UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

No. You may submit your FAFSA before you are admitted to UWRF, however your financial aid eligibility at UWRF will be processed after you are an admitted student.

If you would like to get an early estimate of your financial aid eligibility, explore our Net Price Calculator. Remember, this is purely an estimate, and your real financial aid awards may differ from your results.

Your FAFSA is not automatically transferred from your last school. You will need to update your FAFSA with our school code (003923) and resubmit your FAFSA.

Transfers students need to submit their high school transcript showing their date of graduation to the Admissions office before any financial aid will be applied to their bill. Please contact us with any questions, finaid@uwrf.edu or 715-425-3141.

Most financial aid requires you be enrolled at least half-time, however the amount you are eligible to receive may change if you are enrolled less than full-time. Please contact finaid@uwrf.edu if you plan to enroll less than full-time or drop classes.

Yes. We recommend completing a FAFSA as there are many sources of non-need based aid, such as Federal Unsubsidized Student Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, MN Self Loans and private loans, and some scholarships or grants, but they usually require a FAFSA.

You must accept your financial aid before it can be disbursed to your billing account. Please see our website for instructions on viewing and accepting your aid.

If you accept a federal student loan and have never used one before at UWRF, there are two additional loan processing steps for first time borrowers. These steps are also outlined in the instructions on viewing and accepting your aid.

All accepted financial aid starts applying to billing accounts a week before the semester if there are no outstanding items on your eSIS To Do List and you are enrolled full-time.

You will also need to turn in your Final High School Transcript showing your date of graduation to Admissions. This MUST be done before aid will be applied to your billing account. This will become a To Do List item if not turned in by the start of the semester.

Watch your Billing Statement in eSIS, when aid is applied, it will show as a payment. If it has not disbursed and you have questions – please contact us,finaid@uwrf.edu.

Most financial aid is awarded for the full academic year, meaning half will be for the fall term. The remaining half is reserved and applied to the spring term.

Submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at www.fafsa.gov or www.studentaid.gov. Contact finaid@uwrf.edu for assistance.

Submit scholarship applications: UWRF scholarships are open for application a year in advance of when they are received; external scholarship applications are year-round and determined by the scholarship. Contact scholarships@uwrf.edu for assistance.

Yes! Apply every fall for the following academic year.

If you have already filled out the FAFSA for the semester/year you plan to attend UWRF, you do not need to submit a new form, however, you DO need to log into your existing FAFSA form and add UWRF as a school on your FAFSA to be awarded financial aid at UWRF. Our federal school code is 003923.

Transfers students will need to submit their high school transcript showing their date of graduation to the Admissions office before any financial aid will be applied to their bill. Please contact us with any questions, finaid@uwrf.edu or 715-425-3141.

Scholarships for the following year open in the fall and close early February, however deadlines vary; refer to the scholarship website for exact deadlines and details. Please visit UWRF Scholarships for more information.

There is no deadline to complete the FAFSA ahead of the academic year. Students should complete the form by the end of May to be sure aid is available by the start of the fall term.

On the 2024-25 FAFSA form, every contributor (anyone who's required to provide information on your FAFSA, you, your spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or your parent's spouse) needs an FSA ID (StudentAid.gov account) to complete their section of the FAFSA. Find out what information is needed for the FAFSA before you start at StudentAid.gov.

Federal Loans are available to degree seeking students enrolled at least half-time. Students apply by completing the FAFSA. Find more information at our Loans page.

The Parent PLUS Loan is a Federal loan the student’s parent borrows for their dependent undergraduate student. A completed FAFSA is required to borrow the PLUS loan. For more information please see the Parent PLUS Process.

Also called Alternative or Personal loans, these loans are available to students regardless of financial need and to help with educational costs not met through federal and state financial aid. Please see our Personal Loans page for more information.

We have resources on our website to help you find additional loan options as a student borrower and as a parent borrower.

It is not necessary to apply for additional loans before July. You can wait until you receive your bill for the fall term before applying for additional loans. Be sure to double what is needed for fall if you are planning to apply for a loan to cover both fall and spring semesters. Please allow two to three weeks for funds to arrive at the school.

In your eSIS student portal, click "View Financial Aid" and the corresponding financial aid year. If no aid is listed, check your eSIS To-Do List or contact finaid@uwrf.edu with questions.

No. Financial aid offer letters include accurate information on the amount of financial aid you are eligible to receive, but the charges listed are estimates and will change. The financial aid offer letter does not account for athletic charges, study abroad, and non-segregated fees.

Scholarships are available to apply for through UWRF and external sources. Ask organizations or companies in your community if they offer scholarships! Check out our information on external scholarship sources and contact scholarships@uwrf.edu with any questions on applying for UWRF scholarships.

Sholarships for the following year open in the fall and close early February, however deadlines vary; refer to the scholarship website for exact deadlines and details. Please visit UWRF Scholarships for more information.

External scholarships are available throughout the year – as you search for scholarships make note of deadlines!

Federal regulations require that we consider all outside resources you may receive to finance your education. Your federal and state financial aid eligibility may change if you receive any outside scholarships, grants, DVR assistance, etc. Promptly notify us of any such outside resources so any necessary adjustments can be made to your award as soon as possible. If you are a UW-River Falls student who has received an outside scholarship, you are required to report that scholarship using the Outside Resource Notification Form. You will need to login with your Falcon ID (W# and password) to fill out the form.

Work study is a type of financial aid awarded based on your FAFSA.  It is the opportunity to work in an on-campus job and earn a paycheck every two weeks based on the hours worked.

You will receive a paycheck through direct deposit every two weeks for hours you work. Work study does NOT get deducted from your billing account.

Apply for jobs using Handshake through the UWRF Career Services office. New students can begin using Handshake 24 hours after registering for classes. Unsure if you are work study eligible? Contact finaid@uwrf.edu.

Yes! There are two types of student employment: Work Study and Student Assistance. Review job postings on Handshake carefully to be sure you apply to jobs that do not require work study. Please review our Student Employment page for more information.