Financial Aid FAQs
The FAFSA is typically released on October 1 annually. To be considered for state financial aid, you must complete your FAFSA by April 15th.
*The 2025-2026 FAFSA has been delayed and will be released in December 2024.
Once your financial aid has been packaged, you can find it on in the “View/Manage My Financial Aid Information” tile.
If your financial situation has changed since filing your taxes, you can file an appeal.
You do not have to include your parents on your FAFSA if you:
- are married,
- are enrolled in a master’s or doctorate program,
- are currently serving as active duty in the military for purposes other than training,
- are a veteran,
- have dependents other than your spouse,
- were at any point an orphan, ward of the court, or in foster care since turning 13,
- are emancipated,
- are in a legal guardianship,
- are determined to be homeless, or at risk of homelessness.
The following do not count as circumstances that will qualify you for a dependency override:
- Your parents refuse to contribute to your education,
- Your parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification,
- Your parents don’t claim you as a dependent for income tax purposes,
- You demonstrate total self-sufficiency.
If you feel that you have unusual circumstances that should qualify you as an independent student, you can file a Dependency Override Appeal.
You can complete the IU Fort Wayne scholarship application between September 1 and March 15 of the following academic year.
Some scholarships have their own independent deadlines. Complete the application as soon as possible to be considered for the maximum amount of aid.
Some admissions-based scholarships are based on your admissions application date.
You can complete the IU Fort Wayne scholarship application on in the “IU Scholarships” tile. The application opens each year on September 1.
You can find trusted websites to apply for private scholarships on our Non-IU Scholarships page.
You can also look for opportunities through your high school, county, or credit union.
Your financial aid package may not be complete if you have been selected for Title IV verification or are not meeting satisfactory academic progress standards.
Check your To-Do List on to see if you have any outstanding tasks that are preventing your aid from being packaged.
Financial aid doesn’t disburse until after official bursar bills are posted. To see what day your aid will disburse, check the IU Fort Wayne Calendar.
Dropping classes may impact your financial aid. Before dropping a course, contact The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Your cost of attendance (COA) is not the same as your bursar bill.
Your COA is a budget of all costs that you may incur during your upcoming semesters. This includes tuition and fees, books, housing, transportation, and personal expenses. We use this budget to assess the maximum amount of financial aid that you may be eligible for.
You will only be billed for tuition, fees, and housing*.
*If you are not registered to live on campus with PFW housing, you will not receive a housing charge.
If your financial aid exceeds your semester balance, you may receive a refund.*
Refunds are generated on Fridays after aid has been disbursed.
If you have enabled direct deposit, you will receive your refund in 2-3 business days from the time that the refund is processed.
If you have not enabled direct deposit, a paper check will be sent to the home address on file. This can take 2-3 weeks from the time that the refund is processed.
*Awards that specify that they must be used for tuition and fees are not eligible for refund.
You can provide permission for us to speak to people other than you on in the “Set Up Parents or 3rd Party Users (Students)” tile.
You can provide permission to receive the form electronically and access your 1098-T on in the “1098-T” tile. If you do not provide consent, or do not have access to your account, a paper copy will be mailed to you on January 31st.
Parents, guardians, and other individuals must be granted third party access by the student to access the form. Visit the for more information.
Once we receive and deposit scholarship funds from private donors, it typically takes 2 weeks before the award is visible in your financial aid package.
For questions regarding your CVO Grant, contact your IUFW Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at iufw.finaid@iu.edu or by phone at (844) 448-9281.
For questions regarding the GI Bill, or other VA benefits, contact The Office for Veterans & Military Personnel at fwmil@iu.edu or by phone at (317) 278-9163.
Please send scholarship checks to our payment center.
IU Fort Wayne Payment Center
PO Box 6020
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6020