Awards and Refunds

To reduce costs and conserve resources, financial aid offers are not mailed to students. Students will receive an email when offers are finalized. Please review each document and contact a Financial Aid specialist if you have questions.

The financial aid package listed in Self-Service is your total offer. You may choose to accept all of it or only certain portions, but if you decline any part of it, you will not be offered additional aid to make up for that.

All first-time loan borrowers must sign a Master Promissory Note and complete online entrance loan counseling.

Once you have accepted the package, you do not need to do anything on Wake Tech's payment deadline date. Although your classes aren't shown as paid, you will not be dropped from them for nonpayment. Financial aid funds will not be applied to your charges until after your attendance is verified.

The financial aid offer is based on full-time enrollment (12 or more credit hours per semester) for an entire year. You must report any changes in your enrollment status, such as dropped classes or a withdrawal from the college, to the Financial Aid Office.

Most federal and state financial aid cannot be used to pay for the following:

• Workforce Development courses (Wake Tech's Propel program provides financial assistance for specific non-degree programs)
• Classes being audited
• Courses that a student has "tested out of" or successfully challenged
• Courses not required for completion of a program of study at Wake Tech

In addition to notifying the Financial Aid Office of changes in enrollment, you also must report any additional aid received during the year that wasn't considered in calculating your financial aid eligibility. This may include employer reimbursement for classes or an outside scholarship. If these additional resources and your financial aid package combine to exceed your need, the excess is considered an "over-award."

The Financial Aid Office has the right to adjust an aid package when an over-award occurs, as well as when changes occur in the information used to determine the package or in federal regulations.

Once you have accepted all or part of your financial aid package, the amount will be put in your account to be applied toward your tuition and fees. You can also, with valid student ID, use financial aid funds to buy books and supplies for classes at Wake Tech Bookstores.

If you are taking courses in a combination of sessions that include the second eight-week term, your financial aid will, in most instances, be paid in two disbursements.

Tuition Payment Plan

Even with financial aid, paying for college might squeeze your budget a bit, so Wake Tech offers a payment plan option that allows you to split your tuition payments into two or three installments. The Tuition Payment Plan is not a loan program – you incur no debt, there are no interest or finance charges assessed and there is no credit check. The cost to enroll is $25 per semester, which is added to the first installment payment.

Financial aid refunds

If financial aid funds remain in your account after paying tuition and fees and buying books and supplies, that balance can be refunded to you, although some types of aid may not qualify for a refund. Class attendance impacts eligibility for refunds. You must attend through at least the 60% point of the semester or term, and failure to remain enrolled and attend classes as required may result in the loss of awarded aid. You are responsible for repaying aid that was not earned.

Wake Tech provides refunds through BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution powered by BMTX Inc. When you receive your refund is based on the preference you designate with BankMobile Disbursements. If you do not select a refund preference, payment could be delayed by up to two weeks.

Refunds will be disbursed according to the following schedule, although dates are subject to change without notice:

• Fall 2024
  September 19
  October 10
  October 24
  November 21
  December 12
   
• Spring 2025
  February 20
  March 11
  March 20
  April 17
  May 8
   
• Summer 2025
  June 18
  July 10
   

To receive a refund, Wake Tech must receive funds from the funding source by the date specified. If you are awarded a Direct Loan, you must complete entrance counseling and sign the Master Promissory Note and acknowledge the Financial Aid Terms and Conditions before funds are released. You also must be enrolled for at least 6 credit hours when your funds are disbursed.

If you are taking courses in a combination of sessions that include second eight- or five-week , your financial aid will in most instances be paid in two disbursements.

If a student does not claim a refund that has been issued, the disbursement will be voided and the funds returned to the appropriate federal or state agency.

Any student who withdraws or reduces his or her course load during the drop/add period of the semester may be required to repay some or all of their student financial aid. If a student withdraws from college or ceases attending classes prior to the 60% point of the semester, he or she will be responsible for the repayment of the Federal Pell Grant and any other Title IV grants received. Failure to repay student financial aid can result in a hold placed on the student's account, which prevents students from receiving financial aid in future semesters.

If a student completely withdraws from all classes prior to the 60% point of the semester or term, he or she may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds as originally scheduled to receive for the period of enrollment. The student may owe all or a portion of all applicable tuition, fees and book charges to the college or the U.S. Department of Education. This indebtedness is known as a financial aid overpayment. Failure to repay a student financial aid overpayment may result in a hold being placed on the account, which prohibits registration for future classes and from obtaining an official college transcript.