Student Financial Services

Scholarships, Grants & Loans

The Office of Student Financial Services is here for you and your family — because we want to see you succeed. We can't promise to solve everything, but our team will use every tool available and turn over every rock to help you walk across that stage four years from now.

Wittenberg wants qualified students to be able to attend college regardless of their financial situation. Approximately 98% of Wittenberg students receive financial assistance in the form of grants, loans, scholarships and work-study awards.

Download our Financial Aid Guide (PDF) for a complete overview of costs, aid programs, and how to apply.

Wittenberg wants qualified students to be able to attend college regardless of their financial situation. Approximately 98% of Wittenberg students receive financial assistance in the form of scholarships, grants, work-study, or loans.

Curious what Wittenberg could actually cost you?

Get a personalized estimate of your Wittenberg scholarship and total cost to attend. It takes about 10 minutes, asks only for basic household and academic information, and there's no commitment or application required.

Try the Net Price Calculator

Completing the FAFSA isn't required for admission to Wittenberg, but we strongly encourage every student to file one — even if you assume you won't qualify for aid. Financial need doesn't always look the way families expect, and options like federal loans are available to nearly every student regardless of income. Students who skip the FAFSA risk leaving real assistance on the table.

In most cases, yes. Between institutional scholarships, grants, work-study, and federal loans, the large majority of Wittenberg students qualify for some form of financial assistance — you don't need to demonstrate significant financial need to receive aid.

Federal loans in particular are available to nearly every enrolled student regardless of income, as long as you meet the basic federal eligibility requirements (U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status, enrollment in an eligible program, satisfactory academic progress, and a few other standard conditions). Even students who don't qualify for federal need-based programs may still be eligible for Wittenberg scholarships and other institutional aid.

The only way to know what you specifically qualify for is to complete the FAFSA — it's the single form that unlocks federal, state, and most institutional aid at once.

Financial aid is money that helps make a Wittenberg education possible — and it comes in more forms than many families realize. At Wittenberg, financial assistance can include:

  • Institutional scholarships and need-based grants awarded directly by Wittenberg, based on academic merit, talent, or financial need.
  • State grant programs, such as those offered through the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
  • Federal grants, including the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).
  • Federal Work-Study, which lets you earn money through a campus job to help cover your costs.
  • Federal student loans, including Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, and Federal PLUS Loans for parents.
  • Benefactor-funded scholarships/grants, awarded by Wittenberg to eligible students who meet criteria established by the benefactor.
  • Outside Scholarships, funding that is received from your high school, local agency, or national scholarships, or departmental awards based on student success.

Scholarships, grants, and work-study don't have to be repaid. Loans are borrowed money you repay with interest. Most students combine more than one type of aid — which is part of why almost every Wittenberg student receives some form of assistance.

“Need” sounds like it only applies to some families, but it's really just a gap-filling calculation — and most families have at least some gap.

When you complete the FAFSA, the information you report is used in a formula set by the U.S. Congress to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI): an estimate of what your family can reasonably be expected to contribute toward your education. Your financial aid administrator then calculates Wittenberg's total cost of attendance and subtracts your SAI — whatever is left over is your demonstrated financial need, and that gap is what many of Wittenberg's need-based grants and scholarships are designed to help close.

If your SAI falls below a certain threshold, you may also qualify for a Federal Pell Grant. There's no maximum SAI that disqualifies you from every other program, though — many forms of aid, including federal loans, aren't need-based at all.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Students applying for financial assistance must:

  1. Submit an Application for Admission. Though you must be an accepted student to receive a financial aid award, you may begin the financial aid process before an admission decision has been reached.
  2. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Be sure to add our School Code (003143). There is no fee associated with this application.

Priority Consideration Deadlines

To be considered for the greatest amount of need-based aid, we encourage you to file as early as possible.

  • New and transfer students: priority deadline is March 1. Applications after this date will still be processed, but funding may be limited for students who apply late.
  • Continuing students: priority deadline is March 15. Applications received after this date may see a reduction in need-based eligibility, depending on funding availability.

Click this link to learn more about the FAFSA

Contact us at studentfinancialservices@wittenberg.edu with any questions or concerns.