West Chester University Financial Aid

Application Process

Complete the FAFSA application online FAFSA becomes available each year on October 1st. 

Eligibility

• You must be an accepted student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program of study
• A student must be enrolled at least half time to receive aid from the Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized and Direct PLUS Loan programs.
• Meet the academic qualifications (High School Diploma or GED)
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Not be in default on a student loan or owe any repayment to a financial aid program
• Meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements as a degree student:
• West Chester University requires a cumulative GPA of 2.0 by the end of the student's second year
• 67% of all attempted credits must be earned
• Maximum time frame of 150% for program completion

Secure Funding

In order to secure your loans you must login to the MYWCU portal and accept/reduce or decline the loans and complete both of the following forms online:

1. Entrance Counseling at https://studentaid.gov

2. Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Master Promissory Note (MPN) at https//studentaid.gov

Lifetime Limits (Aggregates)

The Federal Direct Student Loan – Information on Borrowers Limits

Note: All Federal Direct loans have a fee subtracted from the gross loan amount by the federal government.

Application Process

1. Complete the FAFSA application online. FAFSA becomes available each year on October 1st with the exception of the 2024-25 FAFSA which will not be available until December 2023. Priority Deadline: February 1st.

Eligibility

Graduate PLUS funds are available to graduate students who are enrolled in degree programs at least ½ time and who meet all eligibility requirements list above in the Federal Direct Sub/Unsub section and need funding to bridge the gap between the Cost of Attendance (COA) and Federal Direct Unsubsidized student loans. All graduate PLUS applications are subject to a credit check. Credit checks expire 180-days from the date of application. Parents may not borrow under this loan program for a graduate student. Parents please review the Federal Direct Parent PLUS section on this webpage. Visit FATV for an overview of Graduate PLUS loans.

Secure Funding

1. Go to https://studentaid.gov.
2. Apply for Federal Direct Graduate PLUS online. We recommend filing beginning May 1^st so that the loan may be certified prior to the fall billing date.
3. Complete Entrance Counseling online.
4. Complete and e-sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) by using the student's FSA ID and password, if applying for the first time.
5. Some graduate students may be required to complete PLUS Counseling.

Lifetime Limits (Aggregates)

May not exceed the annual Cost of Attendance (COA) minus any other financial aid received

Private education loans are issued by private lending institutions to be used for educational costs. We recommend you apply for federal financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before pursuing private loans. If you are not interested in federal student loans and only wish to borrow from a private lender you are not required to file a FAFSA.

For your convenience, the WCU private student loan comparison tool can be used to find and compare different lenders and the products they offer. We do not endorse any particular lender and the comparison tool is for educational purposes only. Perform your due diligence to compare the pros and cons of each loan considered.

Use Our Private Student Loan Comparison Tool

Application Process

Before applying for a private student loan, you should assess your financial ability to repay your student loans. Lenders may require you to make monthly payments while in school, whereas other lenders allow you the flexibility to make payments during school or wait until graduation to begin repayment. Choose a student loan lender that provides you the most flexibility to ensure your monthly payments are manageable. Students can review a list of lenders at wcupa.edu/privateloans. Interest rates offered may be fixed, meaning the interest rate will stay the same as long as you have the loan, or variable, meaning the interest rate may change. Remember that a low variable rate may rise over time. Generally, the better the credit history, the lower the interest rate. Shop around to figure out which lender offers the best package for your situation. Visit FATV for instructional videos about private loans.

WCU Student Lending Code of Conduct

Eligibility

Students with sufficient income and credit may be borrowers on these loans; parents (and other credit worthy sponsors if the lender allows) may be cosigners if their students do not meet the lender's income and/or credit criteria. Check with your lender to see how long your credit window is open.

Secure Funding

Private Loan applications are processed and sent to the WCU Financial Aid Office in date order. We recommend filing beginning May 1st so that the loan may be certified prior to the fall billing date. Make certain the amount you request is the correct amount needed. Once we have processed your loan and packaged your aid, the loan will be posted to your WCU account. You will be notified via email if additional information is needed to secure your loan.

Lifetime Limits (Aggregates)

Your total loan borrowed may not exceed the annual Cost of Attendance (COA) minus any other financial aid received for the loan period. Also the strength of the borrower's credit history could limit the amount that the lender is willing to make on both a yearly basis and over the length of the entire degree program.

Application Process

Complete the FAFSA application online FAFSA becomes available each year on October 1st with the exception of the 2024-25 FAFSA which will not be available until December 2023. Priority Deadline: February 1st.

Eligibility

PLUS funds are available for parents who qualify. All PLUS applications are subject to a credit check. Credit checks have a 180 day window from the date of application. Graduate students may not borrow funds under the Parent PLUS loan program. Graduate student please review the section above Graduate PLUS loans.

Secure Funding

1. Go to www.studentloans.gov.
2. Apply for Federal Direct Parent PLUS online. We recommend filing beginning May 1^st so that the loan may be certified prior to the fall billing date.
3. Complete Entrance Counseling online.
4. Complete and e-sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) by using the parent’s FSA ID and password, if applying for the first time.
5. Some parents may be required to complete PLUS Counseling.

Lifetime Limits (Aggregates)

May not exceed the annual Cost of Attendance (COA) minus any other financial aid received. No current lifetime aggregate.

 

Private education loans are issued by private lending institutions to be used for educational costs. We recommend you apply for financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before pursuing private loans. If you are not interested in federal student loans and only wish to borrow from a private lender you are not required to file a FAFSA.

For your convenience, our private student loan comparison tool can be used to find and compare different lenders and the products they offer. We do not endorse any particular loan program and the comparison tool for educational purposes only. Perform your due diligence to compare the pros and cons of each loan considered.

Use Our Private Student Loan Comparison Tool

Application Process

This private education loan is taken out in the parent’s name. Assess your financial ability to repay your student loans. Lenders may require you to make monthly payments while your student is in school, whereas other lenders allow you the flexibility to make payments during school or wait until graduation to begin repayment. Choose a student loan lender that provides you the most flexibility to ensure your monthly payments are manageable. Interest rates offered may be fixed or variable. The better the credit history, the lower the interest rate. Remember that a low variable rate may rise over time.

WCU Student Lending Code of Conduct

Eligibility

Parents may be borrowers if their students do not meet the lender's income and/or credit criteria. Each lender will have different criteria for eligibility. Shop around to figure out which lender offers the best package for your situation. Check with your lender to see how long your credit window is open.

Secure Funding

Private Loan applications are processed and sent to WCU Financial Aid in date order. We recommend filing beginning May 1^st so that the loan may be certified prior to the fall billing date. Make certain the amount you request is the correct amount needed. Once we have processed your loan and packaged your student's aid, the loan will be posted to your student's WCU account. Your student will be notified via email if additional information is needed to secure your loan.

Lifetime Limits (Aggregates)

Your total loan borrowed may not exceed the annual Cost of Attendance (COA) minus any other financial aid received for the loan period. Also the strength of the borrower's credit history could limit the amount that the lender is willing to make on both a yearly basis and over the length of the entire degree program.