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Washington State University
Applying for aid as a Part-time Student

Financial aid is available for part-time students, including loans and grants. However, some grants will be prorated.

The Washington College Grant, the Pell Grant, and College Bound Promise are prorated based on enrollment. Some scholarships require full-time enrollment. Research your scholarship’s eligibility requirements for enrollment BEFORE you enroll as a part-time student. Aid will not release unless you are enrolled at least half-time.

Half-time and three-quarter time enrollment

For the academic year, students must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for federal loans.

  • Undergraduate students:  Half-time enrollment is 6-8 credits per semester. three-quarter enrollment  is 9-11 credits per semester.
  • Graduate students: Half-time enrollment is 5-9 credits per semester. 10+ credits is considered full-time.

Students will be eligible for federal loans so long as they are enrolled at least half-time. Pell Grant and State Need Grants will be prorated to the students actual enrollment, up to full time, starting in the 2024-2025 aid year.

Students will be ineligible for financial aid if they are enrolled in less than 3 credits and are not receiving Pell Grant or College Bound Promise.

Graduate students are not eligible for State and Federal aid grant funding but may receive Federal loan funding.

Census Adjustments

The Census Date is the point at which your enrollment is locked for financial aid purposes. During the fall and spring terms, the census coincides with the last date you can drop classes for a full tuition refund at WSU. At this point in the term, credit hours are locked and financial aid for the term is adjusted to reflect the student’s official enrolled credits.

If you are in less than full-time credits when census runs, your aid awards will be adjusted accordingly. View our census charts to get an idea of what percentage of your aid you can expect to receive at each enrollment level.

View Census Charts