Financial Aid FAQs

You should start receiving your refund (money left over from financial aid once all Western charges are paid) during the fourth week of the trimester. Disbursements are processed weekly thereafter as students' files are completed.

Once Financial Aid has been posted to your student account, please allow any refund amount up to 10 days (from the date posted to your student account) to be direct deposited or mailed in a check. You cannot pick up your check from the Cashiers Office.

To prevent a possible delay in your disbursement you will want to ensure that you don't have any of the following circumstances:

• If you were awarded grants, federal direct student loans, or federal work-study, you must accept, decline, or reduce the amounts you were awarded. For assistance, please contact Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services.
• If you accepted loans, you must have completed the Entrance Counseling and the Master Promissory Note (MPN). You must also be taking at least six (6) credits.
• You must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards to receive financial aid.
• Some awards, such as a federal direct parent PLUS Loan, may require processing time before funds are available to you. Make sure that you apply for such funds with time to allow processing, or make other arrangements to pay your tuition, fees and/or books.
• A Refund Hold will not allow any funds to disburse. Visit your MyWestern portal to view your holds.

See Charging Books for details.

No. You may only receive financial aid from one school at a time. If you wish to attend more than one school within a trimester, you may be eligible to participate in a “Consortium Agreement” if the classes you are taking will transfer into your program here at Western. Contact Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services for additional information at 608-785-9579 or finaid@westerntc.edu.

Your financial aid award package will be adjusted to include the additional funding. If the additional funding affects your existing award package, we may need to make adjustments, which may require you to owe back funds that have already disbursed. You are responsible for notifying Financial Aid Resources and Planning Services of any outside funding paid directly to you.

If you are considering adjusting your enrollment status (dropping or adding classes), please refer to the 2024-2025 Information (PDF) or the 2025-2026 Information (PDF) for possible impacts to your financial aid award package. You will also want to refer to Satisfactory Academic Progress to maintain eligibility for financial aid.