only be able to provide an estimate at best. You can view the following costs online or use the WMU Cost Calculator.

OTHER

How do I add Authorized Users?

There are two systems for Authorized Users—proxy access (financial aid and academic information) and payment and account information (billing and payment information).

Where can I find my Western Identification Number (WIN)?

  1. On the back of your Bronco Card.
  2. On your acceptance letter to the University.

What is the 1098-T form?

More information on the 1098-T form is available through Accounts Receivable.