Mission
The mission of the Student Financial Aid Office is to increase access to a rigorous and affordable college education by being WMU’s central source for financial aid funding, information, planning and education.
Through principled and excellent service, we support the recruitment, retention and degree completion of a dynamic and culturally diverse student body, in preparation for a lifetime of personal and professional success by:
- Processing financial aid forms and FAFSA data to determine eligibility for grants, loans and work-study employment.
- Packaging student offers, including scholarships, grants, loans and work-study.
- Providing information on searching and applying for scholarships and loans.
- Advising students regarding financial aid, budgets and money management, federal and state aid and institutional aid.
- Counseling students with regards to satisfactory academic progress appeals, aggregate loan and Pell grant limits and other constraints.
- Assessing the impact of additional income and offers (e.g., external grants, private and department scholarships) upon students’ aid packages.
- Managing a year-round one-stop help center for phone calls, e-mails, and walk-ins with questions and transactions related to financial aid, making payments, student accounts and general registration information. With no appointment needed, Bronco Express is a location where students can:
- Apply for financial aid and check financial aid status.
- Check account balances and receive clarification on charges.
- Make payments on accounts.
- Sharing accurate and timely information with an emphasis on client-centered service.
- Engaging the institution and broader community in financial literacy and educational planning programs and related initiatives.
- Continuing training and professional development, as required by law and by nationally established best practices.
- Managing over $270 million in combined federal, state, institutional and private aid.
- Providing centralized forecasting, oversight, and planning, as relevant, for the spectrum of aid under the purview of the division of Enrollment Management.
- Providing relevant data collection, modeling and analysis.
- Adhering to professional codes of ethics and conduct.
