You have received your financial aid notice. Now what should you do? We assume that you will accept all aid awarded to you and it will be applied automatically to your university charges. However, if you want to decline specific funding or reduce the amount of your funding, there are instructions on this page to help you do that.

How to Accept Your Financial Aid Offer

Accepting financial aid carries certain rights and responsibilities. When you are awarded financial aid, it is assumed that you will read and understand the terms and conditions of your aid and your rights and responsibilities, as specified here and in Required Reading, and that you agree to the certifications.

Learn as much as you can about your aid package and know in advance what is expected of you in terms of your enrollment and academic progress. If you have questions, please contact us for assistance.

How to Decline or Reduce Funding

To decline or reduce your funding, first log into Wolverine Access and follow one of these paths:

  • New & Prospective Students: You may not decline or reduce funding until you have received an official financial aid notice, which typically occurs after you submit additional documents to our office and your application is reviewed. Then you may use Wolverine Access to decline or reduce your funding. After logging in to the Wolverine Access New and Prospective Student Business page, select New & Prospective Student Center > Accept/Decline Financial Aid.
  • Current Students: After logging in to the Wolverine Access Student Business page, select Student Center > Financial Aid > Aid Year > Awards > Accept/Decline.

About Your Loans

If you want to reduce or decline a loan after you have already received the funds, contact our office right away. You have 60 days after the loan is disbursed to make adjustments through the Office of Financial Aid. After that time, you will need to work with your loan servicer to pay down borrowed amounts. Students must personally decline or reduce their funding; parents cannot do this for a student. Parents of dependent students who have a Federal Direct PLUS Loan may send an email or letter to our office asking to have the PLUS loan reduced or canceled.

Accepting Admission to the University

The U-M financial aid funding process is separate from admission to the university. In order to accept your admission to U-M, notify the office that admitted you (e.g., Undergraduate Admissions, Rackham, etc.) by paying your enrollment deposit.