Wheaton College Financial Aid

To receive Federal Financial Aid and/or Need-Based Institutional Aid you must:

• have a high school diploma or a GED certificate, or pass a test approved by the U.S. Dept. of Education.
• be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a degree program or eligible certificate program.
• be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• have a valid social security number
• maintain satisfactory progress once in school.

Eligible Non-Citizen:

Generally, if you have a “green card” (in other words, if you are a permanent resident alien) you will be considered an “eligible noncitizen and will be able to apply for federal student aid. Learn about which immigration statuses make you an eligible noncitizen.

You must be one of the following to receive federal financial aid:

• U.S. citizen
• U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swain's Island)
• U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551, or I-551C

If you are not in one of the above categories, you must have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) showing one of the following designations in order to be eligible:

• "Refugee" 
• "Asylum Granted"
• "Indefinite Parole" and/or "Humanitarian Parole"
• "Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending"
• "Conditional Entrant" (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)

If you have only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (I-171 or I-464), you are NOT eligible for federal student aid.

If you are in the United States on an F1 or F2 student visa only, or a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa only, you are NOT eligible for federal student aid. Also, persons with G series visas are not eligible.

Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau are eligible only for Federal Pell Grants, FSEOGs, or Federal Work Study. These applicants should check with Student Financial Services for more information.

Determining Independent Student Status

The following text is taken directly from the Federal Student Aid website.

For the 2025-2026 Award Year, a student is automatically determined to be independent for federal student aid purposes if he or she meets one or more of the following criteria:

• The student was born before January 1, 2002.
• The student is married or separated (but not divorced) as of the date of the application.
• At the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, the student will be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program (such as MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.).
• The student is currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces or is a National Guard or Reserves enlistee called into federal active duty for purposes other than training.
• The student is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
• The student has or will have one or more children who receive more than half of their support from him or her between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
• The student has dependent(s) (other than children or spouse) who live with him or her and who receive more than half of their support from the student, now and through June 30, 2026.
• At any time since the student turned age 13, both of the student’s parents were deceased, or the student was in foster care or was a dependent or ward of the court.
• As determined by a court in the student’s state of legal residence, the student is now, or was upon reaching the age of majority, an emancipated minor (that is, released from control by his or her parent or guardian).
• As determined by a court in the student’s state of legal residence, the student is now, or was upon reaching the age of majority, in legal guardianship.
• On or after July 1, 2024, the student was determined by a high school or school district homeless liaison to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or was self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
• On or after July 1, 2023, the student was determined by the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or was self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
• At any time on or after July 1, 2024, the student was determined by a director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program to be an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or was self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
• The student is determined by the college financial aid administrator to be an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or is self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.

If any of the above situations apply to you, please contact the Student Financial Services (SFS) Office for more information.

If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact Student Financial Services.

Before you apply for financial aid, you should familiarize yourself with the full array of scholarships, loans, and aid which may be available to you. 

Merit-Based Scholarships

Wheaton College offers Academic Scholarships as well as other merit-based awards.

Need-Based Aid

Need-based aid makes college affordable for you, and includes borrowed, given, or earned money that is provided through a variety of sources. It is intended to make up the difference between what your family can afford to pay and what college costs.

Loans

To help pay for your college education, students may borrow through several loan programs.

The 2025-2026 FAFSA will be available on or before December 1 rather than on October 1. The new process is role-based and begins with the student filling out their portion of the FAFSA, including identifying their contributors.

A contributor is anyone who is asked to provide information on a student’s FAFSA including the student, the student’s spouse (if applicable), a biological or adoptive parent, or the spouse of the remarried parent who is on the FAFSA (stepparent.) When it comes time to submit their FAFSA, students will need each contributor’s name, date of birth, SSN, mailing address if they do not have a SSN, and non-shared email address.

Who are the Contributors to the FAFSA?

• The student
• The biological or adopted parent(s). If married and filed a joint tax return in 2023, only one parent is required to be a contributor. If married and filed separately, then each parent must be a Contributor.
• If a student's parents are not married and do not live together, the parent who provides the most financial support will be identified as a Contributor, and if remarried, that parent's spouse as well.

All contributors will need an FSA ID to complete and submit the 2025-2026 FAFSA. Creating them beforehand will streamline the FAFSA completion process. Students will use their FSA ID for:

• Filling out the FAFSA
• Signing a Master Promissory Note (MPN) for those who accept a federal student loan
• Completing loan counseling

The 2025-2026 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the only application required to apply for financial aid.

How to File your FAFSA

You can file the 2025-2026 FAFSA starting December 1 on the Federal Student Aid website. Please note that you will be providing 2023 income tax information.

College Code: 00178100

Right of Appeal

If you receive a financial aid award and feel that the determination of financial need is not sufficient, you may be able to appeal the decision. To initiate such a process, contact Student Financial Services to discuss your situation. Your advisor will determine whether options for additional aid consideration are available. You may be asked to provide supporting documentation. Appeals regarding the determination of financial need must contain new or additional facts not considered at the time need was determined. 

About Financial Aid Offer Estimates

We can process estimated financial aid offers for new undergraduates selected for verification if they have completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and certain other requested items.

An estimated offer may be completed before the following have been received: verification worksheet and W2's for non-tax-filers with income. Our recommended deadline to submit these items is June 1.

If the above requirements are met, we will process an offer estimate. Our goal is to have an estimate to the student in time for the student to make an enrollment decision by the Admission Office’s May 1 deadline.

Steps to Review and Accept Your Financial Aid Offer

Please note: All verification information must be submitted before a final offer can be determined and before any funds can be disbursed. Also, the offer may change depending on the final tax data and other verification information.

1. To view further details and accept your financial aid offer and/or decline any portion you do not wish to accept, please go to the Wheaton Gateway and log in using your NetID and password.

2. Once you have logged in, click on the blue "Financial Aid" capsule on the dashboard, then click on "Financial Aid Dashboard." 

3. This will take you to the Banner Self-Service Financial Aid Home Page. Make sure that 2025-2026 is selected as the Aid Year in the top right corner of the page. Please review this page for any unsatisfied requirements and respond to any questions requested of you from the Financial Aid Office.  

4. On the "Offer" tab, you will be able to view and accept/decline your financial aid, as well as add any private (non-Wheaton College) scholarships that you have been awarded. Make sure to press submit after selecting accept or decline for each type of financial aid you have been offered. 

5. On the "Resources" tab, please carefully review the Terms and Conditions for important disclosures related to your financial aid. 

6. On the "Notifications" tab, you can view any messages that might relate specifically to your financial aid offer, including an explanation of any changes should a revision be made to your offer.

7. If you accept any federal loans, you will need to complete the required Loan Entrance Counseling and Loan Agreement/Master Promissory Note (MPN) at https://studentaid.gov so that your financial aid will disburse after classes begin. You will sign in using your FAFSA FSA ID.

Please note that subsequent notifications regarding any changes to your financial aid status (new requirements, changes to your award, etc.) will not be sent to you through the mail. We will send all correspondence to your Wheaton College email address (i.e., joe.student@my.wheaton.edu). If you have not yet set up your Wheaton College email address, you will need to do so (please refer to the instructions at the link above). If you use another email address as your primary address, you will need to forward your Wheaton College address to your primary address so that you can receive notifications from our office.

You Must Reapply for Financial Aid Each Year

In making every effort to distribute our financial aid funds as equitably as possible, Wheaton reconsiders the needs of the whole student body annually and distributes the available aid on that basis. For this reason, please keep in mind that you must reapply each year in order to continue receiving financial aid. If your financial situation changes from year to year, you may also see your financial aid increase or decrease based on those changes.

2025-2026 FAFSA Application

The 2025-2026 FAFSA form will be available on or before December 1 rather than on October 1 like in prior years. The new process is role-based and begins with the student filling out their portion of the FAFSA, including identifying their contributors.

A contributor is anyone who is asked to provide information on a student’s FAFSA including the student, the student’s spouse (if applicable), a biological or adoptive parent, or the spouse of the remarried parent who is on the FAFSA (stepparent.) When it comes time to submit their FAFSA, students will need each contributor’s name, date of birth, SSN, mailing address if they do not have a SSN, and non-shared email address.

Who are the Contributors to the FAFSA?

• The student
• The biological or adopted parent(s). If married and filed a joint tax return in 2023, only one parent is required to be a contributor. If married and filed separately, then each parent must be a Contributor.
• If a student's parents are not married and do not live together, the parent who provides the most financial support will be identified as a Contributor, and if remarried, that parent's spouse as well.

Steps to Review and Accept Your Financial Aid Offer

Please note: All verification information must be submitted before a final offer can be determined and before any funds can be disbursed. Also, the award may change depending on the final tax data and other verification information.

1. To view further details and accept your financial aid offer and/or decline any portion you do not wish to accept, please go to the Wheaton Gateway and log in using your NetID and password.

2. Once you have logged in, click on the blue "Financial Aid" capsule on the dashboard, then click on "Financial Aid Dashboard." 

3. This will take you to the Banner Self-Service Financial Aid Home Page. Make sure that 2025-2026 is selected as the Aid Year in the top right corner of the page. Please review this page for any unsatisfied requirements and respond to any questions requested of you from the Financial Aid Office.  

4. On the "Offer" tab, you will be able to view and accept/decline your financial aid, as well as add any private (non-Wheaton College) scholarships that you have been awarded. Make sure to press submit after selecting accept or decline for each type of financial aid you have been offered. 

5. On the "Resources" tab, please carefully review the Terms and Conditions for important disclosures related to your financial aid. 

6. On the "Notifications" tab, you can view any messages that might relate specifically to your financial aid offer, including an explanation of any changes should a revision be made to your offer.

Wheaton's School Code for the FAFSA is 001781.

Your financial aid has been offered based on a specific budget that reflects your housing status either as a student living in a dorm or apartment (on or off campus), or as a student living at home with parents. You can determine the housing status that has been used for your offer in the Financial Aid Dashboard under the Terms and Conditions section of the Resources tab. It is your responsibility to inform us if the housing status we have used is incorrect. Any change to your housing status may affect your financial aid eligibility.

1. Log in to the Wheaton Gateway and select Financial Aid and Financial Aid Dashboard.
   
2. Select the "Resources" tab and make sure the appropriate aid year is selected as the Aid Year in the top right corner. Under the Terms and Conditions section, look for "Your financial aid eligibility assumes you will be living at home with your parents." 
   

1. Log into the Wheaton Gateway and select Financial Aid and Financial Aid Dashboard.

2. On the Financial Aid Home page, make sure the appropriate aid year is selected as the Award Year in the top right corner. Under Student Requirements, you will see the statuses of your requirements with instructions or links to complete any unsatisfied requirements.

1. Go to your Financial Aid Dashboard in the Wheaton Gateway. 
   
2. Make sure that the appropriate aid year is selected as the Aid Year on the Financial Aid Home Page. Please review this page for any unsatisfied requirements and respond to any questions requested of you from the Financial Aid Office.
   
3. On the "Offer" tab, you will be able to view and accept/decline your financial aid, as well as add any private (non-Wheaton College) scholarships that you have been awarded. Make sure to press submit after selecting accept or decline for each type of financial aid you have been offered.
4. On the "Resources" tab, please carefully review the Terms and Conditions for important disclosures related to your financial aid. 
5. On the "Notifications" tab, you can view any messages that might relate specifically to your financial aid offer, including an explanation of any changes should a revision be made to your offer.

Remember deadlines! 

If you want to be able to make a timely decision about which college to attend, with financial aid information in hand, we need your information on time. Let your parents know ahead of time that you need their help in submitting the forms.

Keep a copy

Occasionally, paperwork does get lost. If you keep a photocopy of everything that you send to the IRS, the federal processing center, and our office, you will be prepared for anything. 

Use e-mail for questions

Responses to e-mail are often quicker. Our office's address is: sfs@wheaton.edu

Write it all down

If you have a unique or changing financial situation, please send us an email or a letter describing your situation. Although we cannot accommodate every request, we do read these and consider each request independently. 

Respond

Occasionally, we'll need to ask for additional information. If we do ask for something extra, it is because we need it in order to comply with regulations or to clarify some information in your application. Your timely response will ensure that things stay on track.

Follow through

In the end, it is your responsibility to make sure that your financial aid process is complete. We will try to keep you up to date on your progress but you must be the one to get it done.