Aid Disbursement & Refunds
- How Financial Aid Is Disbursed: Fall and Spring
- How Financial Aid Is Disbursed: Summer
- Disbursement FAQs
- Refund Process after Financial Aid Disburses
- Withdrawing from Courses
How Financial Aid Is Disbursed
Fall and Spring
- Financial aid is paid based on the semester for which it is offered. For example, if you were offered $2,000 in Pell Grant for fall and $2,000 for spring, the spring portion would not disburse until the spring semester.
- Aid can only disburse if you meet the enrollment requirements for each type of aid. Some aid pays at a prorated amount based on the number of hours a student is enrolled in while other types require half-time or full-time enrollment.
- For Title IV federal aid and WV state aid, courses must be required for your degree to count toward your enrollment requirement for aid disbursement. Courses for elective minors or concentrations (i.e. not required for you to obtain your degree) do not count.
- You must complete all requirements before aid can disburse. See our Checklists webpage and our information about unsatisfied requirements to make sure everything is ready to go!
- If all requirements have been met, most financial aid will disburse as payment to your student account about ten days before the first official day of classes each fall and spring semester.
- Some assistance coming from sources outside of the institution (some state assistance, private scholarships, and third-party sponsorships) may arrive later depending on the provider of those funds.
- If there are any funds remaining after all institutional charges are paid in full, they are refunded to you according to the method you have chosen. See our Refunds webpage for different refund options. Direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way receive your refund!
Summer
- Summer is a little different than fall or spring.
- Financial aid disburses based on the classes a student is attending - not the classes they are enrolled in for the semester.
- Financial aid disburses based on the classes a student is enrolled in for the semester.
- Disbursement of financial aid will occur on the first day of your first course(s) for the summer. Initial disbursement will be based on your overall enrollment at the time of disbursement. For students who have the Federal Pell Grant and federal loans:
- If your first 3 credit hours start on May 13 and your next 3 credit hours start on June 24, both your Pell Grant and loans will disburse on May 13.
- If you have 6 credit hours that all start on June 24, your grant and loans will disburse on June 24.
- Aid can only disburse if you meet the attendance requirements for each type of aid. For example:
- Federal Pell Grant disburses at a prorated amount based on the classes you are attending as they start. If you have been offered 6 credit hours' worth of Pell for summer - and you have 3 hours that start on May 15 and 3 hours that start on June 20 - 3 credit hours' worth of Pell would release as payment on May 15 and the other 3 credit hours' worth would disburse on June 20.
- Federal loans disburse when a student is attending at least half-time An undergraduate taking 6 credit hours in summer has 3 hours that start in May and 3 that start in July. Their loans would not disburse until they start their July class (when they reach at least half-time attendance).
- Be sure to monitor your summer schedule carefully. Adjustments to your schedule at any point during the summer can impact your aid eligibility, which could result in the removal of financial aid – such as the Federal Pell Grant or loans – even if it’s already been disbursed to you. This may require you to pay for courses out of pocket or return money you received as a refund. Summer Pell Grant recipients should also review the information on disbursement and summer enrollment changes on our Summer Federal Pell Grant webpage.
- For federal and most state aid, courses must be required for your degree to count toward your enrollment requirement for aid disbursement. Courses for elective minors or concentrations (i.e. not required for you to obtain your degree) do not count.
- You must complete all requirements before aid can disburse. See our Checklists webpage and our information about unsatisfied requirements to make sure everything is ready to go!
- Some assistance coming from sources outside of the institution (some state assistance, private scholarships, and third-party sponsorships) may arrive later depending on the provider of those funds.
- If there are any funds remaining after all institutional charges are paid in full, they are refunded to you according to the method you have chosen. See our Refunds webpage for different refund options. Direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way receive your refund!
Disbursement FAQs
- My student account does not indicate any or all of the financial aid I am expecting... what should I do?
- I am expecting a refund from WVU for living expenses. When should I expect to receive it?
- I have a student loan. Is there anything I need to do?
- I am expecting money from a private loan. How do I find out if it has been received?
My student account does not indicate any or all of the financial aid I am expecting... what should I do?
First, see our checklist and our information about unsatisfied requirements to make sure everything is ready to go. Second, if an outside agency is paying your charges and they need to be billed, contact the outside agency and make sure they have notified us. If you are expecting a scholarship other than those awarded by WVU, contact the scholarship provider to make sure the check has been sent to the WVU Hub.
I am expecting a refund from WVU for living expenses. When should I expect to receive it?
Assuming all financial aid requirements have been met, students whose financial aid exceeds their institutional charges usually receive a living expense refund during the first week of fall or spring classes if they are signed up for direct deposit. For summer, it depends on when financial aid disburses (which depends on the type of aid and when the student is attending classes). See How Financial Aid Is Disbursed: Summer above for details.
Information on signing up for direct deposit and refunds can be found on our Refunds webpage.
I have a federal student loan. Is there anything I need to do?
Have you signed a loan agreement (master promissory note) electronically? First time federal direct student and parent loan borrowers must complete the promissory note on the Federal Student Aid website.
If you are a first time Direct Loan borrower, have you completed your entrance counseling? Entrance counseling is also required before a Direct Student Loan (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and/or Graduate PLUS) can be disbursed. Entrance counseling can be completed on the Federal Student Aid website.
I am expecting money from a private loan. How do I find out if it has been received?
Private loan funds usually do not disburse to the institution until approximately two weeks after the certification is complete. Please note loans certified well before the start of the semester often do not disburse until closer to the start of the semester.
Once loan funds are received, the refund process will begin if the loan is more than the student's institutional charges.