Step 2: After the FAFSA
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Once the FAFSA is submitted, the student should receive an email confirmation from the U.S. Department of Education. While you may receive estimated award information from the FAFSA submission, this is not an actual award; it is for informational purposes only. You can log into the FAFSA website to review your FAFSA for accuracy.
Every FAFSA with UW-Whitewater's school code (003926) will be sent electronically to the Financial Aid Office. We will not load this information for students not admitted to Whitewater. All other students will receive an email confirmation that we have received the FAFSA.
Rejected FAFSAs
In some situations, the FAFSA will be in a "rejected" status. In most cases, this does NOT mean the student is ineligible for aid. Usually a FAFSA will be rejected because there is missing or incomplete information. The most common missing information is a missing signature. Students with a "rejected" FAFSA will be notified by the Department of Education and the Financial Aid Office. Corrections can be made online at fafsa.gov.
Documentation and Verification
Many of our students will be required to submit additional documentation depending on the specific data on the FAFSA. For example, we could request proof of citizenship or a copy of a birth certificate to confirm certain FAFSA data.
Or, we might request a tax transcript because the student was selected for Verification. All required documents will appear on the To Do List on WINS. New freshmen and transfer students should already have a letter from the Admissions Office with instructions on logging into WINS. New students will also receive a letter requesting their documents and continuing students will receive an email to their Whitewater email account.
Submit documents in a timely manner! Financial aid will not be awarded until ALL required information is received.