About Financial Aid Opportunities
For most students planning to attend college or career school, financial aid is essential. Applying for financial aid is a crucial first step toward college and career training. Completing a financial aid application opens more options for the future.
Financial aid is money to help pay for college or career school. Grants, work-study, loans, and scholarships help make college or career school affordable.
College financial aid falls into three main categories: federal, state, and private. https://youtu.be/Pn4OECMTh5w
Grants: A grant is a form of financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund, or you receive a TEACH Grant and don’t complete your service obligation).
Scholarships: Many nonprofit and private organizations offer scholarships to help students pay for college or career school. This type of aid, which is sometimes based on academic merit, talent, or a particular area of study, can make a real difference in helping you manage your education expenses.
Work-Study Jobs: The Federal Work-Study Program allows you to earn money to pay for school by working part-time.
Your total work-study award depends on
- when you apply,
- your level of financial need, and
- your school’s funding level.
Loans: A loan is money you borrow and must pay back with interest. If you apply for financial aid, you may be offered loans as part of your school’s financial aid offer. When you receive a student loan, you are borrowing money to attend a college or career school. You must repay the loan as well as interest that accrues.
Federal student aid (scholarships)
from the Department of Education covers such expenses as tuition and fees, housing and food, books and supplies, and transportation. Thousands of schools across the country participate in federal student aid programs. Eligibility is usually determined by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
State student aid (scholarships)
Funded by individual states.
Eligibility is usually determined by completing the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA).
May prioritize students attending in-state colleges.
Institutional Scholarships
An institutional scholarship is a need or merit-based type of financial aid awarded by higher education institutes.
Private Scholarships
Funded by private organizations, companies, or individuals.
May have specific eligibility criteria based on factors like academic achievement, community involvement, or a particular field of study.
Often require separate applications to different organizations.
What is FAFSA?
Colleges and career schools use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to determine how much financial aid you are eligible to receive, which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans. Learn more:
Steps to Apply to FAFSA
Steps to complete before starting the Application Process for FAFSA:
Steps to Begin FAFSA Application (English) | Pasos para iniciar solicitud de FAFSA (Español)
Step 1
Create a StudentAid.gov account
Step 2
- Your parents’ SSNs if they have SSNs and you’re a dependent student
- Tax returns
- Records of child support received
- Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
- Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms
Resources
- In the online FAFSA form, select the question mark icon next to a FAFSA question to view a “tool tip” that provides information about how to answer that question.
- Visit the “FAFSA Help” to find answers to common questions. (In the online form, chat with Aidan, the virtual assistant.)
- Chat with, email, or find a phone number for the Federal Student Aid Information Center.
- Contact the financial aid office at the college or career/trade school you plan to attend.
- Applying for Financial Aid (Video)
- FAFSA
- College Success Foundation
The FAFSA form is FREE, if a website asks you to pay to fill it out, you’re not dealing with the official FAFSA site. Remember, this is a government application, so it’s on a .gov website.
FAFSA Application Process FAQs
You’ll need your Social Security number (or an alien registration number if you’re not a U.S. citizen), your family’s tax forms, bank statements, and any income information. If your parents are helping you, they’ll need this info too. Federal Student Aid
The FAFSA typically opens every year on October 1. The 2025/26 FAFSA form is now open. For the 2025-26 school year, students can begin applying for aid in December 2024.
Yes. The FAFSA deadline for the 2024-2025 academic year is June 30, 2025. This means that students have until June 30, 2025, to file their FAFSA application for the 2024-2025 school year.
Yes, you can. To make corrections, log into your FAFSA account using your FSA ID and correct or update your information as needed. Note that all changes for the 2045-25 FAFSA are due by Sept. 14, 2025.
If you submitted a paper FAFSA, you’ll need to resubmit a new paper FAFSA through the mail to make corrections.
Yes! You need to fill it out every year to keep getting help for school. Your family’s income or school costs might change, so you’ll need to update the information.
What is WASFA?
The Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) is for people who don’t file a federal FAFSA application. People who complete a WASFA are applying for state aid. There are various reasons to complete a WASFA instead of a FAFSA:
A person may not be eligible for federal aid due to:
- Citizenship or immigration status, including being undocumented
- Defaulted federal student loans.
- Repayments owed on federal grants.
Steps to Apply to WASFA
Preliminary
Complete the questionnaire to confirm if WASFA is the correct application for you
Step 1
Begin the application process for WASFA
Step 2
Prepare documents for filling WASFA
WASFA Application Process FAQs
If you have completed the FAFSA, you have already applied for federal and state financial aid and do not need to complete the WASFA unless your college asks you to. A person should complete the WASFA if they are undocumented or do not qualify for federal financial aid because of their immigration status.
Eligibility requirements include:
- Must have graduated from a Washington high school or obtained a GED® (or will do so before beginning college)
- Must have lived in Washington for three years prior to, and continuously since, earning a high school diploma or equivalent.
College Success Foundation Financial Aid Hub