With the Wisconsin state budget yet to be decided, stressful times may lie ahead for University of Wisconsin students in need of financial support from the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant.

The Wisconsin budget was set to pass July 1, yet almost two and a half months later, there has been little progress and no sign as to when a budget will be passed.

While legislators have been feeling pressure from several groups to pass a budget soon, time is also running out for students on the WHEG wait list — tuition for this semester is due Sept. 21.

According to state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, of all the groups depending on the budget, students are taking the worst hit.

"[The budget] will have impacts on Wisconsin life, and those impacts will come soon enough," Black said. "The students are the first victims."

If students do not get these grants soon, Black said, there could be serious consequences.

"Some students will have to drop out or take out larger loans," Black said. "These are low-income students — these grants are based on needs."

UW System spokesperson David Giroux said for some students, WHEG is a make-or-break deal concerning their education, and many students in the UW System are still waiting to hear the news.

"From last Thursday, the number of pending awards was for 4,708 students," Giroux said.

Giroux reported there are only 349 UW-Madison students on the WHEG waiting list, as opposed to the 965 still waiting at UW-Milwaukee.

According to Giroux, the financial aid these students are requesting is not a want but a need.

"The average reception is from a family income that receives $27,000 per year," Giroux said.

However, state Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, who is in support of the WHEG program, said the previous allotted amount of $40 million for student aid has remained unchanged.

"There is money for students who have applied," Suder said. "Anyone in the university [system] saying there have been cuts or financial aid is at a risk is a lie. The money from two years ago is there."

Susan Fischer, director of student financial services, said it is hard to know how much funding to give students until the budget has been decided.

"The problem is, until the legislators decide on $39 million or $59 million, we don’t know when to open the gate or by how much," Fisher said.

Republican legislators are pushing for $39 million, while Democrats favor $59 million.

Students may have to start seeking alternatives, as it is unlikely the budget will be complete before the Sept. 21 tuition due date, Suder said.

"Anything is possible, but the two sides are a light-year apart," he added. "Realistically the budget won’t be done before Oct. 1."