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Non-Degree Student

General Information

Students considered “non-degree” are those not in a degree-seeking program. They must meet certain criteria to be eligible for limited Federal Direct Loans.

There two categories of non-degree students eligible for federal aid:

  1. Students registered in preparatory coursework. These are necessary prerequisites for admission into a degree-seeking program. Note: These courses cannot be part of the degree program or taken solely increase the student’s overall grade point average.
  2. Students registered for courses required for state teacher certification or recertification. Note: Students receiving the certification from WVU and not the state are not eligible for federal financial aid.

The following non-degree students are not eligible for federal aid as a non-degree student:

  • Students who are provisional admits taking courses which are considered part of degree requirements. These students must meet regular aid requirements for consideration.
  • Students taking courses to increase overall GPA or test scores for admission into a degree-seeking program.
  • Students who received aid as a non-degree student during their allotted consecutive twelve month period.
  • Students receiving certification from WVU in addition to the state certification/recertification.
  • Students receiving teacher certification from the University and not the state.

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Enrollment Requirements

  • Students must be enrolled in preparatory coursework REQUIRED for admission to a regular undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree program OR coursework needed for state teacher certification/recertification.
  • Students must be enrolled at least half-time.
  • Only courses REQUIRED for admission to the degree program or state teacher certification/recertification may be considered when determining enrollment level and student aid eligibility.

Documentation Requirements

  1. Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the aid year they are seeking the loan consideration.
  2. Students can find the appropriate Non-Degree form on StudentForms and view instructions in the How to Submit Your Non-Degree Student Form section below. The student must complete the appropriate form with the WVU academic advisor in which the program of study the student is seeking admission or receiving state teacher certification/recertification. Once the form is completed by the academic advisor, the student must upload the form onto their StudentForms account.
    1. Students who are enrolled in preparatory coursework to meet admission requirements for a specific program of study will be requested to complete the "Non-Degree Prep Coursework - WVU" form via their StudentForms account
    2. Students who are enrolled in courses for state teacher certification/recertification will be requested to complete the "Non-Degree Teacher Certification - WVU" form via their StudentForms account

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How to Access and Submit Your Non-Degree Student Form

The WVU Hub will begin processing and reviewing non-degree student for financial aid for the upcoming aid year starting in late February and forms will be posted to students' StudentForms accounts weekly as new FAFSAs are received.

  1. You (the student) must go to StudentForms (please note that Internet Explorer is not a supported browser)
  2. Enter your login credentials (your WVU username and password - if this is your first time accessing StudentForms, you will need to verify certain information from your FAFSA to link your StudentForms account with your WVU login)
  3. Once logged in, click on the arrow button to the left of the Non-Degree Prep Coursework or Non-Degree Teacher Certification task, and click on the download button to download a fillable copy of the Non-Degree form requested
  4. Complete the form, then save it in a PDF, PNG, BMP, or JPG format
  5. Upload the completed form under the Non-Degree - WVU task, and submit and finish

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Aid Eligibility

  • Aid eligibility is limited to Federal Direct Loans. Amounts vary based on student type. Annual limits can be found on our Federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans webpage.
  • Loan eligibility is limited to a single consecutive 12-month period for students in preparatory coursework. This limitation does not apply to those seeking teacher certification/recertification.
  • Students will be monitored throughout the enrollment period to ensure they remain eligible.

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Other Options to Fund Educational Expenses

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