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Advisor Tools


The information below pertains to academic advisors who work with WKU students who utilize financial aid.

WKU students can complete a general scholarship application on TOPDollar. The TOPDollar Scholarship Source is a centralized scholarship application for numerous scholarships that are provided by the University, College Heights Foundation, WKU Foundation, WKU Departments, community organizations, and professional associations. The application deadline is February 1st and students must complete an application each academic year. 

In order to determine if your student has completed a TOPDollar application, login to TopNet, select the Advisors & Student DataInquiry tab, and choose General Student Information under the Student Info/Maintenance section. On the Student Information webpage, you should be able to view information about your student’s financial aid in the section entitled Financial Aid. In this section, the screen will indicate ‘Yes’ if the student has a TOPDollar application on file and ‘No’ if the student does not have a TOPDollar application on file.

For more information on how to use this new advising tool on TopNet, you can view a recorded presentation of the CAN session presented by WKU’s Department of Student Financial Assistance.

By completing a FAFSA, students are able to apply for federal and state aid such as loans, grants, and work-study. For more information, visit How to Apply and General Requirements on our website.

In order to determine if your student has completed a FAFSA, login to TopNet, select the Advisors & Student DataInquiry tab, and choose General Student Information under the Student Info/Maintenance section. On the Student Information webpage, you should be able to view information about your student’s financial aid in the section entitled Financial Aid. In this section, the screen will indicate ‘Yes’ if WKU has received the student’s FAFSA and ‘No’ if WKU has not received the student’s FAFSA.

For more information on how to use this new advising tool on TopNet, you can view a recorded presentation of the CAN session presented by WKU’s Department of Student Financial Assistance.

Students receive a notification from our office if they are missing any financial aid documents. For example, a student may need to submit an official copy of his/her birth certificate. Also, if a student is a first-time loan borrower then he/she must complete Entrance Counseling and e-sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) in order for his/her loan to disburse. Students can determine if they are missing any financial aid documents by logging in to their TopNet account, selecting the Financial Aid tab, and choosing Eligibility. For more information, visit our MIL webpage.

In order to determine if your student has any missing documents, login to TopNet, select the Advisors & Student DataInquiry tab, and choose General Student Information under the Student Info/Maintenance section. On the Student Information webpage, you should be able to view information about your student’s financial aid in the section entitled Financial Aid. In this section, the screen will indicate ‘Yes’ if your student is missing any financial aid documents and ‘No’ if your student is not missing any financial aid documents. Also, this section will indicate if the student has Accepted/Declined his/her federal student loans and has completed Entrance Counseling/MPN.

For more information on how to use this new advising tool on TopNet, you can view a recorded presentation of the CAN session presented by WKU’s Department of Student Financial Assistance.

Every year the U. S. Department of Education (DOE) selects a percentage of financial aid applicants for a review of their financial aid information. This review is known as Verification. If your student's application is selected for verification, the student must submit certain information, as determined by the U.S. Department of Education, in order to receive federal student aid.

Students who have been selected for Verification cannot be awarded their financial aid package until they have submitted all requested documents and have completed the verification process.

WKU outsources its verification process to Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). You may visit KHEAAVerify.com in order to obtain the necessary steps for the completion of the Verification process. For more information, visit the Verification webpage.

Students who do not maintain certain academic standards can lose their financial aid.  Satisfactory Academic Progress refers to the evaluation of a student’s academic progress for every semester that the student is enrolled. In order to maintain the receipt of financial aid, students must meet certain Qualitative and Quantitative standards. In other words, if a student does not maintain a certain WKU and Overall GPA and/or does not earn at least 67% of their Attempted Hours then the student could lose his/her financial aid. For more information, visit our SAP webpage.

In order to determine your student’s SAP status, login to TopNet, select the Advisors & Student DataInquiry tab, and choose General Student Information under the Student Info/Maintenance section. On the Student Information webpage, you should be able to view information about your student’s financial aid in the section entitled Financial Aid. In this section, the screen will indicate ‘Eligible’ if your student is eligible for financial aid based on his/her SAP status and ‘Ineligible’ if your student is not eligible for financial aid based on his/her SAP status.

Also, students can view their current SAP status by logging in to their TopNet account, selecting the Financial Aid tab, and then choosing Eligibility.

For more information on how to use this new advising tool on TopNet, you can view a recorded presentation of the CAN session presented by WKU’s Department of Student Financial Assistance.

*Please note that the University's Academic Progress policy, administered through the Academic Advising and Retention Center, is separate from the Department of Student Financial Assistance's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. A student may be placed on probation and/or be required to appeal by both the Academic Advising and Retention Center and the Department of Student Financial Assistance.

Additonal Information

Financial Aid Checklist

TOPDollar

Accepting a Student Loan

Applying for a Parent PLUS Loan

Information on Private Loans

SAP Handout for Undergraduate Students

Website Resources Handout

Top 10 Things to Know About Your Financial Aid


Student Financial Assistance
317 Potter Hall
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd. #11018
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1018

Phone: 270-745-2755

Fax: 270-745-6586

Email: fa.help@wku.edu


Some of the links on this page may require additional software to view.

 Last Modified 3/1/21