Western Illinois University - Quad Cities - Academics

1. All Federal and State aid (except Pell Grant for correspondence courses and Federal Work-Study) will automatically be applied to tuition, fees, room and board charges on your bill each semester. See Financial Aid Disbursement and University Billing section of the Handbook.
2. All first time borrowers must complete Federal Direct Stafford Loan Counseling before funds can be disbursed.
3. Loan funds cannot be disbursed until just before school begins and therefore, will not appear on your first University bill each term.
4. Loan amounts must be made in two disbursements for the Academic Year:
• Half in the Fall Term; half in the Spring Term
• Single semester loans will be disbursed in one disbursement at the beginning of the term.
5. Single semester loans for Study Abroad must be made in two disbursements.
6. Before each aid disbursement, financial aid eligibility must be reviewed in such areas as:
• Hours of enrollment (usually a minimum of six hours)
• Proper class level (may affect your loan amount) at Sophomore (30-59 hours) or Junior level (60-89 hours). Transfer students should have final grade transcript from previous school sent to WIU as early as possible.
• Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Admitted to a degree program.

Financial Aid Steps

1. Application
2. Verification
3. Review
4. Notification
5. Disbursement