How to Apply for Student Financial Aid

Students who wish to be considered for federal and/or state student financial aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Links to the application process online are provided at www.indwes.edu/Financial-Aid/Adult-and-Graduate/Apply-For-Aid:

• When completing the FAFSA (direct link https://fafsa.gov) you must list IWU’s Title IV Code, 001822, or IWU will not receive your FAFSA information from the federal processor.
• You must disclose any additional funding you will receive from employer reimbursement, vocational rehabilitation, or private scholarships to help pay for your education.  To facilitate this requirement, complete the Other Aid Source Disclosure Form.
• If loans are desired, students must complete the Loan Entrance Counseling Session and William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Master Promissory Note online (direct link: https://studentloans.gov/). You must have an established Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID and password in order to complete these items. It may be necessary to wait three days from the time you first create your FSA ID before trying to sign in to this website. For each item, you must enter "Indiana" in the School State field even if you attend classes in another state or online.
  • Entrance Counseling Session: Select Complete Counseling (Entrance, Financial Awareness, Exit) from the menu, and on the next page click on the Start button next to Entrance Counseling (Required). Add IWU as a School to Notify and select the appropriate Student Type for your current degree pursuit (undergraduate or graduate).
  • Master Promissory Note: Click on Complete Loan Agreement (Master Promissory Note), from the menu and click the Start button next to MPN for Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans from the next page.
  • The Financial Aid Office's standard practice is to originate federal student loans for the amount of a student's maximum eligibility. If you wish to have a lesser loan amount awarded than your maximum eligibility, complete the Reduced Loan Request Form.

Once the above steps have been completed, be certain to:

• Quickly respond to requests for additional information from the Financial Aid Office. You may be asked, as required by federal regulations, to provide items for review in a process called Verification.  Some items that may be requested are: a completed Verification Worksheet, a completed and notarized Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose Form, and a copy of your Federal Income Tax Return Transcript (and your spouse’s or parents' as appropriate).
• Fully complete all forms. Forms filled out incorrectly or submitted to the wrong office or location could complicate your approval to begin classes or delay your student financial aid awards package.