To receive federal or state financial aid funds administered by Gateway, students must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen, an eligible non-citizen or a permanent resident of the United States.
  • Be in compliance with Selective Service regulations.*
  • Have a valid Social Security Number.
  • Not be in default on any educational loan or demonstrate an unwillingness to repay any educational loan and/or owe any overpayment to Gateway Technical College or the U.S. Department of Education.
  • Complete Entrance Counseling (when requesting a student loan for the first time).
  • Complete Exit Counseling (when stopping out or graduating).
  • Complete a Financial Aid Application (FAFSA).
  • Demonstrate financial need as determined by Gateway's Financial Aid Office through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process.
  • Be accepted and active in a financial aid eligible program.
  • Meet all program admission requirements prior to the start of the semester.
  • Be enrolled at least half-time or six (6) credits a semester (except for Pell Grant consideration).
  • Only receive aid at one college per semester (most award types).
  • Maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as defined by Gateway’s Financial Aid Office.
  • For state grant eligibility, not be delinquent on payment(s) of court-ordered child support and/or maintenance.

*For state funding only.

Students can only receive aid from one institution at a time—even if enrolled at two colleges. However, in some cases, their enrollment and costs at another institution may be considered when determining financial aid eligibility at Gateway. This generally only makes a difference if you are enrolled at Gateway less than full time and are the recipient of Federal Pell Grant funds. To have credits that a student is taking from another college considered in their total credit load, they should contact the college awarding financial aid to initiate a consortium agreement.

File Completion Requirements

File Completion Definition - Receipt of all requested (required) documents needed to determine student's eligibility for financial aid. Student's file must be completed before the last date of the term in which the student last attends. Example: If a student last attends during the Fall semester, file must be completed by the last day of that term. (Files completed after the last date of the term of attendance will not be reviewed for an award.)

The official last date of the term is posted on the college's Academic Calendar.

Last day to import original FAFSA information is the last official date of the College year.

Verification Status

The verification process is a tool used to ensure accuracy and completeness of the FAFSA and to assist with proper awarding.

A student's FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) may be selected for the verification process by the Department of Education while others are selected by the college.

After filling out the FAFSA, students will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that indicates if further action will be required by the student.

  • If the SAR indicates that the student has been selected for verification, a list of required documents will be posted at My Gateway | Financial Aid | Required Documents.
  • In addition to the list of required documents on My Gateway, the Financial Aid Office will send “Missing Information” emails.
  • Changes resulting from document review may result in a correction to your SAR and may affect your Expected Family Contribution and ultimately your award. Notification of changes in an award will be through e-mail and viewable on My Gateway | Financial Aid.

Failure to provide the necessary information in a timely manner will delay processing and may limit the type and amount of aid available to the student. All worksheets and additional required documentation must be submitted by June 30 to ensure that awarding is complete prior to the beginning of the Fall and Spring term. The last date to submit required verification documents is the last day of the term you are enrolled in. (See Financial Aid Important Dates). Documents submitted after that date will not result in a Financial Aid Award.

Enrollment Status

Financial aid awards are based on enrollment status at Census Date and are subject to change based on a change in credit load. Enrollment statuses are:

  • Less than half-time: student taking less than 6 credits per semester
  • Half-time: student taking 6 - 8 credits per semester
  • 3/4-time: student taking 9 - 11 credits per semester
  • Full-time: student taking 12 or more credits per semester

Third Party Funding

Assistance from other funding sources must be reported to the Financial Aid Office. Examples of third party funding include, but are not limited to, Department of Vocational Training (DVR), Veteran Benefits, TAA/TRA, Scholarships and Employer Tuition Reimbursement.

Financial aid information is subject to change at any time due to changes in federal, state or sponsoring agency regulations. Financial aid and other services and benefits offered by the Wisconsin Technical College System Board and Gateway Technical College are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis as required by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Governor's Executive Order #9, and Executive Order 11236 as amended by Governor's Order #9, as set forth in the College's Affirmative Action Plan.