Financial Wellness 101
This session covers understanding and beginning to build a personal budget, understanding and planning for expenses, knowing important dates and deadlines, and identifying resources.
Fixed Expenses
Tuition and Fees
- Plateau for between 12-18 credits
- Segregated Fees
- Distance Education Fee: $15/credit
- Different rates for Engineering, Computer Science, and Nursing
Tuition Rates
- Full Time Resident Tuition: $4,492.46*
- Per Credit: $374.37*
- Full Time Non-Resident Tuition: $8,786.31*
- Per Credit: $732.19*
*based on 2025-2026 tuition rates
Transportation
- Parking
- Charged to any student in an in-person course
- Opt out deadline: September 14
- Car Loan
- Insurance
Housing Rent
- On campus housing is charged by term
- Off campus housing has monthly rent
Phone Bill
Subscriptions
- Movie/TV streaming
- Music streaming
Variable Expenses
Books
- Online Bookstore, Inclusive Access or Open Source
Dining
Transportation
Entertainment
Income and Resources
Financial Aid
- Grants
- Need based financial aid, determined by FAFSA data
- Do not need to be repaid
- Federal
- State
- Scholarships
- Report Scholarships
- UWGB Scholarship application opens October 1, 2026
Employment
- On-campus work
- Handshake
- Federal Work-Study
- Off-campus work
- Tuition reimbursement or scholarships
- Other financial support
Payment Plan
- Four due dates for fall and spring
- Three due dates for summer
- $10 enrollment fee
- No interest
Loans
Best Practices
- Investment in future
- Only accept what you need
- Must be repaid
- Interest
- Federal vs. Private
- Credit
- Fixed vs. variable
- Fees
- Repayment terms
- Interest
Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
- Subsidized: Based on financial need, interest doesn't accrue until after leaving school, interest in paid (or subsidized) by the government while enrolled
- Unsubsidized: Not based on financial need, interest accrues from the time of disbursement
- Master Promissory Note
- Loan Entrance Counseling
Federal Parent PLUS Loan
- Parent is responsible for the loan
- If denied, can offer more unsubsidized loan to student
Private Educational Loan
- Search private lenders using FastChoice
- Processing Time
- Plan for a cosigner
Build a Budget
- Crunch the numbers: add expenses together, then subtract that number from your income
- If the number is in the negative, it means that you are spending more money than you make
- If the number is positive, you have enough or extra money to spend and put toward your saving
Ways to Limit Spending
- Use student discounts, coupons, and app perks
- Shop at thrift stores
- Take advantage of campus resources and events
- Most events have free food, swag, and other entertainment opportunities at no cost
- If you are in serious need, we have resources!
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Financial Aid Processing | Recommended August 1 |
| Payment Plan Sign Up | Recommended August 1 - September 13 |
| Financial Aid Disbursement | August 31 |
| First day of classes | September 2 |
| Last day to add a class | September 11 |
| Opt out of parking permit | September 14 |
| Tuition and Fees due | September 15 |
| Charge books to SIS | August 1 - November 15 |
SIS
- Most updated information
- View Financial Aid offers and accept aid
- View account activity
- Sign up for a payment plan, pay balance, enroll in e-refunding
- Complete tasks and to-do list items
To Do List and Holds
- Student Billing: View outstanding balance, make a payment, sign up for e-refunding and the payment plan, and get your 1098T
- Financial Aid: View financial aid offer, accept/decline loans, and view college financing plan
- Tasks: See holds
- Student Resources: Opt out of parking, enter license plate information, and access the Online Bookstore
how can we help?
Have additional questions about this session topic or need to request an accessible format? Please reach out to our GB Orientation team via email.