Financial Aid

Students and all contributors (student’s spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or parent's spouse) must have a StudentAid.gov account, known as an FSA ID, to complete and sign the online FAFSA form.  When you create your account, be careful to enter your name and Social Security number (SSN) exactly as they appear on your Social Security card. Once the Social Security Administration verifies your information in one to three days, you will be able to use your FSA ID.   

All parent and spouse contributors without an SSN can now create a StudentAid.gov account using the Department of Education's newly developed system to validate their identity against credit bureau data. Users without an SSN will be verified immediately if their data aligns. 

Each FSA ID must have a unique email address. (You and your parent cannot use the same email address.)

The FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) will transfer contributors' federal tax information from the IRS directly into the FAFSA form after consent and approval are given.

Even if contributors don't have an SSN, didn't file taxes, or filed taxes outside of the U.S., they will still need to provide consent and approval.

IMPORTANT: If a required contributor doesn't provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred into the FAFSA form, you (the student) will not be eligible for federal student aid—even if the contributor manually enters tax information into the FAFSA form. Note: Being a contributor on the FAFSA form does not imply financial responsibility.

To ensure the information is secure, the federal tax information won't display on the FAFSA site or the FAFSA Submission Summary.

There are several instances where the FAFSA will allow you to self-report income if federal tax information cannot be accurately transferred through the Direct Data Exchange (DDX). Examples of when self-reporting is necessary:

• Individuals who were married and filed jointly with the IRS in the prior-prior tax year and are no longer married to that spouse, or who have married a different spouse
• Individuals with foreign income or who only file foreign tax returns, as the IRS does not link to foreign tax authorities. They will instead need to manually input their income and tax data by converting foreign currency to U.S. dollars and entering the resulting amounts in the comparable fields from U.S. tax returns, such as adjusted gross income, income tax paid, and any untaxed income.
• The contributor is a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft
• The contributor indicates on the online FAFSA that they have not filed a tax return but plan to.

While manually entering tax information into the FAFSA is allowable in these and several other situations, consent must still be provided.

Merit Scholarships
Merit-based scholarships and grants are awarded based on high school or college academic achievement. All students are automatically considered for merit aid during the admissions process. See Merit Scholarships.

International Students
International Students are eligible for the same merit scholarships as domestic students. See Merit Scholarships.

Sibling Discount
A $1,000/year discount is available to each sibling when a family has more than one full-time undergraduate child attending Western New England University. Please notify the Financial Aid Office each year.

Need-Based Western New England University Aid
Western New England University scholarships and grants, which are based on financial need, are awarded annually. All students are automatically considered for these when they apply for financial aid.

Federal Pell Grants
Federal Pell Grants are awarded to undergraduate students demonstrating financial need.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants are awarded to a limited number of undergraduate students with extreme financial need. These grants range from $200 to $4,000 each year.

State Scholarships
Several states award scholarships and grants that can assist undergraduate students attending Western New England University. These states include Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Information about the programs is provided annually by each state.

Federal Work Study
Federal Work Study is awarded to students demonstrating financial need. Students who secure a work-study position receive a bi-weekly paycheck based on the number of hours worked. Funds are paid directly to the student and are not applied to their student account.

Federal Direct Student Loans
There are two types of Federal Direct Loans for undergraduate students: Subsidized and Unsubsidized. Eligibility for a subsidized loan is based on financial need, as determined by the FAFSA. The interest that accrues during periods of enrollment for a subsidized loan is paid by the federal government. If a student does not qualify for a need-based subsidized loan, they automatically qualify for the same loan limit through the unsubsidized loan. The interest that accrues during periods of enrollment for an unsubsidized loan is added to the principal. The subsidized loan limits are $3,500 per year for freshmen, $4,500 per year for sophomores, and $5,500 per year for juniors and seniors. All students can opt to borrow up to $2,000 as an unsubsidized loan in addition to the initial need-based award. The total aggregate loan amount that undergraduates may borrow is $31,000. The interest rate for both the subsidized and unsubsidized loans are determined by July 1 for the upcoming school year by the federal government. The current interest rate is 6.53%. Please note, there is an approximately 1% origination fee that the government withholds upon each loan disbursement.