We Can't Wait to See You!
Higher education is the best investment you can make. Why? Because a Wilkes degree pays dividends to your life and career. That's why we are continually ranked in the top 10% for our return on investment.1 It means our graduates go on to achieve careers and salaries that make their education well worth the cost.
With careful planning, you can explore a variety of financial options to find the resources you need to turn your educational dreams into a reality. As part of our commitment to help make your Wilkes education as accessible as possible, we outline some options here to help you cover your costs and reach your goals.
New incoming admitted students for the fall or spring semester should expect to receive a financial aid offer by email and mail by April, pending when Wilkes receives your FAFSA. Your offer packed will include general options to finance the portion of your education expenses not covered by other financial aid. The additional resources on this page may be useful in helping you pay those remaining educational expenses.
Current students returning for the next academic year should expect to see their financial aid offer released electronically in their Wilkes Student Portal external website by early July, pending when Wilkes receives your FAFSA.
1Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce
Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Student Loan
To determine your eligibility, you must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each academic year. Students will find their Federal Direct Subsidized and/or Unsubsidized loans eligibility as an aid source on their financial aid offer.
There are two types of federal Direct Loans for students:
- Direct Subsidized Loan: The interest will not accrue (accumulate) on this loan while you, the student, are enrolled. The interest will begin to accrue when you are no longer enrolled at least part-time. You must demonstrate financial need to be considered for a subsidized loan.
- Direct Unsubsidized Loan: The interest will accrue (accumulate) on this loan while you, the student, are enrolled. Financial need is not required to obtain an unsubsidized loan.
Learn more about federal direct loans for students external website
Interest Rate (Fixed)
Interest is additional money that you pay to a lender as a cost of borrowing money. Direct Loans are “daily interest” loans. On daily interest loans, interest accrues (adds up) every day.
Loan Fee
A loan fee comes out of the amount of money that is disbursed (paid out) to you while you’re in school. This means the money you receive will be less than the amount you actually borrow.
The interest rate and loan fee are determined and announced by the federal government on July 1 of each year.
Accept Your Federal Student Loan(s)
If you qualify for a Federal Direct Loan(s) and wish to accept them, you must complete your Direct Loan entrance counseling external website and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) external website online between July 1 and Aug. 1 to ensure adequate processing time before your fall tuition balance is due. The student will need to log in with their student FSA ID and password (the same used to complete the FAFSA). You currently only need to complete each of these one time for Wilkes, before your first semester at Wilkes begins. Your acceptance of these loans will automatically follow in your future undergraduate semesters.
If you qualify for a federal Direct Loan and wish to accept for the first time, you must complete Direct Loan entrance counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) online to accept the loan(s):
- Entrance Counseling external website
- Ensures that you (as the student) understands your rights and responsibilities for the loan.
- Master Promissory Note external website
- Serves as an authorization to borrow and promise to repay through the Direct Loan program.
Wilkes University’s Office of Student Financial Services will receive electronic notification that you have completed the requirements.
Parents should not complete the requirements on your behalf. This federal requirement is designed to help you understand your rights and repayment responsibilities.
Note: Although the maximum borrowing potential for the academic year for a first-year student is $5,500, the 1.057% loan fee referenced elsewhere will result in a net loan amount of $5,442. You’re responsible for repaying the entire amount you borrowed and not just the amount you received.
Decline Your Federal Student Loan(s)
You are not required to accept your federal student loan(s) should you not need the funding. To decline all or part of your federal direct student loans, please send an email from your Wilkes student email to financialaid@wilkes.edu email link with the subject "Decline Student Direct Loans."
In your email, please include the following three details:
- The loan type(s) (subsidized and/or unsubsidized).
- The amount to decline, whether declining for the semester or academic year.
- Your Wilkes Identification Number (WIN).
You need to send an email each academic year that you would like to decline your loan(s).
Parents are NOT able to decline or accept a student's loan(s) on the student's behalf.
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
This program allows a creditworthy parent to pursue loan assistance on your behalf. The parent (borrower) will undergo a credit check with the U.S. Department of Education.
The maximum PLUS loan amount your parent can borrow is the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid you receive. Your parent will be responsible for repaying this loan. Repayment of principal and/or interest can be deferred until after you graduate or are no longer enrolled at least half-time.
Learn more about Direct PLUS loans for Parents external website
Interest Rate (Fixed)
Interest is additional money that you pay to a lender as a cost of borrowing money. Direct Loans are "daily interest" loans. On daily interest loans, interest accrues (adds up) every day.
Loan Fee
The loan fee is a percentage of the loan amount and is proportionately deducted from each loan disbursement. This is the amount charged to process a new loan application.
The interest rate and loan fee are determined and announced by the federal government on July 1 of each year.
How to Apply
- To complete the Parent PLUS loan application on studentaid.gov external website, your parent must log in using the parent FSA ID (not your student FSA ID).
- Your parent should apply between June 1 and Aug. 1 to ensure adequate processing time before your fall tuition balance is due. We recommend that you apply for the entire academic year to eliminate the need to submit a second application for spring semester balances, but you can also apply by semester.
- Select the correct award year or semester in which the student is enrolling; if enrolling for fall 2025, that award year would be 2025-2026.
- If additional funds are need to cover indirect costs such as transportation and personal educational related expenses, your parent can add funds to the amount requested through a Parent PLUS loan.
- Calculate the loan fee of 4.228% in your total gross loan amount to know what net loan amount will be needed. For example, a parent who borrows $5,000 in a PLUS Loan will see $4,789 disbursed to Wilkes University.
- If the application is approved, your parent must complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) external website.
Denial, Endorser, and/or Appeal
If a parent is denied a Parent PLUS Loan, the parent may either obtain an endorser (someone who does not have an adverse credit history and agrees to repay the loan if the parent does not repay it) or choose to appeal the decision and document extenuating circumstances related to the parent’s adverse credit history to the satisfaction of the U.S. Department of Education. Once either of these courses of action has been completed, the parent will also be required to complete PLUS Credit Counseling.
Please contact the Office of Student Financial Services to alert us if there is a plan to pursue a Direct PLUS Loan by obtaining an endorser or appealing the denial decision.
If a parent is denied a PLUS Loan and unable to appeal or obtain an endorser, you (the student) are automatically eligible to borrow up to an additional $4,000 in the federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan.
Private/Alternative Loans
Private student loans may be offered through private lending institutions not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or Wilkes University. A private loan allows you (with a creditworthy cosigner) or a parent of a dependent student to borrow funds for educational expenses. The applicant/cosigner will undergo a credit check with each loan lender.
In most cases, repayment of principal and/or interest can be deferred until after you graduate or are no longer attending. Terms, conditions, and interest rates vary from lender to lender. Please read each lenders disclosures.
To explore and apply for a private/alternative loan, contact your bank or credit union to discuss their educational loan options and/or review lender options at ELMSelect.com external website. This lender list is offered for your convenience; Wilkes University does not specifically endorse any particular lender on this list. Lending institutions are solely responsible for posting and updating their information to ELM Select. You are not limited to lenders on this list.
We recommend that you apply between June 1 and Aug. 1 to ensure adequate processing time before the fall tuition balance is due. We strongly suggest that you apply for the entire academic year to eliminate the need to submit a second application for spring semester balances. Allow two to four weeks of processing time once the lender has notified Wilkes University of your eligibility.
If you need to cover indirect costs, such as books and course materials (not covered by Colonels are Covered external website), supplies, and transportation, you can add funds to the amount request through a loan. The maximum loan amount you or a parent can borrow is the cost of attendance minus any other financial assistance you receive.
Learn more about private loans
Outside Scholarship Opportunities
We encourage you to search for additional outside (or private) scholarships and avoid scholarship search entities that charge a fee for participation. When searching scholarships, make sure that the scholarship criteria match your college and personal attributes.
Wilkes also partners with Scholarship Universe external website to help our current students easily connect with private scholarship applications and potentially match with internal endowed scholarship opportunities. New incoming students can create an account after making their enrollment deposit.
MORE ABOUT SCHOLARSHIP Opportunities
Some additional popular, free scholarship websites include:
You may also contact local civic groups, parents’ employers, etc., to inquire about additional scholarship opportunities. The Community Foundation Locator external website can also help you find foundations in your area that may provide scholarships to students from their hometown.
If you have questions regarding Veteran Benefits, please contact our Veteran's Certifying Official in the Office of Student Financial Services:
Billing and Payment Information
The Bursar’s Office generates electronic bills each semester. Your bill will be available via the online student portal about eight weeks before each semester begins.
Tuition payments are due two weeks before the start of each semester:
- Fall 2025: Monday, Aug. 11, 2025
- Spring 2026: Monday, Dec. 29, 2025
Interactive Student Financial Checklist
For billing and payment questions, contact our Bursar’s Office:
Bursar's Office, Miller Hall | 570-408-4960 | billing@wilkes.edu email linkWilkes University Payment Plan
The Wilkes University payment plan simplifies budgeting by allowing you to divide full or partial semester balances into five equal monthly payments for the fall semester (August to December) and, if continued enrollment is desired, five equal monthly payments for the spring semester (January to May). You must enroll in the installment payment plan prior to the start of each semester.
You may use the payment plan on its own or in addition to any loan programs listed above.
There is no interest fee attached to the plan, but a $25 fee will be charged for each semester you participate in the plan.
Enrollment for the payment plan can be completed via the Wilkes Portal external website. The 2025-26 semester enrollment will open:
- Fall 2025: Wednesday, July 9, 2025
- Spring 2026: Monday, Dec. 8, 2025
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. In order for University staff to discuss or release specific academic or financial information to a family member(s), please complete the Release of Information form electronically through our registrar's office. Details will be provided at orientation.