Financial Assistance

Student Financial Assistance

Office of Student Financial Assistance
Student Services Hub
University Student Center
800 21st Street NW
Ground Floor
Washington, DC 20052

Phone: 202-994-6620 | Fax: 202-994-0906
E-mail: finaid@gwu.edu | Document submission: finaid_docs@gwu.edu

The University offers financial assistance to all eligible students from various resources. In addition to GW assistance, the University participates in federal student assistance programs from the U.S. Department of Education and student financial assistance programs from other U.S. government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Defense. Some states offer student financial assistance for undergraduate enrollment at GW.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) administers financial assistance to both undergraduate and graduate students. Complete information concerning student financial assistance is available on the OSFA website.

Professional students enrolled in the Law School or MD candidates in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences should contact their respective financial assistance offices; all other students in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences should seek information and follow the procedure on the OSFA website for filing financial assistance application materials

The University’s Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships is specifically for graduate students in master’s or PhD programs. The Office of Student Financial Assistance assists in the administration and certification of educational loans to meet the cost of attendance.

In general, consideration for student financial assistance is restricted to students in good academic standing at the University who meet minimum grade-point average and satisfactory academic progress requirements for specific awards and who are not financially encumbered by any other University office. Failure to meet and maintain satisfactory academic progress requirements may result in rescinding of awards.

Eligibility for student assistance is processed under cost of attendance budgets for various categories of students, per federal statutory requirements. Refer to the policy on cost of attendance budgets on the OFSA website for details. A complete student assistance package cannot exceed a student’s cost of attendance budget. GW will review and potentially adjust awards for students receiving student financial assistance from more than one source. Receipt of student financial assistance from multiple sources cannot exceed tuition charges. If institutional assistance is involved, adjustments are made.

GW reserves the right to request documentation to determine assistance eligibility. Documents submitted as part of the assistance application become the property of the University and cannot be returned. Such documents are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), as amended. GW policy concerning the privacy of student records is available from the Office of Ethics, Compliance, and Privacy.

Information in this section of the Bulletin is accurate as of the date of the Bulletin's publication but is subject to change based on changes in federal and/or state statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures. The University reserves the right to change student financial assistance policies.

Military Education Financing

Veterans Education Benefits

GW’s Office of Military and Veteran Student Services processes applications for entitlement payments under the various classes of veterans’ educational benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information consult the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services website.

GW’s campuses and institutions located in the Commonwealth of Virginia are approved to offer GI Bill® educational benefits by the Virginia State Approving Agency. The Virginia State Approving Agency (SAA) is the approving authority of education and training programs for Virginia. The Virginia SAA investigates complaints of GI Bill® beneficiaries. While most complaints should initially follow the school grievance policy, if the situation cannot be resolved at the school, the student beneficiary should contact the Virginia SAA via email saa@dvs.virginia.edu.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Tuition Assistance Program

Funds from the various branches of the armed services under the Tuition Assistance Program are processed by the GW Student Accounts Office.

ROTC Scholarships

Navy ROTC is available at GW. Army and Air Force ROTC is available at Georgetown University and Howard University, respectively.  All ROTC programs are handled by the GW Student Accounts Office. Further details are available on the Office of Student Financial Aid website and the Office of the Registrar.

Disclosures and Notices

Privacy of Student Records

The George Washington University and its faculty and staff will protect the privacy of students’ education records as required by federal law and regulations and as set forth in this policy. Eligible parents and students of record in attendance at the University will receive annual notice of their rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (FERPA) by appropriate methods, which may include electronic publication on the university website. Information concerning this policy can be found on the Office of Ethics, Compliance, and Privacy website.

GW Policy on Student Loan Code of Conduct

The George Washington University adheres to a financial aid code of conduct agreed upon between schools in the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Attorney General. Visit the OFSA website for the full policy.

Role of the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)

The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) is the national database of information about loans and grants awarded to students under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965. NSLDS provides a centralized, integrated view of Title IV loans and grants during their complete life cycle, from aid approval through disbursement, repayment, deferment, delinquency, and closure. Data on federal student loans and Federal Pell Grants are reported to the NSLDS, which is accessible by GW and U.S. Department of Education personnel and servicers of federal student loans. Students can access their data on the NSLDS website.

Title IV Funds

Title IV funds are federal student aid funds, which are from federal student aid programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Title IV funds include Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan, Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, Direct PLUS Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Perkins Loan, and TEACH grants. It does not include scholarships from the University or other private organizations. For detailed information concerning Title IV funds visit the Student Accounts Office website.

HEA Disclosures Portal

Visit the University's Consumer Information portal for complete disclosures information.