The Student Success Fund Portal Opens January 20, 2025.
Overview of funding
WashU is committed to ensuring our students can experience a transformative and equitable experience regardless of their financial circumstances. The Student Success Fund offers access to additional funding for enrichment opportunities or emergency needs as they arise and serves as a valuable resource.
Student Success Fund eligibility
To be eligible for the Student Success Fund a student must:
| Be a full-time undergraduate student | |
| Have demonstrated need, identified by Student Financial Services | |
| Be able to provide documentation of the expense | |
| Provide an itemized receipt of each purchase |
Deadlines & important information
| Monday, January 20, 2025: Student Success Fund Application Portal Opens |
Thursday, April 17: Deadline to submit application for spring
Friday, April 18: Student Success Fund Application portal closes
Friday, May 2: Deadline to upload supporting documentation
Friday, May 16: Deadline to upload itemized receipts for all payments received during the spring semester
Supporting Documentation
Supporting documents must also be uploaded upon submission of your application. Examples of acceptable supporting documents include the following:
- Study abroad acceptance letters*
- Screenshot of student organization dues/fees*
- Invoices
- Written quotes*
- Itemized receipts
Applications that have been submitted with one of the above documents will be considered “Complete” and the status will be updated to Under Review.
Applications that are missing supporting documents will be considered “Incomplete” and their status will remain as Applied. You will have two weeks from the time your application is submitted to upload your documents. If your documents remain missing after (2) weeks, the status of your application will be changed to Fully Denied and you will need to resubmit your request after your supporting documents are readily available.
*Please note that if you apply with supporting documents other than an itemized receipt (e.g. letters, estimates, screenshots, etc.), you will have (2) weeks from the time you receive your payment to upload the itemized receipt that confirms your actual purchase or use of the SSF funds provided.
Failure to submit the missing itemized receipt will cause you to be ineligible for future SSF funding.
Financial Aid Impact
It is important to note that due to federal regulations, all non-emergency requests (excludes request for emergency events and veteran’s education benefits) will undergo a review by Student Financial Services to determine if your requested funds will be considered additional financial assistance for the enrollment period and impact your current financial aid offer. If Student Financial Services determines that an adjustment is required to your financial aid, you will receive a notification from the SSF Manager with detailed information before any changes to your aid or payments are processed.
Emergency Events Include the Following:
- Unexpected and urgent medical expenses including emergency tooth extraction, replacing broken glasses, emergency room visit, and ambulance services.
- Unexpected and urgent trip home due to the death or critical illness of an immediate family member (defined parent, stepparent, grandparent, step-grandparent, sibling, stepsibling, spouse, or child).
2024 – 2025 walk-in hours
- Tuesdays: 1-3 p.m.
- Wednesdays and Fridays: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Appointments are also available upon request; please email ssf@wustl.edu
- Student Success Fund Manager office: DUC, room 330 in the TFCSS
Fund restrictions
We cannot pay for the following:
| Tuition | |
| Housing deposits/damages | |
| Housing/Rent | |
| Clothing (seasonal, shoes, etc.) | |
| Technology (including computers/laptops, phone repairs, software, etc.) | |
| Recurring bills including utilities, and cell phone bills (excludes mental health | |
| Textbooks, course fees | |
| Meal plans | |
| Taxes | |
| Study abroad (all costs except passport and visas) | |
| Bear Bucks | |
| Parking or parking tickets | |
| iPads and AirPods |
All requests should be a single payment request with the exception of mental health expenses.
Textbooks, course fees, seasonal clothing, travel, and other Cost of Attendance Items
All requests for textbooks, course fees/materials, seasonal clothing, travel and other Cost of Attendance items, must go through Student Financial Services.
Additional Information
Our funds
| Fund name | Allowed expenses |
| Brown Family Fund | Support for parents with financial need who wish to travel to Washington University events or programs involving their student/child Please send an email to ssf@wustl.edu to receive additional instructions on how to request funding. |
| Sherman Rohrbach | Travel stipends, medical expenses not covered by insurance, fees for graduate and professional school admissions tests and other expenses for experiential learning opportunities and emergency needs of undergraduate students with financial need |
| Emily and John Chen | Expenses related to the support for undergraduate students who have emergency needs and/or students who are pursuing educational experiences in China |
| Student Union Opportunity Fund | Support co-curricular expenses for students with financial need |
| Mental Health Fund | Expenses to support student mental health |
| Stephanie Brooks Dains and John Dains | Expenses in support of student emergencies and educational enrichment |
| Varsity Athletic Fund | Qualifying student-athletes can access the full student-athlete experience by removing financial barriers as allowed by the NCAA |
| Black Alumni Emergency Fund | Expenses for graduate school applications and graduate fees, emergency travel, and as a resource to support other such academic needs |