Financial aid is awarded on the basis of scholastic achievement, financial need, or a combination of both. Offers of assistance are designed to supplement the resources of the family and may vary per academic year.

For Federal, University, State and most private aid, family resources are measured by the needs analysis formula of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A family's Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is based upon the information submitted on the FAFSA, which includes income, assets, number of people in the family and other family factors. All students are required to file the FAFSA if they wish to apply for Federal, State and WU grants and scholarships.

The FAFSA is filed electronically at www.fafsa.gov, the official U.S. Department of Education site. You will need to apply for an FSA ID to "sign" your online FAFSA and to make electronic corrections. If you are a dependent student, your parent will need to apply for an FSA ID also. An FSA ID can be created by going to https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm or you can apply as you complete the FAFSA. Remember, this process is free - you should never pay to apply for Federal Financial Aid.

How to Apply

1. The student must be accepted for admission to the University in order to receive an official offer of financial aid. If applying after October 1 of the high school senior year, an applicant should apply for financial aid and for admission concurrently.
2. An applicant for aid must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and list Wheeling University's Federal school code: 003831. Most states use the FAFSA for their grant programs; check with your state grant agency for details. Once the FAFSA has been filed and processed, the Department of Education (DOE) will send the student and the University an electronic SAR provided the student listed the correct Federal school code. The student and Wheeling University can make corrections on the SAR and send electronically to DOE for reprocessing.
3. The DOE may select the applicant for verification of information provided on the FAFSA, causing WU to request a copy of an applicant's IRS Federal Tax Transcript, the applicant's parent(s)/spouse's IRS Federal Tax Transcript and a WU Verification Worksheet. The verification worksheets can be downloaded from our website. All verification documents must be received no later than August 1st each academic year. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if an extension is needed after August 1st.

If we have requested you to send a Tax Return Transcript, you must provide the information in one of two ways:

Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool that is part of the FAFSA on the Web. Go to FAFSA.gov, log in to the student's FAFSA record, select "Make FAFSA Corrections", and navigate to the Financial Information section of the form. From there, follow the instructions to determine if you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to transfer IRS income tax information onto the student's FAFSA.

1. Obtain an IRS Tax Return Transcript as follows:
   
   
2. Get Transcript by MAIL - Go to www.irs.gov, under the Tools heading, click "Get a tax transcript." Click "Get Transcript by MAIL." Make sure to request the "IRS Tax Return Transcript" and NOT the "IRS Tax Account Transcript."
   
   
   • Get Transcript ONLINE - Go to www.irs.gov, under the Tools heading, click "Get a tax transcript." Click "Get Transcript ONLINE." Make sure to request the "IRS Tax Return Transcript" and NOT the "IRS Tax Account Transcript."
     
     
   • Automated Telephone Request - 1-800-908-9946
     
     
   • Paper Request Form - IRS Form 4506T-EZ or IRS Form 4506-T

NOTE: If the parents are married, and they filed separate tax returns, then you must obtain a separate IRS Tax Return Transcript for each parent. A copy of a paper tax return prepared by filer or tax preparer will not be accepted. You will receive an updated financial aid award notification, if any adjustments are made to your financial aid package resulting from your completion of verification. New students will receive a copy through the mail until the first day of class. All others will receive an email notification from our office.

Important Deadline Reminders: For West Virginia residents March 1st is the deadline for FAFSA completion for High School seniors receiving the Promise Scholarship. April 15 is the priority deadline for filing your FAFSA Application for colleges and universities in West Virginia to be considered for the State Grant. Go to www.cfwv.com for more information on West Virginia financial aid programs.

Renewal of Financial Aid
Students must reapply for financial aid each academic year. To process your renewal FAFSA online, go to www.fafsa.edu on or after October 1. To remain eligible for aid, students must also maintain satisfactory academic progress. To renew most types of aid, a student must maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA and earn a minimum of 24 credits per academic year if enrolled as a full-time student.

Part-time students must earn all credits for which they register for each semester. The Financial Aid Office reviews aid eligibility at the end of each semester. If a student's credit hours or GPA falls below the minimum requirements, financial aid will be withdrawn.