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College Application Playlist

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Everyone needs good vibes in the last few days before a deadline, so we've put together a college application playlist to tell you how we feel about your application and to give you some motivational melodies this Valentine's Day weekend.

Fair warning: all links lead to YouTube. Good news: none of the links take you to a song that’s hard to listen to. Except that one.

The College Application Playlist

We’ve got 15 songs for the Feb. 15 deadline. Good luck with your application, and we’ll see you on the other side!

  1. One Direction: What Makes You Beautiful (Having a strong academic focus makes you beautiful to us.)
  2. Bruno Mars: Just the Way You Are (You don’t need to change for EWU.)
  3. The Doors: Hello, I Love You (We love it when you apply!)
  4. Tegan and Sara: Come a Little Closer (By closer, we mean “on campus for a tour.”)
  5. Aretha Franklin: Respect (We give every application the respect it deserves.)
  6. Depeche Mode: Just Can’t Get Enough (We get thousands of applications each year, but we can always handle more.)
  7. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: Home (EWU is home to nearly 13,000 students, and we’re happy you want to be one.)
  8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Maps (You can find a map for your campus visit right here.)
  9. Etta James: At Last (We still love you even if you’re applying at the last possible moment.)
  10. Bright Eyes: First Day of My Life (College is always a great new adventure, and we hope you love the journey, wherever it takes you.)
  11. The Jackson Five: I Want You Back (Hundreds of EWU students come back for master’s degrees, online classes, summer classes, certificates, and second bachelor’s degrees. Those folks have a special place in our hearts.)
  12. Richard Marx: Right Here Waiting (Our staff is definitely right here waiting to read your application.)
  13. Adele: Make You Feel My Love (As a sign of our love, we’ll send you dozens of emails until we receive your completed application.)
  14. Hunter Hayes: I Want Crazy (We actually want “crazy hard-working and crazy fun-loving”, but this was as good as we could do.)
  15. Mates of State: Palomino (There’s no pun here. We just like this song.)

Deadline Reminder

Your application for admission, your scholarship application, and your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are all due at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15. Good luck!

P.S. EWU’s FAFSA code is 003775.

Waitlisted in California?

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EWU with WUE is the best out-of-state value of all Washington state universities

You may have seen the news: 472,000 students have been waitlisted for community colleges in California.

To put that number in perspective, that’s bigger than the entire population of cities like Kansas City, Atlanta, Minneapolis, St. Louis or Oakland. It’s almost as many people as the entire state of Wyoming. In fact, it’s bigger than a handful of countries in the world, including Iceland and the Bahamas.

Put another way, you could take all those waitlisted students in California and create 38 universities the same size as Eastern Washington University.

Why is this happening?

There  are a few big reasons.

  1. Lots of smart students in California want a college-degree because it means a chance for more and better jobs. According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data, only 3.8 percent of college graduates over the age of 25 are unemployed. In comparison, the unemployment rate for the whole country is 7.7 percent.
  2. Even as more people want to go to college, the California state government is cutting its budget for colleges and universities. That means California colleges can’t admit all the qualified students who want to attend.
  3. Many of these students are low-income and first-generation, and it’s often harder for them to find cost-effective alternatives.

WUE in Washington state can help

Thankfully, some schools do have room for students, and EWU is one them.

If you’re a student from California, you should know that EWU offers the Western Undergraduate Exchange program to all students from California and 13 other states.

You might also want to know that EWU is the best value of all Washington state universities for out-of-state students.

University 2012-13 WUE Tuition & Fees
Eastern Washington University $11,306
Central Washington University $12,890
The Evergreen State College $20,383
University of Washington (Bothell) $29,466
University of Washington (Seattle) $29,938
University of Washington (Tacoma) $29,457
Washington State University* $25,382
Western Washington University* $19,152

 

*WWU and WSU don’t award WUE to all eligible students.

All qualified students should have access to college

A greater percentage of first generation and low-income students call EWU home than any other campus in Washington, and we’re still accepting applications.

Students need to find the college that’s the right fit for them, and EWU might be that place.

 

I’m admitted, but where’s my financial aid?

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It’s the time of year when students worry less about admissions and more about financial aid, and because you’ve got questions, we’ve put together some answers.

But First … You’ve Got Time

Relax. Do some yoga. Find your inner Zen.

You have until May 1 to confirm your admissions to EWU. In fact, you have until May 1 to confirm your decision to attend any Washington state university, so there’s no pressure on you to make a choice based on incomplete information.

The one exception to the rule: if you’ve been asked to send more information, send it as quickly as possible. This is a federal requirement and we will not be able to make your award until the information on your FAFSA is verified.

Look for EWU Financial Aid Awards in April

Check your Eagles email often. (Setting up your Eagles email was Step 4 in the enrollment process.) It’s the fastest way to see if we’ve sent your award.

If you haven’t received notification by the end of the month, give us a call.

Why Does EWU Send Awards in April?

Well, there are few good reasons, and the biggest is that EWU doesn’t send preliminary awards.

Other colleges sometimes get caught in a “bait and switch” situation by offering estimated awards. Unfortunately, many of these estimated awards end up being less than stated after your FAFSA information is verified and corrected.

EWU works hard to avoid that problem and to provide the most accurate information possible.

How Can I Estimate How Much EWU Will Cost to Attend?

There are three ways.

  1. Use EWU’s net price calculator.
  2. Compare overall tuition and cost via our website.
  3. Compare net prices in the table below. The data comes from the White House Score Card. The net price is what average undergraduate students pay after grants and scholarships (financial aid you don’t have to pay back) are subtracted from the cost of attendance.
    University Net Price
    Eastern Washington University $10,587
    Central Washington University $13,775
    The Evergreen State College $11,686
    University of Washington—Seattle $8,739
    Washington State University $15,485
    Western Washington University $13,086
What If I Still Have Questions?

Give us call at 509.359.2397, chat with us online, or send an email to admissions@ewu.edu. We’re here to help, and we can point you in the right direction

I missed the priority deadline? Now what?

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A record number of applications arrived on Feb. 15 this year, and that means more and more students waited until the absolute last minute to apply.

Unfortunately, many students who wait end up missing the priority application deadline, which means they’re at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving an admission decision, receiving scholarships, and receiving financial aid.

If you missed the deadline, here’s what you can do.

  1. Apply for admission as soon as possible. The sooner you get your application submitted, the better. Your place in the queue is determined by the date you completed your online application. (Or the date we received your application via the mail if you used the paper application.) This can affect how quickly we can process your application, how soon your college-level transcripts get reviewed, and more.
  2. Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). EWU allocates financial aid with a priority given to students who applied before the Feb. 15 priority deadline, but you may still qualify for financial aid. Although EWU has had the lowest tuition and lowest housing costs of any public university in the state for the last several years, we know that students can always use grants, work study, and loans to help them cover the costs of tuition. Use Eastern’s school code (003775) to indicate that you want your FAFSA results sent to Eastern.
  3. Research Scholarships. You may have missed the deadline for EWU’s main scholarships, but the university has dozens of scholarships with deadlines spread throughout the year. You may qualify for one or more of them.

You always have options. And if you really don’t know what to do, give us a call at 509.359.2397, email us at admissions@ewu.edu, or chat with us online. We’ll help you explore your options and make a decision that’s best for you. After all, it’s not our job to get you to come to EWU. It’s our job to help you find the best options and the best fit for your situation.

Valentine's Day Playlists

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If you’re working on your application (we love it if you are!), you probably need some music to power you through the process and the holiday. Even if your application is done and all you’re doing is noshing on chocolate hearts, a little music might be a good thing.

Just a warning: all the links take you to YouTube, so make sure you’re not blasting in the school library.

The Love Stinks Playlist

This list is for all of us celebrating the holiday by congratulating ourselves on how much money we saved by not buying roses or cologne. No worries: you can always fall in love with EWU.

We’re not saying we like all the music on this list. At least we wouldn’t say that publicly. But you know, maybe we listen to it sometimes. You know. Just ’cause we need it.

  1. “Baby” – Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris
  2. “Chasing Cars” – Snow Patrol
  3. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper
  4. “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor
  5. “I’m Ridin’ Solo” – Jason Derulo
  6. “Love Stinks” – J. Geils Band
  7. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – Joy Division
  8. “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele
  9. “Since U Been Gone” – Kelly Clarkson
  10. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” – Beyonce
  11. “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ ” – Nancy Sinatra
  12. “The Wanderer” – Dion
  13. “What Makes You Beautiful” – One Direction
  14. “You’re Beautiful” – James Blunt
  15. “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon
  16. “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” – Righteous Brothers

The So-in-Love Playlist

Happy Valentine’s Day! Some parts of this list are a bit less conventional or a bit newer, and some parts are downright cheesy, but love is special and sometimes cheesy, so your music should be, too.

Good luck with your application to EWU! By the way: we hope you love “Beta Love” by Ra Ra Riot as much as we do. It’s our early forerunner for song and album of the year.

  1. “40 Day Dream” – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
  2. “Beta Love” – Ra Ra Riot 
  3. “Boyfriend” – Best Coast
  4. “Crazy in Love” – Beyonce ft. Jay Z
  5. “Cupid’s Chokehold” – Gym Class Heroes
  6. “Digital Love” – Daft Punk
  7. “Hero” – Enrique Iglesias
  8. “Love Potion No. 9” – The Searchers
  9. “Lovebug” – Jonas Brothers
  10. “Lucky” – Jason Mraz ft. Colbie Caillat
  11. “Never Gonna Give You Up” – Rick Astley (insert obligatory Rick roll comment)
  12. “Powa” – tUnE-yArDs
  13. “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” – Talking Heads
  14. “Transatlanticism” – Death Cab for Cutie
  15.  “Unforgettable” – Nat “King” Cole and Natalie Cole

Deadline Reminder

Your application for admission, your scholarship application, and your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are all due at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15.

P.S. EWU’s FAFSA code is 003775.