Financial Aid Office

Apply for an FSA ID
Start your FAFSA now
Priority Deadline: Jan. 1

FAFSA may be filed online or through the mail. However we encourage students to submit the FAFSA online, because it shortens the processing time and eases access to other important financial aid functions, such as signing Master Promissory Notes, completing loan counseling or logging into your Federal Student Aid account.

If a student files the FAFSA online, they must first apply for an FSA ID. The FSA ID is used to electronically sign the application. The online FAFSA cannot be processed until both the student and a parents sign with their FSA IDs.

Filing the FAFSA is a free process when done directly through the U.S. Department of Education. However there are a number of companies that assist with filing FAFSA for a fee (generally around $50). This type of service is legal and viable; but be aware that you can file FAFSA for free on your own.

What’s a Priority Deadline?

The FAFSA priority deadline for UW Oshkosh falls on Jan. 1 each year. Submitting an application before this deadline ensures eligible students the chance to receive certain need-based loans, grants and scholarships that have limited funding. Students may submit their  application after the priority deadline, but the application will only be processed after all priority applicants are reviewed.

After your FAFSA is filed and processed, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Department of Education. SAR summarizes the information you submitted on the FAFSA and also alerts you if there is any incomplete information that must be submitted.

It is important to review SAR carefully — incomplete information will prevent your FAFSA from being processed and not allow UW Oshkosh to award your financial aid package.

• If the SAR indicates your FAFSA information is incomplete, you may mail the corrections to the address listed on the SAR or log into your FAFSA with your FSA ID to make correction online.
• If all of the information on your SAR is correct, you do not need to take any action. The report will list an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) in the upper-right corner, which UW Oshkosh will use to award your financial aid package.

After your FAFSA information is filed and processed, the federal government may randomly select your application for a verification process. If selected, the UW Oshkosh Financial Aid Office will request additional student and/or parent information from you. You will be notified of this verification process via email and/or receive a letter from our office. A notification will also be present on your “To-Do List” on TitanWeb.

Potential information requests include:

• Verification worksheets (dependent or independent)
• Federal tax return transcripts for student/parent
  You also may correct your FAFSA and use the IRS data retrieval tool to transfer your IRS information to your FAFSA
• Copies of student and/or parent W-2 forms
• Additional documentation depending on an individual situation

It is important to provide the requested documents in a timely manner. Once all of the requested information is returned to our office, the counselors will review the documents and follow up if any additional information is needed. Please be patient, as it takes time for our counselors to process the data. After the verification process is complete, the student will be awarded a financial aid package.