Paying for College at UW Oshkosh
Until now, you might not have had to worry about paying for your education — so it might be a little confusing figuring out the best way to pay for it now that you’re entering college.
Luckily, it’s not as tough as it may seem. We’ve assembled a few fast facts about college finances, particularly as they relate to UW Oshkosh, so you can stay on track and on top of things! (And yes, some of this you should already be doing right now!)
Oh, and before we get started, please note that these are general guidelines and sometimes your circumstances may result in slightly different scenarios. If you have questions about anything, please verify with our financial aid office at (920) 424-3377.
1. You can start filing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) right now! It opened on Oct. 1. The priority date at UW Oshkosh is Dec. 20 — so make sure you submit the FAFSA, and any necessary paperwork, before that date. The FAFSA is probably one of the most common ways students receive aid, so even if you don’t think you’ll receive anything, it doesn’t hurt to fill it out and submit it. There’s no cost!
2. More than 75 percent of UWO students receive financial aid in the form of grants, loans and work study. Certain pools of financial aid money have limited funds, so the Dec. 20 priority date is very helpful to increase your chances of receiving all the aid you’re eligible for. You will have an option to accept/deny aid you are awarded in a financial aid package. Those packages will start being awarded in early 2017 to admitted students who have submitted their $100 deposit.
3. UW Oshkosh has all of its scholarships in a new scholarship database called Academic Works. It’s a very convenient system for applying to and tracking all of your scholarships, even after you start attending school here. You must be admitted to the University to be considered for scholarships, and many of our scholarships have a deadline of Jan. 9, 2017. Check out more info here.
4. High-achieving students have great scholarship opportunities. Students who have excelled in their academics during high school have the opportunity to be considered for two very impressive scholarships: the National Merit Finalist scholarship and the Wisconsin Academic Excellence Scholars scholarship. Visit our scholarship website to see whether or not you qualify for these highly sought-after awards.
5. Scholarships aren’t just for freshmen. We have a ton of scholarships for returning students in Academic Works as well, which is helpful to know for financing the last few years of your degree. Some students stop seeking out scholarships after their freshman year, but there is a lot of helpful money out there just waiting for you to find it. Even a $50 scholarship can be helpful in buying textbooks or supplies.
6. You can work on campus! The UW Oshkosh campus offers an array of on-campus jobs, which are very convenient for college students. Whether you’re assisting with dining service, performing office work, managing a computer lab or leading campus tours, these jobs tend to be more flexible around class schedules and can provide some nice spending money. Some of these jobs require work study, which is awarded to you through the FAFSA (see #1).
7. Some on-campus jobs even pay for your dining and living expenses. If you really want to look for a job that has some good benefits, consider looking into opportunities like being a Community Adviser (CA) in your residence hall, or one of seven Titan Gold Corps (TGC) tour guides. These positions often cover the cost of your housing/dining and provide great leadership experience. They are only open to sophomores and above, but you can apply when you’re a freshman, so keep an eye out for position advertisements when you get to campus!
8. We have a lot of resources to assist nonresident students, too! For example: Minnesota Reciprocity, Midwest Student Exchange Program and Titan National Scholars. These programs help reduce the cost of tuition to make UWO’s exceptional academic programs more accessible.
9. There is financial aid to help with the cost of study abroad. You may not have even started classes yet, but this is very helpful to know and remember! Not everyone is aware that there may be aid available to help cover the cost of your study abroad opportunities. Check out some of the places you might be able to go.
10. Interim is a great way to get the biggest bang for your buck. You pay the same cost whether you’re taking 12-18 credits during the semester — so adding interim, which is a 3-credit class that tags along on its own after the 14-week semester ends, is a great way to increase your credit load in a semester without increasing stress. As long as you’re not going over 18 credits with that interim included, you don’t pay extra for tuition. And your housing/dining is included if you live on campus at no extra charge! Plus, if you take interims every semester for even just your first two years, that’s 12 credits— a value worth an entire SEMESTER of tuition!
11. Wondering how much you’ll be paying? Our Student Accounts website has the current year’s tuition information, as well as some other costs, on this page. Tuition for the upcoming year (e.g. Fall 2017) is usually posted in late summer. Room/board costs are available sooner. Your TitanWeb account is charged in late August or early September, depending on when the school year starts. You can use this year’s numbers as a good estimator of cost!
If you have any questions about financial aid, please contact our financial aid office at financialaid.uwosh.edu.
If you have questions about freshman scholarships, you can contact Justin Stigler at stiglerj@uwosh.edu.
Otherwise, feel free to comment on this post with general questions and we’d be happy to assist!