Financial Aid and Scholarships Office

Financial Aid Programs

The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office at UW-Platteville assists students in financing their educational expenses through state, federal, and institutional programs. The aid available includes: grants, scholarships, loans, and work study. We pride ourselves in providing exceptional service to our students and their families.

To apply for financial aid, students must be degree seeking and enrolled in at least six credits. In some cases, students may be eligible for a Pell Grant if enrolled less than half-time. Students enrolled as non-degree special are not eligible for most aid programs, however they are eligible for regular student employment.

To apply for the programs listed below, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students can apply online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.

Grants

These aid programs are based on financial need and do not require repayment:

  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
  • Wisconsin Grant (undergraduate students who are Wisconsin residents)
  • Talent Incentive Program Grant (undergraduate students who are Wisconsin residents)
  • Lawton Undergraduate Minority Retention Grant (undergraduate students who are Wisconsin residents)
  • Advanced Opportunity Grant (graduate students who are Wisconsin residents)

Loans

The Federal Direct Loan program has several types of loans available. Loans require repayment, but payments for most loans are deferred until after graduation:

  • Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
  • Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan (not need-based and interest is not deferred)
  • Federal Direct Parent Plus Loan (a loan for parents to take out for dependent students; not need-based; request for deferred repayment is available; credit check is required)
  • Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loan (graduate students only; not need-based; request for deferred repayment is available; credit check is required)

Campus Employment

Students may work on campus to help with expenses.

  • Federal Work Study Program (need-based)
  • Regular student payroll (not need based)1
1

FAFSA is not required

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal financial aid regulations require that UW-Platteville establish reasonable standards for measuring student’s satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in their educational programs. This policy is separate from the University’s Standards of Academic Probation and Suspension. A student may be in good standing with the University but still have their financial aid suspended. However if a student is dismissed from the University for any reason their financial aid eligibility is suspended.

SAP consists of two components of measurement: Quantitative and Qualitative. A student’s SAP status is reviewed following every term.

SAP Quantitative Measure (Pace)

The quantitative measurement ensures students are earning credits toward their degree and limits the maximum timeframe in which they must complete their program. All credits are counted in timeframe, even those for which the student did not receive financial aid. 

Pace

Students must demonstrate measurable progress toward earning a degree by successfully completing at least 66.67% of all attempted credits. While pace is measured at the end of each semester, it is a cumulative calculation.

  • Pace is equal to the Total Number of Completed Credits / Total Number of Credits Attempted
    Example: 90 credit hours completed / 110 credit hours attempted = 82%

Timeframe

The maximum amount of credits a student may attempt toward their degree cannot exceed 150% of the credits required for their program.

  • Students pursuing an Associate Degree program must complete their program within 90 credit hours to retain financial aid eligibility.
  • Students pursuing a Baccalaureate Degree program must complete their program within 180 credit hours to retain financial aid eligibility.

Students who approach 120% of their maximum timeframe will receive a warning notification from the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office advising them of their status and remaining eligibility.

SAP Qualitative Measure (GPA)

The qualitative measurement ensures students have a cumulative GPA that will allow graduation.

Cumulative GPA

Financial aid recipients are required to demonstrate progress toward degree completion by earning a cumulative grade point average (GPA) as indicated below. 

The GPA requirements for SAP are:

  • Undergraduate Freshmen (0-29 credits): 1.80
  • All other Undergraduate Students (30+ credits): 2.00
  • All Graduate Students: 3.00

Definitions and Notes

  • Attempted Credits:
    • Fall and Spring semesters: Attempted credits include enrollment as of the tenth day of classes. If a student withdraws on or prior to the tenth day of classes, attempted credits are determined as of the day of disbursement.
    • Summer: All credits enrolled in at the end of the the last day to drop without a "w" are considered attempted credits.
  • Transfer Credits: Transfer credits accepted toward the student’s program are counted as both credits attempted and credits completed for each of the 66.67% pace and timeframe totals.
  • Remedial Credits: Included in both the 66.67% pace and timeframe totals.
  • Repeated Coursework, Incomplete Courses, and Withdrawals: All repeated, incomplete, and withdrawn courses and their grades are counted in both the 66.67% pace and timeframe totals.
  • Consortium Credits: Credits taken as consortium courses are counted as attempted credits in both the 66.67% pace and timeframe totals. The credits do not count as successfully completed credits until an official transcript is received by the Registrar’s Office and the grades are entered on the student’s academic transcript.
  • Changing Majors: All attempted and completed credits are counted in both the 66.67% pace and timeframe totals. Students who change majors are at risk of exceeding timeframe before obtaining a degree. In some cases this may be appealed.
  • Study Abroad Credits: Credits taken as study abroad courses are counted as attempted credits in both the 66.67% pace and timeframe totals. The credits do not count as successfully completed credits until an official transcript is received by the Registrar’s Office and the grades are entered on the student’s academic transcript.
  • Withdrawals (W): Courses dropped after the add/drop period for which the student receives a “W” grade are not included in the cumulative GPA.  If a student does not officially withdraw from a course and receives an “F” grade it is included in the cumulative GPA.
  • Incompletes (I) or Not Reported (NR):  Courses in which a student currently has an Incomplete or Not Reported grade are not be included in the cumulative GPA. Once a letter grade (A, B, C, D, and F) is assigned, it will be factored into the GPA determination the next time SAP is evaluated.
  • Repeated courses: For courses repeated, only the most recent grade is included in the cumulative GPA.
  • Remedial courses: Non-credit (NC) remedial courses are not included in the cumulative GPA. However, if this causes a student to not meet SAP, they can appeal by demonstrating successful completion of these courses.

Financial Aid Warning Status

A student who enrolls, and then does not meet the requirements for making satisfactory academic progress, will be placed on Financial Aid Warning status for the subsequent semester. A student on Financial Aid Warning may continue to receive financial aid for that one semester. At the completion of one semester on Financial Aid Warning, if the student meets the requirements for satisfactory academic progress, they will be returned to Good Standing. If they do not meet the requirements, they will be placed in an Ineligible Status.

Ineligible Status

If a student does not meet the requirements for academic progress after one semester of Financial Aid Warning, the student is placed in an Ineligible Status. Students are not eligible for financial aid while in an Ineligible Status. In order to regain eligibility, the student must either meet the requirements for academic progress, (i.e., attempt and complete enough credits to be meeting the pace requirement), or successfully appeal and be placed on Financial Aid Probation.

Financial Aid Probation Status

Students may be placed on Financial Aid Probation for one semester with an approved appeal. A student on Financial Aid Probation may continue to receive financial aid for that one semester. At the completion of one semester on Financial Aid Probation, the student must either meet the requirements for satisfactory academic progress again, or be placed back into Ineligible Status.

Appeals

Students may appeal their Academic Progress status by documenting the following:

  • Part A: Extenuating circumstance(s) which prevented the student from meeting the academic progress standards. The extenuating circumstance(s) must be non-academic in nature. Examples of extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to:
    • Work-related issues
    • Medical conditions
    • Death of a loved one
    • Family circumstances
    • Military Services
    • Loss of residence (evictions, natural disasters, etc)
  • Part B: Information regarding what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow SAP to be demonstrated at the next evaluation.

An appeal may be approved only if it is reasonable to assume the student is able to make SAP standards after the subsequent semester. If a student cannot make SAP after one subsequent semester, a student must have an approved appeal and, in addition, have an Academic Plan completed. The appeal policy permits no more than one appeal for the same non-academic circumstance. To be eligible for aid, complete appeals must be turned in prior to the end of the semester the student would like to receive aid.

If a student is placed in an Ineligible status they will receive an email with instructions how to appeal, with a link to the electronic form. Completed appeals are submitted electronically and routed to a Financial Aid Advisor. The student will be notified of the appeal decision in writing. If the appeal is denied, further appeal may be made to the Financial Aid Director.

If the appeal is denied, a student may continue enrollment without the use of Financial Aid funding.  If a student would like the denial re-reviewed or has additional information or documentation for the appeal, the denial notification will specify what action is needed.  A second request to re-review the appeal must be petitioned to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee or the Financial Aid Director, depending on who most recently denied the appeal.  A personal interview may be scheduled.

Academic Plans

If the student has an approved appeal and is unable to meet SAP by the end of the subsequent semester, an academic plan may be developed. Academic plans are developed on a student-by-student basis and are designed in a way that, if followed, the student will be meeting academic progress standards by a specified point in time.

A student following an Academic Plan may continue to receive financial aid as long as the student is meeting the requirements in the plan. Students must be enrolled in the exact amount of credits indicated on the Academic Plan in order for aid to disburse. Academic plans will be monitored at the end of each semester. Subsequent financial aid disbursements will not be released until the status is verified. If the student does not meet the objectives set in the plan, the student will return to an Ineligible Status. In order to revise an Academic Plan, the student is required to meet with a Financial Aid Advisor.

Regaining Eligibility

A student can re-establish eligibility for financial aid only by taking action that brings them back into compliance with the qualitative and quantitative components of the SAP standard. Some options of re-establishing eligibility is as follows:

  • Enrollment without the use of federal and state funds until qualitative and/or quantitative measurements are met. Funding options may include personal funds or a private student loan.
  • A student may also take credits outside of UW-Platteville and transfer them back to UW-Platteville possibly increasing SAP eligibility components. It is highly recommended that a student confirm with their academic advisor that credits taken outside of UW-Platteville apply to degree requirements.
  • Successfully completing courses that are currently “Incomplete”

A student’s SAP status is reviewed and updated at the end of each semester. While a student may regain eligibility for financial aid, most financial aid programs do have lifetime aggregate limits or lifetime maximum amounts. All other rules and regulations governing Federal and State financial aid programs still apply.

Repeated Coursework

A student may only receive aid once for a previously passed course. A student may repeat a class until it is passed and receive financial aid. However, the student must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements.

Withdrawal and Eligibility

Return of Unearned Financial Aid

The Department of Education provides funding to students to make progress toward a degree. Students who cease attendance (official withdrawal, unofficial withdrawal, or academic dismissal) may need to repay a portion of the funds received. The amount of aid required to repay is in direct proportion to the length of time they remained enrolled during the semester. 

Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following formula:

Percent of Aid Earned = (Number of Days Completed prior to Withdrawal) / (Total Number of Days in the Semester - 'Break' Days)

There are two types of withdrawals: official withdrawals and unofficial withdrawals.

Official Withdrawal occurs when a student drops all classes or notifies a university official of their intent to withdraw. The date of withdrawal is the day the university is notified of the student's intent to withdraw and is determined by the Registrar's Office.

Unofficial Withdrawal occurs when a student receives all non-passing grades (XF, F, W and/or I) for the term or the student has a 0.0 GPA for the term. The date of withdrawal is the student's last date of attendance. If the last date of attendance cannot be determined, the withdrawal date used is the calendar midpoint of the semester.

Scholarships

The UW-Platteville Scholarship Program includes over 600 scholarships. The goal of the scholarship program is to provide scholarships to as many students as possible.

More information and the general application form is available at https://www.uwplatt.edu/department/financial-aid-scholarships/scholarships

Scholarships are awarded based upon a variety of criteria including academic achievement, community involvement, extracurricular activities and autobiographical essay. Some scholarships require that a student has financial need. If a student receives a scholarship, it will be considered a resource, and this may affect the amount of other aid the student receives. The specific eligibility criteria are generally listed with each scholarship.

First Year Students 

Students who apply and are accepted for admission at UW-Platteville are eligible to apply for scholarships provided through the UW-Platteville Foundation. Scholarship information will be mailed to the student after they are admitted. To ensure receiving the scholarship information, a student should apply for admission by Dec. 1 of the year prior to attendance. The completed scholarship applications must be submitted by Feb. 1. Committees will meet to make the selections, and students will be notified as soon as possible, generally in March. To be a recipient a student must be enrolled as a full-time student, taking 12 or more credits. 

Continuing and Transfer Students 

Scholarships are available to continuing students at UW-Platteville. Transfer students may apply, but scholarships are limited. Scholarship applications for both continuing and transfer students must be submitted by March 1 for the scholarships to be awarded for the next academic year. 

Other Scholarships

Information regarding other scholarship resources, not related to the UW-Platteville Foundation, may be available in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Applications for these national, regional or major-specific scholarships are usually available.

The amount and number of scholarships are subject to change and vary from year to year.