Financial Aid
The FAFSA can be filled out only on FAFSA. It opens on October 1 of the student’s senior year of high school.
To fill out the FAFSA, first create an FSA ID.
The student will have an FSA ID and the parent will have a separate FSA ID. The student and parent cannot share an email address. This step can be completed before the FAFSA opens.
Determine your FAFSA Parent
For a full explanation, see Filling Out the FAFSA: Reporting Parent Information on studentaid.ed.gov.
Gather the Necessary Documents
See the full list on Filling out the FAFSA: Gathering the Documents Needed to Apply. You will need documents from the prior prior tax year. If your student will start college in 2022, then you will need 2020 tax information.
Fill out the FAFSA online on studentaid.gov
The FAFSA will open on October 1 every year. You will be able to save your progress and return.
Many families are able to use the IRS Retrieval tool which pulls tax return information from IRS records and populates the form.
FAFSA Tips
- Before you attempt to fill out the FAFSA, locate the parent’s prior prior year tax return. If the student anticipates starting college in the 2019-2020 school year, the FAFSA will use the 2017 tax return information. “Prior prior” indicates that the tax year used is two years prior to the starting year.
- Be sure that the student information is in the student fields and the parent information is in the parent fields.
- If you get stuck, don’t give up. Try the following resources:
- Filling Out the FAFSA on studentaid.ed.gov
- FAFSA Help Line 1.800.433.3243 Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 am-11:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday 11:00 am- 5:00 pm
- Other resources on Financial Aid Toolkit
Why do the FAFSA if you don’t think you will qualify for need-based aid?
There are a few reasons why families who can pay for all/ most of college still fill out the FAFSA:
- Some colleges require it even for merit scholarships.
- Some families, even if they can pay for college, have their students take out the minimum Direct Unsubsidized Loan so that they have some investment in the process and start to establish credit.
- The student may be eligible for work-study and the FAFSA is the only way to qualify.
- If circumstances change, it is much easier for a financial aid office to formulate a package if the student is already in the system. Then it is a revision rather than starting from scratch.
Forecasting FAFSA Information
It is never too early to start figuring out about what the FAFSA formulas will yield. Keep in mind that the FAFSA information will be forwarded to colleges; the FAFSA does not ‘give’ money itself.
1. The FAFSA Aid Estimator
The online Estimator asks a series of questions and estimates your eligibility for federal student aid.
2. EFC Calculator
The College Board’s EFC Calculator is regarded as the most accurate in estimating what your Expected Family Contribution will be. Keep in mind that most people are shocked by their EFCs.
3. Work Out Your Own EFC (more difficult option but it could pay off!)
StudentAid.ed.gov’s EFC Worksheet is a bit complicated, but it will help you work through your information similar to how the FAFSA & FAFSA processing will. Be aware that the PDF has many components and using it may be confusing. At the time of this posting, the worksheet is for the 2023-24 award year.
- View or download the EFC Formula Worksheet from StudentAid.ed.gov.
- Figure out which worksheet you will need by reading starting on page 2. Most families will use the Formula A Worksheet on pages 9-12, and some will use the Simplified Formula A worksheet on pages 13-16.
- Fill out the worksheet as directed. This is not a form that will be sent in. It is merely a worksheet to give you an idea of what you might be expected to pay and to show how the FAFSA and colleges calculate your EFC. Going through this process, though laborious, will demystify the FAFSA and help you later when you are comparing financial aid offers.
What is WASFA?
WASFA stands for the Washington Application for State Financial Aid. This financial aid application is for students who are not eligible to file a FAFSA because of immigration or citizenship status. This allows a college to offer WA State and college financial aid.
Do I fill out the FAFSA or WASFA?
Look at the chart to the right. If you aren’t sure, go ahead and start the WASFA. At the end of a few questions, it will tell you whether to continue the WASFA or switch to FAFSA.
How do I fill out the WASFA?
The WASFA is made available to seniors each year on October 1 at the website https://wsac.wa.gov/wasfa. At the bottom of this page, there is a WASFA Instructions slide show to walk you through the process.
What information do I need to fill it out?
The WASFA asks for student and parent information, including your legal name, date of birth, address and your financial situation.
If you filed taxes, you will need your tax return, W-2s, records of untaxed income, and related information. Your tax return will be from the prior-prior year, meaning that if you are applying for the 2021-2022 school year, the application will ask for 2019 income tax information.
When is the WASFA due?
Each college has a different financial aid priority deadline, so look those up for each college. We suggest you do it soon after it opens on October 1, preferably by December. Financial aid is awarded on a first come, first serve basis until it runs out for the year. Even if you miss a college’s priority deadline, apply.
What colleges does it work for?
The WASFA works for nearly all accredited colleges in Washington State. It does not work for colleges in other states.
How do colleges get my information?
You can list up to 10 schools on the WASFA. WASFA will send a summary of the information to the colleges you list.
Do I need to do anything else?
The WASFA is your main step for financial aid, but you need to do all of the other college application steps, including applying to the college(s) and doing the Naviance steps so that Interlake can send materials.
When will I know what colleges are offering?
As long as your WASFA is complete and you are admitted to the school, you should get a financial aid award letter in the spring. Many colleges ask for additional information, so watch for emails after you apply to the college(s) and complete the WASFA.
