Student Financial Aid

Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA)

The Office of Student Financial Aid is responsible for awarding financial aid to all undergraduate, special, graduate, and professional students across campus. The OSFA is committed to providing equitable access to financial resources for all students while supporting the enrollment goals of the University and the educational values of Wisconsin. The OSFA administers over $480 million in federal, state, institutional, and private aid annually. UW–Madison‘s philosophical approach to institutional aid awarding is to award first and most those with the highest financial need using a standardized federal methodology that reduces application burdens for students and families.  Over the last several years, OSFA has launched several access programs for Wisconsin residents, including Badger Promise, Bucky’s Tuition Promise and Bucky’s Pell Pathway, all aimed at serving underserved and under-resourced residents. Future goals include expanding this level of support to our highest-need domestic non-resident students (e.g. non-resident Pell recipients). In addition to awarding financial aid and ensuring federal, state, and institutional compliance, the OSFA engages in community outreach to increase access to higher education and provides services for success to current students including coaching, mentorship, basic needs support, and numerous workshops. The Director of Student Financial Aid, Helen Faith, was recently elected to serve as the 2023-24 National Chair of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). In this role, she will oversee the work of the NASFAA board, committees, and task forces. She will be the first National Chair from the state of Wisconsin.

OSFA’s priority is to support students using financial and other resources in accessing and navigating higher education.