Financial Resources
Financial Aid
Northwest Indian College administers a broad range of financial aid, scholarships, and work-study programs for students who can demonstrate financial need. The intent of the Financial Aid Program is to assist those students who could not otherwise afford the cost of an education.
The first resource for consideration is that of the student and the students family. For example, students who qualify as independent students are expected to use their own resources. When these resources are not sufficient, a student can apply for Financial Aid and the college will assist when possible. Currently, the college can assist eligible students with Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Work Study, Washington State Need Grants, State Work Study, tuition waivers, and American Indian College Fund and NWIC Foundation Scholarships.
How to Apply
Each year students must apply (or re-apply) for any and all types of aid, grants, and opportunities available through the college, the tribes, and the state and federal governments. The need for financial assistance is based on the student's (and parents for dependent students) income and family size for the previous full calendar year. See the Financial Aid Handbook for more information.
Documents and Forms
Students must use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov . Use the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet to prepare your information. A paper version is available through our office and other venues. The Student Aid Report (SAR) will be sent directly to each student by the Department of Education by email or mail. Please review the information on SAR as soon as possible. Students can make corrections online using the PIN. Students who have questions regarding the FAFSA may call the Department of Education at 1-800-433-3243 or come into our office.
Washington State Aid
State grants and work-study are available to students who have established residency in the Washington State. Evidence of residency generally includes: Residing in Washington for 1 year, both car and drivers licenses issued by Washington State or Washington State Identification for those who do not drive.
NWIC Aid Applications
Students need to complete a NWIC Financial Aid Application, found online at www.nwic.edu or request a paper copy.
Priority Processing
Students who complete all of the applications and have all of their records sent to NWIC Student Financial Resources Office by August 1, are eligible for priority processing for fall quarter. All aid is disbursed on a first come, first served basis. Those meeting the priority deadline are given the first consideration for any type of aid for which they are eligible.
Satisfactory Progress
All students who receive Financial Aid are required to make satisfactory progress towards the educational program they have selected. Each quarter, students who receive financial aid must complete a minimum number of credits with a 2.0 GPA towards the completion of their degree or program requirements.
The minimum credits to be successfully completed are as follows: full-time students: 9 credits, three-quarter time: 6 credits, and half time: 4 credits. Students attending less than half time must successfully complete all attempted credits.
The individual courses taken must also meet the requirement for the program of study or the degree to be completed.
Satisfactory progress policies apply to the following programs at NWIC:
- Federal Pell Grant
- FSEOG
- Federal Work Study
- State Need Grant
- State Work Study
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Adult Vocational Training
- Veteran’s Educational Benefits
- WorkFirst
- TANF
- Tribal Funds
- Institutional opportunities
Monitoring Satisfactory Academic Progress
After each quarter and at year-end, student grade reports are reviewed to ensure that the minimum number of credits and grade point average are consistent with the requirements for each quarter and for the year.
Financial Aid-Probation Status
Students who do not complete the minimum number of credits or do not earn the required grade point average in a given quarter are placed on Financial Aid probation for the next quarter. During the probation quarter, the eligible students qualify for aid. A second quarter of unsatisfactory academic progress will result in termination of aid.
Financial Aid-Suspension Status
Students who do not complete the Probationary Quarter successfully or who fail to complete at least one-half of their funded credits in a given quarter will have their financial aid funds terminated for the succeeding quarter. Students who have not made satisfactory progress for the year will be terminated from receiving aid. These students may have the right to petition for reinstatement. Students may be advised to enroll for less that full-time, if their records indicate difficulty in completing 12 credits per quarter. Students will again be eligible for aid after completing one quarter with their own resources.
Financial Aid Advisory Committee
Any student placed on suspension may appeal this decision. Any student who can produce evidence that failure to maintain satisfactory progress was due to illness or death in the immediate family, may petition for a review of his/her case. The Director of Student Financial Resources may reinstate the student who has documented a clear case of severe illness, death in the immediate family or calamity (e.g., house fire). Other petitions will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee, which may reinstate the student on a probationary basis, and may impose credit limitations consistent with the student's history of completion. Students placed on Suspension-No Appeal, may not appeal until successfully completing a quarter on their own.
Contact the Office of Student Financial Resources for further instructions and assistance.