The philosophy that WCU uses to award financial aid is based on the belief that students who have the lowest family incomes should receive the greatest amount of grant (free) aid. When awarding financial aid to students, WCU uses any grant funds that the student is eligible to receive as the starting point and then completes the financial aid package with work study, student loans, and parent loans (if needed).

When a student completes the FAFSA, the federal processor determines what amount of money the student and his/her family should be able to contribute to the educational expenses of that student. That determination is made by looking at such items as the amount of money the student and his/her parents make, the amount of savings and investments the family has, and the number of people in the family. This information is used to calculate the expected family contribution (EFC).

The financial aid office takes the calculated EFC and compares it to the cost of attendance (COA) at WCU. The COA includes the amount of money the student will spend for tuition and fees, residence hall room, meal plan, and miscellaneous expenses. To determine the amount of financial need a student has, the school subtracts the effective family contribution from the cost of attendance.

Once the financial need is determined, WCU uses its packaging philosophy to make the financial aid award. It should be noted that some sources of funds are very limited. It is therefore very important to complete the application process as soon as possible so that you may receive funds from all the sources that you would otherwise be eligible for.

The following guidelines will be used in awarding need-based financial aid at WCU. The numerical order of the listed funds indicates the order in which the funds will be awarded.

1. The Pell Grant is the first fund awarded to all Pell eligible students. The amount of Pell Grant is established by the US Department of Education
2. All undergraduate students who have at least $200 of unmet need once any federal, state, institutional, or private scholarship/grants are considered (exclusive of SEOG and NCTGR) will be awarded a $550 WCU Need Based Grant to hold these students harmless from WCU local tuition.
3. All Pell eligible applicants eligible for limited source funds will be awarded supplemental grant funds according to the following scale:
   
   EFC 0  = $1200
   EFC 1 - 700 = $1000
   EFC 701-1600 = $700
   EFC 1601 - 4041 = $300
   
   FSEOG will be awarded first to all eligible recipients. North Carolina Tuition Grant (NCTG) should be awarded only to NC residents at the same maximum levels as FSEOG.
   
   Maximum grant eligibility will NOT incorporate eligibility from other awarded need-based grants such as AIGP, NCSSIG, NCMIN, or UNC Need-based grant. Merit based scholarships do not effect grant eligibility providing there is no overaward.
   
4. Federal work-study will be awarded to all students from the priority group who have indicated on the PDA that they desire work-study. The standard amount awarded will be $1,800. Students may request that the amount of work-study be increased or decreased. Students who are returning to previously held work-study jobs who are not included in the priority group will be awarded work-study at their request. The maximum amount awarded will be $2380 to entering freshmen and $3000 to all other students.
5. Federal Perkins Loan will be awarded, up to the maximum eligibility, as the primary source of loan funds to priority group undergraduate students with an EFC of 1600 or less. Perkins WILL NO LONGER be awarded to priority group students with an EFC higher than 1600 after all subsidized grade level eligibility has been used for the year up to the lesser of need or the yearly maximum.
6. All full-time undergraduate students with at least $200 of unmet need, after all Pell Grant and NC State grant aid, will be awarded up to $550 of WCU Tuition Grant for the full academic year. Less than full-time undergraduate students will be awarded a maximum of $270 for the full academic year. Full-time graduate students will receive up to $300 in WCU Tuition Grant. Less than full-time graduate students will receive a maximum of $100 for the full academic year
7. Ford Direct Loans/ FFEL will be awarded to grade level maximums as both subsidized and unsubsidized eligibility permits.
8. Direct PLUS/FFEL PLUS will be awarded to all dependent students, or eligible graduate students with an unmet cost of attendance who have indicated on the PDA that the family desires to receive it.

The packaging philosophy for the 2008/2009 academic year will begin with special consideration of all Pell eligible applicants who have submitted the FAFSA by the preferential filing date of March 31, 2008 and who have submitted all initially requested documents by May 15, 2008. The priority date applies only to continuing WCU students. All on-time Pell eligible applicants who meet satisfactory academic progress guidelines will be considered for preferential assistance based on need. For example, all on-time applicants who have an EFC of 0 will be evaluated equally regardless of their academic achievements (providing they meet minimum requirements), race, creed, or religious preference. All students, regardless of priority group must meet the WCU standards of academic progress to be awarded Title IV Financial Aid.

Since campus-based funds (FSEOG, Perkins, NCTGR and FWS) are limited, awards will be made only to full-time students. Students with more than 9 hours will be considered full-time for campus-based funds.

Priority Groups

1. All Pell eligible recipients who have met the preferential filing date (03/31/2008).
2. All Pell eligible recipients who have not met the preferential filing date will be considered for campus-based assistance if attending full-time and if funds are still available.
3. All on-time non-Pell eligible students can be awarded Federal Work-study based on the Packaging Guidelines hierarchy.
4. All applicants that are non-Pell eligible and have not met the preferential filing date will be awarded Federal Direct Stafford Loans/FFEL Stafford Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) to meet full need and cost of attendance as grade level eligibility allows.
5. All dependent applicants, or eligible graduate students who have unmet need or cost of attendance will be awarded Direct PLUS Loan/FFEL PLUS loans funds at the request of the student/family.