The method that a school uses to award financial aid to students is sometimes referred to as the "Packaging Philosophy" of the school. In determining this philosophy, the school determines how it will award funds to students. Although the school does not determine the amount of Pell Grant a student will receive (because the federal government makes that determination based on income), the school does determine the amount of supplemental grant funds, work study, and student loans the student will receive.

The philosophy that WCU uses to award financial aid is based on the belief that students who have the lowest family incomes should receive the greatest amount of grant (free) aid. When awarding financial aid to students, WCU uses any grant funds that the student is eligible to receive as the starting point and then completes the financial aid package with work study, student loans, and parent loans (if needed).

When a student completes the FAFSA, the federal processor determines what amount of money the student and his/her family should be able to contribute to the educational expenses of that student. That determination is made by looking at such items as the amount of money the student and his/her parents make, the amount of savings and investments the family has, and the number of people in the family. This information is used to calculate the expected family contribution (EFC).

The financial aid office takes the calculated EFC and compares it to the cost of attendance (COA) at WCU. The COA includes the amount of money the student will spend for tuition and fees, residence hall room, meal plan, and miscellaneous expenses. To determine the amount of financial need a student has, the school subtracts the effective family contribution from the cost of attendance.

Once the financial need is determined, WCU uses its packaging philosophy to make the financial aid award. It should be noted that some sources of funds are very limited. It is therefore very important to complete the application process as soon as possible so that you may receive funds from all the sources that you would otherwise be eligible for.

Packaging Guidelines

The following guidelines will be used in awarding need-based financial aid at WCU. The numerical order of the listed funds indicates the order in which the funds will be awarded.

1. The Pell Grant is the first fund awarded to all Pell eligible students. The amount of Pell Grant is established by the US Department of Education
2. All undergraduate students who have at least $100 of unmet need once all grants and scholarships are considered will be awarded up to $450 WCU Tuition Grant to compensate for the local tuition component of tuition and fees.
3. All Pell eligible applicants eligible for limited source funds will be awarded supplemental grant funds according to the following scale:

• FSEOG will be awarded first to all eligible recipients. In addition to the FSEOG, a North Carolina Tuition Grant (NCTG) is also available to eligible students based on the above guidelines.
• Maximum grant eligibility will NOT incorporate eligibility from other awarded need-based grants such as AIGP, NCSSIG, NCMIN, or UNC Need-based grant. Merit based scholarships do not effect grant eligibility providing there is no overaward.

4.  Federal work-study will be awarded to all students from the priority group who have indicated on the PDA that they desire work-study. The standard amount awarded will be $1,400. Students may request that the amount of work-study be increased or decreased. Students who are returning to previously held work-study jobs who are not included in the priority group will be awarded work-study at their request. The maximum amount awarded will be $2380 to entering freshmen and $3000 to all other students.
5. Federal Perkins Loan will be awarded, up to the maximum eligibility, as the primary source of loan funds to priority group undergraduate students with an EFC of 3850 or less.
6. Ford Direct Loans will be awarded to grade level maximums as both subsidized and unsubsidized eligibility permits.
7. Direct PLUS will be awarded to all dependent students with an unmet cost of attendance who have indicated on the PDA that the family desires to receive it.

2006/2007

Packaging Philosophy

The packaging philosophy for the 2006/2007 academic year will begin with special consideration of all Pell eligible applicants who have submitted the FAFSA by the preferential filing date of March 31, 2006 and who have submitted all initially requested documents by April 15, 2006. The priority date applies only to continuing WCU students. Neither new nor transfer student have a deadline during their first year of attendance at WCU. Effort will be made to preserve limited funds for the benefit of all first year students. All on-time Pell eligible applicants who meet satisfactory academic progress guidelines will be considered for preferential assistance based on need. For example, all on-time applicants who have an EFC of 0 will be evaluated equally regardless of their academic achievements (providing they meet minimum requirements), race, creed, or religious preference. All students, regardless of priority group must meet the WCU standards of academic progress to be awarded Title IV Financial Aid.

Since campus-based funds (FSEOG, Perkins, NCTGR and FWS) are limited, awards will be made only to full-time students. Students with more than 9 hours will be considered full-time for campus-based funds.

Priority Groups

1. All Pell eligible recipients who have met the preferential filing date (03/31/2006) and who have submitted all requested documents by April 15, 2006.
2. Entering freshmen and new transfer applicants who did not meet the priority filing deadline but have completed folders by May 15, 2006.
3. All Pell eligible recipients who have not met the preferential filing date (continuing students) or the extended deadline (new students) will be considered for campus-based assistance if attending full-time and if funds are still available. These will be reviewed after priority groups 1 and 2 have been awarded.
4. All on-time non-Pell eligible students can be awarded Federal Work-study based on the Packaging Guidelines hierarchy.
5. All applicants that are non-Pell eligible and have not met the preferential filing date will be awarded Federal Direct Stafford Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) to meet full need and cost of attendance as grade level eligibility allows.
6. All dependent applicants who have unmet need or cost of attendance will be awarded Direct PLUS Loan funds at the request of the student/family.