Options for Paying Your Bill

To view your account statement…

• Log into Goldlink.
• Locate the Paying for College Card.
• Select Student Bill Inquiry and Payment Options.
• Review your current balance after estimated financial aid.

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is used to determine your eligibility for federal and state grants, like the Pell Grant and Access Missouri. You must also complete the FAFSA to receive subsidized and unsubsidized student loans.

You can still complete your FASFA at any time during the academic year.  Apply online at studentaid.gov.

Financial aid can be held because of outstanding requirements like completing a master promissory note, not turning in final transcripts to admissions or needing to turn in verification documents like taxes or W2s.

Check your Goldlink to see if you have unsatisfied requirements.

How?

• Log into Goldlink.
• Locate the Financial Aid Card.
• Select Visit Financial Aid Self-Service.
• Select the appropriate award year (top of page).
• If you see a outstanding requirements…take action.
• If you have questions…we are here to help.

Keep in mind, your aid will not be applied to your account balance until all requirements have been satisfied. 

Check Goldlink to see if we have received your private scholarship or have confirmation of payment from your third party provider (i.e. Voc Rehab, a military source, employer, etc.).

How?

• Log into Goldlink.
• Locate the Financial Aid Card.
• Select Visit Financial Aid Self-Service.
• Select the appropriate award year (top of page).
• Select Award Offer.

If you do not see your funding listed, contact your donor or third party provider.

Please note, Missouri Western does not consider outside funding as payment toward your account until it is received.

Federal student loans must be repaid with interest and there are limits to the amount you can borrow. Before you accept, make sure to consider how much you are borrowing and what repayment will look like in the future.

First, decide if and how much you need to accept.

How?

• Log into Goldlink.
• Locate the Paying for College card.
• Select Student Bill Inquiry, Payment Options.
• Review your current balance after estimated financial aid.

If you need to borrow….here’s how. 

• Log into Goldlink.
• Locate the Financial Aid card.
• Select Visit Financial Aid Self-Service.
• Select the appropriate award year (top of page).
• Answer Questions from the Financial Aid Office if you haven’t already.
• Select Offer to view your aid.
• Accept Loans using the drop-down options in the Loans box. (You are accepting for the full year so you will want to double the amount you need to borrow for the fall.)

If you are a first-time borrower, you must also complete a Master Promissory Note and Entrance Loan Counseling on studentaid.gov. You will need your FSA ID to access the site.

Parents of dependent undergraduate students have the opportunity to apply for a PLUS loan. More about PLUS loans

To apply for a PLUS loan, your parent should…

• Go to studentaid.gov.
• Select Loans and Grants.
• Select the PLUS Loan: Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS.
• Log in using their FSA ID.
• Complete the application. (Note: The financial aid office will be notified the next business day.)

If your parent is approved, they can borrow to help cover your remaining balance.

Make sure they:

• Complete a Master Promissory Note (MPN) on studentaid.gov.

If your parent is not approved, you may borrow up to an additional $4,000 under the federal student loan program.

Missouri Western allows students to make monthly payments throughout the semester by enrolling in a payment plan. More information about payment plans.

How to sign up…

• Log into Goldlink.
• Locate the Paying for College card.
• Select Student Bill Inquiry and Payment Options.
• Select Enroll in a Payment Plan.
• Select the term.
• Select a payment plan.
• Review your payment schedule.
• Set up or decline automatic payments from your bank account.
• Agree to the terms of your payment plan.

Getting a job is a great way to meet other students and gain real life work experience.

It’s also a great way to help fund your education.

If you need to find your Federal Work Study eligibility…here’s how.

• Log into Goldlink.
• Locate the Financial Aid card.
• Select Visit Financial Aid Self-Service.
• Select the appropriate award year (top of page).
• Select Offer to view your aid.
• In the Work box you should see Federal Work Study Eligibility.
  • If you have an amount listed, you are eligible for Federal Work Study.
  • If you do not have an amount listed, you can still apply for jobs that don’t require Federal Work Study eligibility.

Apply Today

Missouri Western advises students to borrow Federal student loans before looking at private loan options and will not make recommendations regarding specific private lenders. Why?

Private Loans…

• usually have higher interest rates;
• do not offer loan forgiveness or income based repayment; and
• may require you to have a parent or family member cosign the loan.

When researching private student loans make sure to consider…

Interest Rate

Check to see where you can get the best interest rate and be aware of whether your interest rate is fixed or variable. A cosigner with good credit can help you to get a lower interest rate.

Repayment Period

This is the amount of time that you have to repay the loan. Keep in mind that you may need to start repayment soon after you graduate or stop attending.

Interest Payments

Some private loan companies ask you to pay the interest on your loans while you are in school, some allow you to have the interest deferred, and some may have other options, like paying a specific amount per month while in school. Keep in mind that paying any amount toward your interest will help to reduce the total amount you pay over time.

Before you apply for private student loan funds, take a minute to think about how much you need, and can afford to borrow.

Access Missouri Western’s Historical Lender and MOFELP Loan Options

The lenders included in Missouri Western’s historical list have all made a loan for a student at Missouri Western within the last 3 years. Missouri Western does not have any agreements with these lenders, nor do we receive any benefits when a student selects a specific lender. The lenders names are provided in random rotating order. If you wish to use an alternative lender that is not on this list, you are encouraged to do so.