Updated November 7, 2025
Find answers to frequently asked financial aid questions:
Financial Aid will begin disbursing on January 7, 2026 for students who completed all of their outstanding items. It is not too late to complete the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.gov.
Make sure you have checked Wingspan for any outstanding items for the 2025-2026 award year and submit items to the Office of Financial Aid (Wingspan, Financial Aid card, My Financial Aid, Financial Aid Dashboard, choose appropriate Award Year, Home). Due to the volume of paperwork we receive, it can take us several weeks to review your information so please submit it NOW.
Paperwork can be submitted securely through Wingspan, dropped by the Office of Financial Aid, or sent by fax to 803/323-2557. You can also mail your documents. If you choose to scan and e-mail to finaid@winthrop.edu, instead of document upload, we suggest you black out any private information like Social Security Numbers, because e-mail is not considered secure.
To submit documents through Wingspan, after logging in to Wingspan, locate the Financial Aid - Upload Docs card to upload your document(s).
Learn more about other funding options such as Parent PLUS Loan and Private Loan.
The 2026-2027 FAFSA is now open. Financial Aid offers for incoming freshmen and transfers begin by late February 2026. Students admitted after this date are packaged on an ongoing basis (allow approximately 2 weeks after you are admitted to receive your aid offer). You will receive an e-mail when your aid offer is available to view in Wingspan. Financial aid offers for returning students, readmitted students, WinthropLIFE students, and all graduate students will be made by late June 2026.
Students taking classes at Winthrop this summer may be eligible for financial aid. Summer is part of the 2025/2026 academic year so it will depend on what aid has already been used in fall 2025 and/or spring 2026. Students will need to complete and submit the Summer Financial Aid Application when it is available in early April 2026.
Winthrop University has an emergency fund for students experiencing sudden financial hardship. Access the application.
