Being Financially Responsible

Financial Responsibility Comes with Practice
Learn how to support your student to manage their own finances. Encourage your student to:
- Keep track of when, where and how to pay bills.
- Learn more about campus departments and their processes for paying for college in the Viking Resource Hub.
- Actively manage their money, accessing resources available to them on Western's Basic Needs Hub to build skills in creating a budget, reading financial statements, and other "adulting" tasks necessary for paying bills on time!
- Apply for scholarships: Most admissions scholarships last only one year. The biggest mistake first-year students make in regard to financial aid is not applying for scholarships. Students can explore scholarships through the WWU’s Scholarship Center.
- Apply as required each year for state, federal, and private financial aid, adding deadlines to calendars as well as the time needed to research and prepare. See the “Managing Time” section to easily locate important quarterly and annual financial deadlines.
- Visit Western’s Financial Aid Department to learn more about educational funding sources like grants, scholarships and work study programs.
Questions? Schedule an appointment with a Financial Aid Counselor or call 360-650-3470 for assistance.