Understanding Your 2026-27 Financial Aid Offer: Information for Whitworth Online
We are pleased to offer you a financial aid award for 2026-27
Please note: You can track what has been submitted and what is needed for your financial aid file on Self-Service under Financial Aid Checklist via Pirate Port. Return all requested forms and complete all online processes as soon as possible. Our receipt of these item(s) is necessary before your aid can be disbursed.
Questions? Contact the Whitworth Financial Aid Office at 509.777.3215.
What are my responsibilities as a financial aid recipient?
- Enroll in and maintain the credit load upon which your award is based. Pell Grant recipients risk losing funds if they are not enrolled and do not attend class within the first week of classes in the number of credits for which their Pell Grant was awarded, or if they drop classes for which they are registered.
- Provide all required documents – including those needed for verification – in a timely fashion.
- Inform the financial aid office of all outside or private scholarships, tuition remission, employer tuition benefits and/or private loans related to education benefits for this academic year.
- Check your Whitworth email account on a regular basis.
- Use our financial aid website to review all of your rights and responsibilities as a financial aid recipient.
- Reapply for federal, state and need-based aid by filing the FAFSA.
- Review our consumer information.
Tuition Costs
For your specific program costs, please visit our student accounting services website.
Dropping Classes
If you drop a class, you must notify the financial aid office, since you may be required to return some of your financial aid. If you plan to drop a class that takes place later in the semester, you should drop it while you are still attending your current class. Please review information on our website about https://www.whitworth.edu/cms/administration/financial-aid/satisfactory-academic-progress-requirements/.
Payment Options for Balances Not Covered by Financial Aid
Students may pay all remaining balances at the beginning of each term. Whitworth Student Accounting Services accepts cash, checks and online Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit cards. Please note: A convenience fee (typically 3 percent + $1) will be added to the amounts paid using credit cards. This fee is added at the time the payment is processed. Whitworth also offers a semester payment plan.
Whitworth Student Accounting Services will send information regarding these payment options prior to the beginning of each term. For billing questions, please contact the office at stuaccts@whitworth.edu.
Disbursement of Aid
Aid is typically disbursed directly to a student's Whitworth account during the first week of classes. Eligibility, credit load and completion of the student's financial aid file must be confirmed before funds are transferred. View the current term's disbursement schedule.
Credit Balances
If a credit balance is created after financial aid has been added, Whitworth will determine how the credit should be processed. Depending on the student's preference, we will prepare a check for the balance, make a direct deposit into the student's bank account or leave the credit balance on the account.
Pell Grant for Undergraduates
A student's maximum duration of Pell Grant eligibility is the equivalent of six years at full time. Once a student has received this amount, the Federal Pell Grant is no longer a financial aid resource for that student.
Federal Direct Student Loans
Federal Direct Student Loans include options that are listed on the promissory note. A fee of approximately 1 percent is deducted from the amount of each disbursement. The Federal Direct Student Loan Program requires the completion of two electronic processes: the Loan Agreement for Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan (Electronic Master Promissory Note) and Entrance Loan Counseling. Both processes require the student's federal login and password and can be completed at www.whitworth.edu/loans. Federal Direct Student Loan funds will not transfer to a student's account until entrance loan counseling and a master promissory note have been completed.
The maximum a dependent student can borrow on the Federal Direct Student Loan Program for all years of undergraduate work is $31,000. Independent students can borrow a total of $57,500 for all years of undergraduate studies, with no more than $23,000 in subsidized loans.
There are annual and aggregate maximums for the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, after which it is no longer a financial aid resource for a student. To see the amount you have borrowed, go to www.studentaid.gov.
Federal Direct Loans Interest Rates as of July 1, 2025
- Undergraduates: Subsidized 6.39% | Unsubsidized 6.39%
Other Aid Available
Private Alternative Educational Loans
If you are interested in private alternative educational loans, please visit our loans page. The amount of a private loan plus other aid cannot exceed a student's cost of attendance. Private education loans that do not require school certification are still considered a form of financial assistance and must be included in a student's financial aid award.
Outside Scholarships
Private or outside scholarships may help with your college expenses. Various businesses, clubs and nonprofit corporations sponsor these scholarships, and each has its own deadline and application requirements. To research scholarships, see our financial aid website, or visit the various scholarship-search websites. Also, some employers provide tuition-assistance programs; your human resources office may have more information.