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FAQs

Questions About Financial Aid

All eligible students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online in order to receive financial aid. The FAFSA is available for students to complete in October for the new academic year. You must re-apply each year you are in school to receive financial aid.

Students, parents, and borrowers are required to use an FSA ID, made up of a username and password, to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents.

Create an FSA ID

UNCW has a priority filing date of January 1. We recommend this date for North Carolina Residents. The earlier you apply the greater your chances are for receiving grant dollars, if you are eligible.

If you miss the priority filing date, still complete the FAFSA. This is only a priority date, not a final date to apply. When you complete the FAFSA you are applying for Federal, State, and some University assistance. No additional application is necessary to apply for these awards.

Our Federal School Code is 002984. This code is used to send your FAFSA information to UNC Wilmington.

Federal regulations require colleges to check the accuracy of the information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This process is referred to as Verification. The Verification process must be completed before financial aid can be awarded.

Learn more about the Verification process.

Most likely the reason you have not received a financial aid award notification is:

  • We have not received your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information. Contact our office at 910.962.3177 for more information.
  • You have outstanding, unsatisfied requirements. Check SeaNet for outstanding requirements and complete them right away.

Once your financial aid application has been processed and any outstanding requirements are satisfied, we will send notification of the award via UNCW email. The award information and any updates or changes to financial aid award are available for your review and respond through SeaNet.

The financial aid a student receives goes to pay the UNCW bill. There is typically extra money left over once everything on the bill is paid; especially if the student doesn't have on-campus housing, dining, and/or UNCW insurance. The student will receive that excess money the first week of class through direct deposit or a check, depending on how they set it up through Ebill.

Reimbursement will be automatic once the bill is covered. For example, if the student receives $10,000 in aid, and the bill is $6000, the remaining $4000 would be given to the student to cover extra expenses (e.g. off off-campus housing or other school-related expenses).

Other inquiries about the process should be directed to your financial aid counselor.

Learn more about receiving your aid

Financial aid awards are awarded and disbursed (paid to your account) by term (fall, spring, etc.) All awards are disbursed electronically directly to your account, regardless of whether you have an outstanding balance at the time of disbursement.

You are responsible for paying any charges not covered by your financial aid or for any charges that post after the disbursement has occurred. Remember, paper bills will NOT be mailed. The eBill reflects all charges and credits on your student account.

Learn more about paying your bill

First-time Direct loan borrowers must complete the Entrance Counseling session and the Master Promissory Note (MPN) at www.studentloans.gov. Sign in using your information and FSA ID. Follow the step-by-step instructions for completing the Entrance Counseling session and the MPN.

If you have a prior federal direct loan, the loan entrance counseling and master promissory note requirements will update automatically once you have accepted your loan online and we certify your loan with direct lending services.

Learn more about Loans

Yes. The financial aid cost-of-attendance budget includes a room and board allowance. The room and board allowance is the same for students, whether they live on or off campus.

The financial aid a student receives goes to pay the UNCW bill. There is typically extra money left over once everything on the bill is paid; especially if the student doesn't have on-campus housing, dining, and/or UNCW insurance.

The student will receive that excess money the first week of class through direct deposit or a check, depending on how they set it up through Ebill. Reimbursement will be automatic once the bill is covered. For example, if the student receives $10,000 in aid, and the bill is $6000, the remaining $4000 would be given to the student to cover extra expenses (e.g. off campus housing or other school related expenses).

Other inquiries about the process should be directed to your financial aid counselor.

Learn more about your Aid Adjustment

Financial aid is awarded with the expectation that students will complete the semester for which aid was awarded.

Students who are considering dropping classes, or withdrawing from UNCW, should contact the OSFA to discuss the matter. Some students may be required to return aid already disbursed to their accounts.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), Fostering Undergraduate Student Success (FUSS), and federal student loan repayment may become issues, as well.

Learn more about Withdrawing

In some cases, an outside scholarship can affect your other aid, often by reducing the loan amount that you are eligible to receive. As soon as you learn that you will receive an outside scholarship, please notify the Financial Aid Office by submitting an Outside Scholarship Notification Form and a copy of the scholarship letter.

Your outside scholarship check will be processed by the Financial Aid Office and then forwarded to the Office of Student Accounts where it will be applied to your student bill.

Most scholarship checks are sent directly to the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid. However, if you receive an outside scholarship check directly from the scholarship agency, you will need to endorse it, write your full name and University ID number on the front, and forward it to the financial aid office for processing.

Questions About Federal Work Study

Search for a job. Jobs are posted in the Career Center's Handshake software.

Employers seek students with FWS positions because the wages earned are not charged to the department's budget.

No, there are employment opportunities on and off campus.

FWS positions begin at $8/hr. versus North Carolina’s minimum wage of $7.25/hr. Some FWS positions pay more, up to $10/hr., because of the work involved.

In addition to higher wages, campus employers allow students to establish a schedule around their classes, sometimes having shifts throughout the day.

Most campus departments have FWS positions, and do not require a specific major. Campus employers include, but are not limited to:

  • Athletic Department (various teams)
  • Biology labs (may be limited to students within the major)
  • Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • Film Studies
  • Human Resources
  • Technology Assistance Center (TAC)
  • Theatre Department

The UNCW Payroll Office processes pay for on the 15th of each month for the hours worked during the
previous month.

If the 15th falls on a holiday or weekend, payday is the Friday before.

If you do not have a FWS award in your financial aid package, please contact your financial aid counselor.
If eligible, you will be added to the Wait List.

There is no guarantee, but if funds become available later, a FWS award could be added. You will be notified by the Work Study office if this occurs.

Access & Learn About Your 1098T Tax Form

Are you already receiving financial aid? Don't forget to get a copy of your 1098T tax form. Learn how to access it and more about it.

Contact Us

Hours:
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Summer hours:
Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friday, 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

UNCW's Title IV Institutional Code:
(School Code) 0002984

My Financial Aid Counselor

Active and prospective students, use this listing to identify your financial aid counselor and receive better, more personalized service.
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