Grants

Awarded to eligible undergraduate students whose parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11 or who are eligible under the PACT Act.

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

• Are not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant on the basis of an expected family contribution; but
• meet the remaining Federal Pell Grant eligibility requirements; and
• student's parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. armed forces and died as a result of military service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after the events of 9/11 or survivors of certain deceased veterans whose VA health care and benefits were expanded under the PACT Act*, and
• student was under 24 years old or enrolled in college at least part-time at the time of the parent's or guardian's death.
• The IASG is initially equal to the amount of a maximum Federal Pell Grant for the academic year, but cannot exceed the cost of attendance. However, as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011, any IASG first disbursed on or after October 1, 2021, and before October 1, 2022, must be reduced by 5.7 percent.

*For students eligible as a result of benefit expansion due to the PACT Act, these students must identify themselves to the Financial Aid Office for IASG eligibility review. If you believe you may qualify for these benefits, please contact the Financial Aid Services Center at 360.650.3470.

Awarded to eligible undergraduate students whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty while serving as a public safety officer.

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

• Student must be Pell-eligible and have a Pell-eligible EFC.
• Student had a parent or guardian die as a result of active service in the line of duty while performing as a public safety officer when the student was less than 24 years old or enrolled at an institution of higher learning at the time of the parent or guardian’s death.

If a student believes they meet the eligibility criteria and can provide supporting documentation, they should complete the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Application form.

Federal Pell Grants are provided to eligible undergraduate students with exceptional financial need, based on the information submitted on the FAFSA.

The amount of Pell Grant that a student is eligible to receive is impacted by the number of financial aid eligible credits for which the student is enrolled and attends each quarter. Pell Grant is enrollment sensitive and is reduced when a student is enrolled less than 12 credits (full-time) per quarter. (Historical reference, the proportion of WWU students who received Federal Pell Grants: 20.5% were Pell Grant recipients for fall 2021, 22.5% for fall 2020 and 23.3% for fall 2019.)

Financial aid eligible credits:

• In general, only credits the student is enrolled in by the locked enrollment date (Pell Grant Recalculation Date), will count toward determining financial aid eligibility.
• Students who are repeating a course for which they previously received a passing grade, may receive funding towards the completion of the course one additional time and have the repeat credits count towards their enrollment status for financial aid eligibility. Additional attempts to repeat the course thereafter will not count towards the fundable enrollment status.
• Only coursework required for degree completion is eligible to be included in Pell Grant fundable enrollment.
• Students must be in a financial aid-eligible academic program – non-matriculated students are not eligible.
• Students who withdraw from courses after the quarterly lock date (the second Friday of the quarter) may be subject to Pell Grant recalculation and a review of their eligibility if their enrollment status changes as a result of this withdrawal.
• Pell Eligibility for Multiple Baccalaureate Degrees: If you are enrolled in more than one baccalaureate degree program (e.g. B.A., B.S., B.F.A.) and are receiving Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, or TEACH Grant, please be aware that once you complete the academic requirements for at least one degree, you will no longer be eligible for federal grant funding. However, you may still be eligible to receive Federal Work Study and Direct Loan, as well as state and institutional funds if eligible, to complete the requirements of your additional degree(s).

Annual & Lifetime Pell Grant Limits

Generally, the federal Pell Grant is offered based on expected full-time enrollment over three quarters of attendance. This is called the ‘scheduled’ Pell Grant. In certain situations, Pell Grant eligible students can receive up to 150% of their scheduled Pell Grant each year. If you are a transfer student, or if you will be enrolling summer quarter at Western, your Pell Grant eligibility may be limited by annual limits. The amount of Pell Grant that may be received over a student’s lifetime is limited by federal law to be equivalent to 6 years of Pell Grant funding.

2024 Summer Pell Grant Eligibility

• Have completed the FAFSA for the current academic year no later than June 30th of the academic year
• Be Pell Grant eligible with remaining lifetime Pell Grant eligibility
  • Students may determine remaining eligibility by logging onto studentaid.gov with their username and FSA Id and then selecting ‘View Details” from the My Aid section of their dashboard. Lifetime Eligibility Units (LEU) can be viewed under ‘View Your Aid’ on clicking on the Grants page
• Be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
• In most cases, there is a requirement to enroll at least half-time in required coursework (6+ credits)
  • If a student was enrolled full-time (12+ credits) and received the full-time Pell Grant amount for fall, winter and spring, the student may only receive Pell Grant if enrolled at least half-time (6+ credits) in required coursework.
  • If a student was enrolled part-time fall, winter, and/or spring, there is no minimum credit requirement to receive a summer Pell Grant (however it may be limited by the EFC threshold).

Important note:

• Pell Grant alone is not enough to cover the full cost of attending classes in the summer.

Based on financial need. Awarded to eligible students who complete the FAFSA by the Priority Filing Deadline. Funding is limited and availability may change each year. .

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

• Eligibility is determined by submitting the FAFSA
• Provided to undergraduate students with the highest need who also receive Federal Pell Grant
• Eligibility requires meeting the FAFSA Priority Filing Deadline for submitting the FAFSA
• Available to students at any enrollment status

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant is a federal financial aid program that provides grants of up to $4,000 a year to students who are completing coursework to begin a career in teaching.

• Students must have a complete FAFSA on file for the academic year they are requesting the TEACH Grant and be admitted and enrolled in the Woodring College of Education as a matriculated undergraduate or graduate student with a certification in a high need field. Post baccalaureate students are ineligible. Students may receive the TEACH Grant for up to the equivalent of 3 full time quarters during any academic year, including summer. To receive TEACH Grant for the summer quarter, a summer financial aid application is required.
• Requirements and general eligibility information about the TEACH grant is are available at studentaid.gov.
• After students have reviewed the requirements and eligibility, if they believe they meet the criteria and are prepared to fulfill the terms of the grant, they may contact the Financial Aid Department to request the TEACH Grant addendum for the applicable academic year.
• The Federal TEACH Grant Addendum must be completed for each academic year that a student would like to utilize the grant; students are also required to complete the Agreement to Serve and the TEACH Grant Counseling annually.
• The TEACH Grant is enrollment sensitive and is required to be reduced based on enrollment status.

• Eligibility is determined by submitting a FAFSA
• Provided to undergraduate students with financial need 
• Eligibility may be impacted by meeting the Priority Filing Deadline for submitting a FAFSA
• Enrollment of half-time or more (six or more credits) per quarter is generally required to be eligible
• May only be applied to regular Western tuition and fees or State Supported Programs
• Cannot be applied to study abroad or online coursework

• Available to undergraduate or graduate students who are active drilling members in good standing of the WA National Guard
• Have completed a FAFSA or WASFA
• Are committed to serving one year in exchange for each year of funding. 
• More information about this state grant program is available on the Washington Student Achievement Council website.

• Eligibility is determined by submitting a FAFSA or WASFA
• This state grant program has been authorized by the WA State Legislature for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 aid year.  Future eligibility is undetermined at this time.
• Provided to undergraduate students whose Median Family Income (MFI) and Family Size are within allowable state thresholds as determined annually by the Washington State Legislature
• Annual maximum is $500 typically divided evenly between the quarters of attendance
• Students receiving the College Bound Scholarship are ineligible to also receive the Bridge Grant within the same quarter
• Enrollment of 3 credits or more per quarter is required to be eligible for this state grant

To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:

• The College Bound Scholarship is available to eligible students who enrolled in middle school and have met the pledge requirements
• Eligibility is determined by submitting a FAFSA or WASFA
• The College Bound Scholarship, combined with the Washington College Grant, covers average tuition at public college rates, some fees, and a small book allowance
• Provided to undergraduate students whose Median Family Income (MFI) and Family Size are within allowable state thresholds as determined annually by the Washington State Legislature
• Students may receive up to 12 quarters of College Bound Scholarship within 5 years of high school graduation
• Enrollment of 3 credits or more per quarter is required to be eligible for this state grant. The College Bound Scholarship is enrollment sensitive and is reduced when a student is enrolled less than full-time (12 credits) per quarter.
• WA College Bound Scholarship eligibility may be reconsidered when courses are added after the lock date.

• Eligibility is determined by submitting a FAFSA or WASFA
• Provided to undergraduate students whose Median Family Income (MFI) and Family Size are within allowable state thresholds as determined annually by the Washington State Legislature.
• Amounts are determined depending on the institution that a student attends based on annual tuition and fees costs.
• Students may receive up to 15 quarters of Washington College Grant, if eligible, in their lifetime.
• Effective beginning with the 2024-2025 aid year, students may receive up to 18 quarters of Washington College Grant, if eligible, in their lifetime.
• Enrollment of 3 credits or more per quarter is required to be eligible for this state grant. Washington College Grant is enrollment sensitive and is reduced when a student is enrolled less than full-time (12 credits) per quarter.
• WA College Grant eligibility may be reconsidered when courses are added after the lock date.
• Students who are receiving one of the three following types of public assistance from the State of Washington may be eligible for Washington College Grant, and would not be required to submit a FAFSA or WASFA. Contact our office if you believe you may be eligible.  The eligible types of assistance are:
  • Aged, blind, or disabled assistance (ABD) benefits
  • Essential needs and housing support program benefits (HEN)
  • Pregnant women assistance (PWA) program financial grants

• A variety of conditional scholarships are available to students who: 
  • Commit to teach at a WA K-12 public common school for a specified amount of time
  • Submit and complete a signed promissory note
  • Repay funding received, plus interest and fees but adjusted for any service completed, if the participant fails to fulfill the teaching service obligation
  • More information about this state grant program is available on the Washington Student Achievement Council website.
  • Current programs available as of fall 2023 are as follows:
    • Educator Retooling Conditional Scholarship
    • Pipeline for Paraeducators Conditional Scholarship
    • Teacher Shortage Conditional Scholarship
    • Alternative Routes Conditional Scholarship
    • Student Teaching Grant