Financial Aid Resources & Suggestions

Information For Prospective & Admitted UM-Ann Arbor Students:

U-M Financial Aid Next Steps Webinar Series

Learn more about financial aid, the application process, and what to expect. These webinars are geared for students who are applying or have completed their college admission applications for fall 2025. Parents are welcome to attend as well.

Webinar dates for 2025 will be announced soon. Check back here to see when webinar dates are announced.

Financial Aid 101 – General overview of the financial aid process with an emphasis on planning and applying for financial aid.
Financial Aid Next Steps – Overview on what steps a student and family should take to complete their financial aid process after being offered admission.
Financial Aid Notice Workshop – How to understand your financial aid notice, potential costs, and move forward with the best offer.
After each event, you will receive an email survey and links to videos and resources that will be helpful to students applying for financial aid.

Questions?  ofa-outreach@umich.edu

Need 24/7 help? Check out UM Financial Aid TV to look up over 40 Financial Aid Topics and FAQ’s.

Learn about specifics for New Undergraduate students’ financial aid steps and deadlines at the U-M Financial Aid site.

Information For New & Continuing UM-Ann Arbor Students:

General Financial Aid Website
https://finaid.umich.edu/

Financial Aid – Appeals and Emergency Assistance

If you have encountered or continue to encounter unforeseen financial difficulties over the past year, you may be eligible to appeal the amount of aid you can receive. If you have experienced a significant financial loss within the last year and have completed/will complete a 2023-2024 FAFSA, we may be able to partner with you to reevaluate your financial aid eligibility. Please visit the U-M OFA webpage on Aid Appeals to learn more.

Fall Aid Steps:

Students should follow these five steps to ensure they receive their fall term financial aid.

  • Step 1: Enroll for at least a half-time credit hour load — six hours for undergraduates, four hours for graduate students. Waitlisted courses do not count toward a student’s total enrollment.
  • Step 2: Double-check your document status on their Wolverine Access student portal to be sure that they have submitted all required materials. If asked for follow-up documents, find the list on Wolverine Access.
  • Step 3: Complete and sign promissory notes for federal loans on the Federal Student Aid website if you are a first-time Direct Loan borrower or Grad PLUS borrower at U-M.
  • Step 4: Complete loan entrance counseling on the Federal Student Aid website if you are a first time direct loan borrower at U-M and wish to accept your loan offer.
  • Step 5: Be sure to resolve any academic or financial holds that have impacted your ability to enroll for the fall semester.

Once all of the above items, as applicable, are met, your aid funds will be released and applied to tuition, fees, and housing charges on their account.

Excess funds will either be:

  • Directly deposited to the student’s bank account. To sign up for direct deposit, or verify bank account information, students should log in to the Student Business section of Wolverine Access > Payroll and Compensation > Direct Deposit. To view deposits, select “View Checks”. Do this as soon as possible to ensure payment.

– OR –

  • A check will be mailed to your current (local) address listed on Wolverine Access. If no current address is listed, the check will go to the permanent address on file.

Note: Because some aid covers only tuition (not orientation charges, phone bills, lost ID fees, etc.), it’s possible for a student to receive a refund when there are outstanding charges on their student account. Students are responsible for paying the balance due, even if a refund is issued.

Understanding Your Bill

To find your bill on Wolverine Access:

  • Visit Wolverine Access
  • To see your charges in detail, your student should select “Account Inquiry” from their Student Center.

Download an example of a student bill →

The Charges Due section [B] shows a “running total” of charges by due date.

Because bills are issued before financial aid funds for fall term are credited to student accounts, a special section called Pending Aid [C] is displayed on the bill. This is the amount of financial aid the university expects to credit to your account based on the financial aid notice. It is a snapshot in time and does not change.

The Amount Due section [A] shows the total amount owed before Pending Aid is included. If you are enrolled at least half-time, sign your federal loan documents, and complete the requirements to receive fall aid, pending aid will appear on your bill and be subtracted from your charges.

How Much Do You Owe?

If you have pending aid on your bill, take the Amount Due listed at the top of the bill and manually subtract the Pending Aid. This is what is owed by Aug. 31. But keep in mind:

  • Pending aid is the amount of aid you are expected to receive when the bill was issued. If you have received aid since then, it will appear on your Wolverine Access Account Summary page. Additional funds may affect the amount of your aid. Subtract this amount from the charges to determine the balance due or use the bill estimator on Wolverine Access to calculate it.
  • Graduate student instructor/RA tuition waivers, private and PLUS loans, and third-party credits and private scholarships will not appear as pending aid. They are credited when funds are received. If they have not appeared by the time you pay your bill, pay the amount due on the bill to avoid a late fee. After funds are applied, your monthly bill will contain a credit.
  • Disbursement of aid to students’ accounts begins Aug. 21 for the fall term. When funds are credited, pending aid items will be removed. Initial aid refunds will be issued to students Aug. 24.

Enroll in Direct Deposit

Setting up Direct Deposit through Wolverine Access is the best way for students to get their financial aid refund as soon as it is available.  Students are encouraged to follow these steps to set up Direct Deposit and ensure they have access to financial aid funds when they are distributed.

How To Set Up Direct Deposit

You should:

  1. Log in to Wolverine Access
  2. Navigate to the “Payroll” tile
  3. Open the “Direct Deposit” link
  4. Input your account information on the Direct Deposit self-service page (disregard the space to input an amount in dollars)
  5. Submit the form

Visit the Wolverine Access Direct Deposit Help webpage for more details.

Scholarship Opportunities:

For LSA students:  

We’re told by the University that admitted first-year students should receive an email to apply to the LSA Four-Year Renewable Scholarship Program just days after their admission to LSA.  Here is the website to access the application in case students may have missed the UM email.  

Prospective, entering, and continuing Ann Arbor ⁦ ‪@UMichStudents‬⁩:
Prospective, entering and continuing University of Michigan students should complete the “My Scholarship Profile” feature by February 15 to ensure full consideration for scholarships for the upcoming academic year. Learn more: myumi.ch/m77V4 #FinancialAidFriday pic.twitter.com/wFRZzttbNW

 

Information for New & Continuing UM-Flint Students:

General Financial Aid Website:

Office of Financial Aid

Get direct help from UM-Flint’s Financial Aid by contacting them directly.
Learn more about specific steps for accepting aid at UM-Flint on their website.
Watch video tutorials on UM-Flint’s site to learn about accepting offers, understanding requirements, and basics of federal loans.

Financial Aid Deadlines

The 2025-2026 FAFSA Form is still available for the current academic year. The 2025-26 FAFSA includes Fall 2025, Winter 2026 and Summer 2026.

The 2026-2027 FAFSA Form opens on October 1st and should be completed as soon as possible. You will need to create an FSA ID and link to the IRS website to complete the form. Learn more about FAFSA Frequently Asked Questions and steps for completing the form on the Federal Financial Aid website.

Scholarship Opportunities for Current UM – Flint Students:

First-Year Merit Scholarships – are instantly available to motivated students with strong academic records. The First-Year Merit Scholarship program offers awards ranging up to $10,000 a year, with limited full-ride awards available.
Here is the link for UM-Flint’s scholarships page.

For a majority of the scholarships, students must submit an online application during the application period of December 1st  through February 15th. (Graduate scholarships have an extended deadline from March 1st through June 1st.)

As a current student you can complete the General Scholarship application found within their SIS student portal (which opens every single year around December and closes approximately February 15), this particular application allows students to apply for a range of scholarships at once and provides a list of additional scholarship opportunities that  may require additional information like letter of recommendations. etc. Students are encouraged to submit it ASAP as it is very easy to complete. 

FYI current students receive notification about the application by email as soon as it opens and includes deadline information. 

Interested in the Education field? MI Future Educator Fellowship, Michigan Achievement Scholarship, and MI Future Educator Stipend. Future educators are encouraged to apply early. Eligible students who submit their applications will be placed in a priority group for payment.

 

Information for Shiawassee County Area Students:

 

The Shiawassee Community Foundation’s annual scholarship cycle opens November 1st and closes January 31st each year. Nearly 100 scholarship funds are available through their online application system, AwardSpring. Graduating seniors, fifth year students, continuing education, and non-traditional returning students are welcome to apply. Students attending college, university, trade, or vocational school could be eligible for the funds. There is one application and based on the fund requirements, you will see which scholarships you qualify for after submitting. Instructions and the online application are available here. Reach out directly to the Shiawassee Community Foundation with questions at 989-725-1093.

Other Scholarships:

LEO Union Scholarship (the union that represents many of the faculty at all three of the UM campuses). Deadline February 1st. Students need to send in parents’ MEA Union Membership info cards and student’s UM ID number. Students going to Ann Arbor, Flint, or Dearborn can apply. Here is the link with more info https://leounion.org/resources