The Office of Financial Aid assists students with state and federal financial aid programs. Office personnel also provide budget and loan indebtedness counseling and help students find employment on and off campus. They also administer the UW-Platteville Scholarship Program.

Three basic categories of financial aid are administered through the UW-Platteville Office of Financial Aid. To be considered for these programs, students must be degree seeking and enrolled for at least six credits. In some cases, students may be eligible for a Pell Grant if enrolled less than half-time. Students enrolled as "special" are not eligible for any of these programs except regular student employment.

Grants

• Pell Grant
  
  
• Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
  
  
• Wisconsin Higher Education Grant (Wisconsin residents)
  
  
• Talent Incentive Program Grant (Wisconsin residents)
  
  
• Lawton Undergraduate Minority Retention Grant (Wisconsin residents)
  
  
• Nonresident Tuition Waiver
  
  
• International Student Tuition Waiver
  
  

Loans

These low interest educational loans require repayment, but interest and principal for most loans are deferred until after graduation:

• Perkins Loan
  
  
• Stafford Loan
  
  
• Unsubsidized Stafford Loan (not need based and interest is not deferred)
  
  
• Plus Loan (a loan for parents to take out for dependent students, not need based and repayment begins within 60 days of disbursement)
  
  

Campus Employment

• Work-Study Program
  
  
• "Regular" Student Payroll (not need based)
  
  

To apply for the programs listed above, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This application is available at high school guidance offices, at the UW-Platteville Office of Financial Aid, or can be requested by calling (608) 342-1836.

Students should complete the application and mail it to the federal processing center by March 15. (This is the UW-Platteville priority filing date but not a deadline.) Students who have their application at the processing center by March 15 and show financial need will receive first consideration for all available programs.

Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to continue to receive financial assistance. A minimum number of credits must be completed in relationship to the number of full-time semesters to complete a degree. Number of credits required per semester is as follows:

For students who withdraw from the university the following refund policy is applied for tuition and fees:

100% - 1st week of classes

100% - 2nd week of classes

50% - 3rd week of classes

50% - 4th week of classes

For students who are attending UW-Platteville for the first time and are receiving federal Title IV aid, the following pro-rata refund applies:

100% - 1st week of classes

100% - 2nd week of classes

80% - 3rd week of classes

70% - 4th week of classes

60% - 5th week of classes

50% - 6th week of classes

50% - 7th week of classes

40% - 8th week of classes

40% - 9th week of classes

Refund for tuition and fees is based on the full semester cost. Students who live in the residence hall and/or are on a meal plan shall be refunded room and board paid in advance on a weekly pro-rata basis.

Students receiving financial aid who withdraw prior to the start of classes will have all financial aid refunded to the aid programs.

If a student withdraws after receiving financial aid, a portion or all of the refund will be returned to the appropriate financial aid programs. Students may also be required to repay a portion of aid received for non-institutional expenses.

Each year the UW-Platteville Scholarship Program awards over $200,000 in scholarships. The goal of the scholarship program is to provide awards to as many students as possible.

Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of many factors which may include academic achievement, community involvement, extracurricular activities, an autobiographical essay, a letter of recommendation, and care in completing the application. A few scholarships require that a student must prove financial need. If a student receives a scholarship, it will be considered a resource, and this may affect the amount of other aid the student receives. The specific eligibility criteria are generally listed with each scholarship.

The program is divided into two distinct programs: one for incoming first year students and one for continuing students. The application process is different for each program.

New Freshman Scholarship Program

Merit-based New Freshman Scholarships

Scholarship: Wisconsin Academic Excellence Scholarship

Amount: $2250

Criteria: Graduate of Wisconsin high school. Valedictorian of class as selected by the high school.

Length of award: Renewable up to four years as long as eligibility requirements are maintained.

Scholarship: UWP Scholar Award

Amount: $2000 per year

Criteria: Automatically awarded to National Merit Finalist

Length of award: Renewable up to four years as long as eligibility requirements are maintained.

Scholarship: Chancellor's Award

Amount: $500

Criteria: Nominated by staff; selected by committee and chancellor.

Scholarship: Grace M. Johnson

Amount: $500/$1000

Criteria: New Freshman or transfer student; nominated and selected by admissions staff.

Students who apply to and are accepted for admission at UW-Platteville are eligible for a series of other scholarships provided through the UW-Platteville Foundation. Only admitted students will receive a scholarship application. To ensure getting a scholarship application before the selections are made, a student should apply for admission by November 15 of the year prior to attendance. The scholarship application form will be mailed to the student after admission; the completed scholarship application form must be submitted by February 1. Committees will meet to make the selections, and students will be notified as soon as possible, generally in May. To be a recipient a student must be enrolled as a full-time student, taking 12 or more credits. The amount and number of scholarships are subject to change and vary from year to year. Scholarship brochures for each year are available through the Office of Financial Aid.

Continuing Student Scholarship Program

Scholarships are available to continuing students at UW-Platteville. Booklets with the instructions for application, an application form, and a listing of the available scholarships for the next academic year are mailed to the local address of each student taking 12 or more credits. In addition, the booklets are available through the Office of Financial Aid. Transfer students may apply, but scholarships are limited. Scholarship applications should be submitted by February 15 for the scholarships to be awarded for the next academic year.

Other Scholarships

Scholarships from other sources are advertised in the "Orange and Blue" daily announcement paper on campus. Applications for these national, regional, or major specific scholarships are available in the Office of Financial Aid, on a rolling basis, as the information and applications are received.

Many other sources of information concerning scholarships are available from high school counselors, local civic organizations, churches, local businesses, places of employment, professional organizations, and local libraries.

For additional information on UW-Platteville scholarships, contact the Office of Financial Aid at (608) 342-1836, or e-mail siegerts@uwplatt.edu.