Financial Aid

• Grants
• Loans
• Scholarships
• Tuition waivers
• Work study

Tax credits may be helpful in affording your education.

Complete the FAFSA or WASFA every year as soon as possible for the next academic year. You need to fill out the FAFSA or WASFA to be eligible for grants, loans or work study.

New students: Apply for admission and you can apply for financial aid at the same time.

All students: Apply for scholarships. Scholarships are a great way to pay for school. Most applications are due in February or March for the following year.

Submit your FAFSA at least 3-5 business days before the priority deadline of April 1 to allow for processing by the U.S. Department of Education.

Graduate students have a few more steps in order to get financial aid and each degree has some varying costs, see costs and aid for MiT, MES and MPA.

Once Evergreen receives your FAFSA, we will review your information to determine eligibility. We will contact you if we need any additional information.

We will notify you by email when you have an award. We will send you instructions on how to accept your financial aid and get started on the next steps of your academic journey. 

The Evergreen State College Financial Aid Office has policies and procedures concerning Terms and Conditions, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for both graduate and undergraduate students, the 10th Day Lock Procedure, and Return of Funds.

If you need help in understanding your enrollment status and class standing as it pertains to your financial aid package, please contact our office.

Terms and Conditions

Financial Aid Terms and Conditions (PDF)

In order to receive financial aid at Evergreen you must accept the terms and conditions through your my.evegreen.edu account. Accepting these terms and conditions does not mean you are accepting all of the awards offered to you.  If you are having trouble locating the terms and conditions through your my.evergreen.edu account, please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policies

Undergraduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (PDF)

The Office of Financial Aid is required by state and federal regulations to monitor the academic progress of every student receiving financial aid to ensure that the students are making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward their degree.

A student who is not achieving this goal (according to the student's entire academic history at Evergreen) is not eligible to receive financial aid.

Here is a form you need to provide with your letter for resolving a SAP problem: 
SAP Petition Cover Sheet (PDF)

In the case of graduate students, the Financial Aid Office at Evergreen will follow the same eligibility criteria as defined in the course catalogs for each of the advanced programs.

10th Day Lock Procedure

On the 10th day of each quarter the Financial Aid Office will “lock” your enrollment status. If you are not registered for full time, this will prevent your financial aid to pay into your student account. We will change your budget to reflect attending less than full time and possibly revise some, all or none of your financial aid. (Each award has specific guidelines) We will then release your financial aid into your student account.

If you are registered for full time and receive excess funds, then decide not to attend full time between the 1st and 10th day, you may owe some of your excess funds back if we need to make revisions. Please contact our office for more details.

If you are not registered by the 10th day your financial aid is in jeopardy of being canceled for the quarter. You will need to write us a letter of explanation as to why you were unable to get registered on time. If it is an institutional error, please indicate this, otherwise we cannot guarantee you will be eligible to receive your full financial aid award for that quarter. Please contact our office for more information.

To let us know about changes to your enrollment please fill out and hand in a Change of Information Form (PDF).

Return of Title IV Funds Policy

If a student fully withdraws from The Evergreen State College and is a financial aid recipient, then the school and/or the student may be required to return some of the federal funds awarded to the student.

If the student received aid from the Institution and/or the State of Washington, then a portion of the refund may be returned to the funding source from which it was received.

Return of Funds Policy in Printable Form (PDF)

Q: When do I file my FAFSA?
A: The FAFSA is made available to students each year on December 31. Evergreen's filing priority deadline is April 1.

Q: I am not living with my parents and they do not support me. Am I independent?
A: If you have answered no to all of the questions relating to dependency on the FAFSA, you will be considered dependent. If you have a special circumstance, contact our office for more information.

Q: What if I didn't file my taxes?
A: If you are not required to file taxes, you may indicate "not going to file" on your FAFSA. If you are selected for verification, there is a box on the verification worksheet you can check that says you are not going to file. If you are required to file, please do so and update your information with the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible.

Q: What is the IRS Data Retrieval Tool?
A: The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is an option on the FAFSA for you to upload your tax information directly from the IRS.

Q: How do I apply for financial aid at Evergreen?
A: You can apply by going to www.fafsa.gov. Make sure to include Evergreen's school code: 008155. Apply for Admissions at Evergreen at the same time.

Q: How do I apply for grants?
A: When you fill out the FAFSA and once your application is complete, we will determine eligibility for any need-based grants.

Q: How do I apply for other scholarships?
A: Evergreen scholarship applications are due every year by April 1. Please visit the scholarship page. You may also look to your community for outside scholarships.

Q: How do I apply for work study?
A: When you fill out the FAFSA, indicate if you are interested in work study. When we process your application, we will determine eligibility for work study.

Q: What types of financial aid does Evergreen offer?
A: Evergreen offers grants, work study and loans. 

Q: Can I get financial aid in the summer?
A: Financial aid is offered during the summer to select students who complete the summer interest form that have leftover loan eligibility.

Q: How do I accept my financial aid award?
A: There are many steps to accept your award. Visit Accept Financial Aid Funds Page.

Q: I plan to use my AmeriCorps award, but don't know how to get that started. Can you help me?
A: For information on how to use AmeriCorps, visit AmeriCorps.

Q: I've gone to My Evergreen to accept my award, but it won't let me. Why is it doing this?
A: If you have completed all of the steps on How to Accept Financial Aid Funds, contact the Financial Aid Office for help.

Q: I have been awarded a scholarship that is not an Evergreen scholarship. What do I do next?
A: If you have received an outside scholarship, let us know as soon as you can, as it may affect your financial aid award. Contact the office for more information.

Q: How does financial aid pay for tuition?
A: Your financial aid is split between quarters. If you are registered for the right amount of credits and all other eligibility requirements have been met, your financial aid will automatically pay into your student account and pay tuition before classes start.

Q: How does financial aid pay for housing?
A: After tuition has been paid and if you have financial aid left over, it will automatically pay for on-campus housing. If you live off campus and have excess funds after tuition is paid you, will be issued a refund to help pay for your rent.

Q: How does financial aid pay for books?
A: If you are interested in purchasing your books from the campus bookstore, you may use your refund after the first class day to pay for books.

Q: When do I get my refund?
A: Refunds are issued on the first day of class. 

Q: Can I get my refund before classes start?
A: Unfortunately no. You will have to wait until the first class day. If you are a Master in Teaching graduate program student or studying abroad, contact our office to see if you are eligible to receive your refund early.

Q: What if I don't want to accept my entire loan?
A: You may accept a part of your loan by filling out a Direct Loan Request Form and submitting it to our office.

Q: Can I get my financial aid transferred to Evergreen from another school?
A: Your financial aid cannot be transferred directly between schools. You must add the school code to your FAFSA for the school you wish to attend. Accept the financial aid for the school you are attending and cancel/decline for any other schools. Contact our office for more information.

Q: How do I take a leave of absence?
A: Contact the Financial Aid Office and the Registration and Records Office to inform them of when you will be on leave and when you think you might return.

Q: I didn't earn full credits for one of the quarters. Can I still get financial aid?
A: Please read the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy above in the policies section to find out if your aid is in jeopardy.

Q: I am graduating. What do I need to do with your office?
A: All graduating students need to complete Loan Exit Counseling.

Q: How many credits do I need to be registered for to receive financial aid?
A: For an undergraduate student, your award is based on attending at least 12 credits. If you would like to take less, please contact our office for more information.

Any student that needs funds before the receipt of their refund can request an emergency grant or loan.

Visit Financial Aid's Emergency Resources for the application and information about the resources available to students.

When submitting an emergency grant or loan application, ask about the timeline for receiving funds. The goal is to deliver funds in two days or less, but the schedule may vary due to holidays.

The best place to get information about a full or partial discharge of up to $20,000 in Federal Student Loans is the Federal Student Aid website. 

Financial aid offices manage student loans while students are in school. Once the loan period ends and/or the student leaves college, loan servicer staff handle the repayment. Federal student aid handles loan forgiveness or discharge. Contact your loan servicer for more information.

Unless you have given us permission to speak to anyone other than you regarding your financial aid, we can only speak directly with you. Visit FERPA (Confidentiality of Student Records) for more information.

Keep your mailing address up-to-date!

Any student that moved during Fall Quarter should update their mailing address through My Evergreen. Doing so will ensure all mail will be delivered to the correct location.