Financial Aid Information

Financial Aid Information
How to pay for post high school education!

Click here for PPT link

Presented by - Equity and Family Partnership Department

Purpose of Information Session

• Explain what are some post-high school education options.
• Learn what types of Financial Aid are available for students going to college/universities.
• Explain the difference between types of aids – grants, student loans and scholarships
• Learn what FAFSA and WASFA are, and how to apply
• Learn about the timeline to apply for college financial aid
• Learn about the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program (WAGAP)

Post High School Options

• Attend a college or university (Bachelor's degree - usually 4-year program)
  • Public University – tuition costs are supported by the state of Washington, generally more affordable
  • Private College/University – tuition costs are generally higher, may be affiliated with a religious organization, may offer more financial aid
• Attend community college or technical college
  • Associate’s degree – usually a 2-year program
  • Earn certificate or credentials for certain career
• Enlist in military service
• Get a job

Cost of college - factors to consider

• Tuition for the classes (depends on how many classes/credits taking per quarter or semester)
• Books and other fees

• Room (dorm or apartment)
• Meal plan at dorm or other meal costs
• Other expenses (travel home to visit family, gas, parking, school supplies, entertainment)

Factors that determine the cost of tuition

Methods to pay for college/university

• Grants  
• Scholarships 
• Student loans 
• Work study 
• Out of pocket – student or family pay for college or university costs

What is a grant?

• Need based on income
• Money from the federal, state or school institution based on financial need
• Does not need to be repaid (unless student drops out or withdraw from the school)
• Example: Pell Grant

What is work-study?

• Work offered to students who have financial need
• Certain jobs are held for students with financial need (students work while attending school)
• Offered based on income
• Can be federal, state or from the college/institution

What is a loan?

• Federal or private loans that are income based
• Must be paid back
• Interest rates will vary

What is a scholarship?

• Students can apply for and received scholarships from various institutions. (See resources page to start looking for scholarship eligibility and applications)
• Can be merit-based, income-based or other
• Many sources of scholarships
• Can apply from public, private or nonprofit sources
• List of resources at the end of this document
• School's College and Career website has links for scholarships

Applying for Financial Aid

• FAFSA and WASFA are two financial aid applications based on income.
• WSOS and College Bound are scholarships based on need and academic readiness.

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

• Free application form students can complete to see what aid (loans, grants, and other financial aid) 
• By filling out this application, you may be eligible for federal government grants but may also be offered student loans and work study/student employment. 
• Academic achievement not important, only based on financial need (income based).
• Who can apply? Students who are U.S. citizens or legal residents (green card holders). Check if non-citizen category is eligible.
• Parent legal status does not matter, only the student's legal status.
• When? Students can start filling out the form starting December 31st this year.  The aid will be offered for the following school year in September.
• Priority deadlines: It is better to apply earlier (when open) than later.  The later you apply, the less money you may be offered.
• Schools may have earlier deadlines to give students FAFSA based financial aid (so they can start sending acceptance letter with financial aid offer).
• Is it ongoing? No, you need to apply each year.  In addition, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress.   You must stay in the school/program where aid is applied, or you will need to pay back the aid/grant money.  Not a loan but the aid comes with conditions. 
• Start the application process online here: FAFSA® Application | Federal Student Aid

WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid)

• Aid for undocumented students and other students who do not qualify for FAFSA due to immigration status or tax reasons.
• Students with DACA, TPS (Temporary Protection Status), without Green Card  or without SSN can and should apply. 
• You must complete this application if you need Financial Aid. 
• Parent's immigration status is not important.
• Application is also free.
• Students must show that they have lived in Washington state for at least a year before their college freshman year to qualify for the aid.
• Students qualify for State work study programs  and state grants. Students can opt not to take it, or accept it and look for a work study job. 
• Students automatically qualify for state grant.  
• Application also opens on December 31st.  (This is a special year – in future years, this date may change.)
• The application needs to be completed each year also.
• Adults seeking continuing education can apply for it. 
• Students need to complete this affidavit to qualify for in state tuition if student is undocumented and/or a Non-Immigrant Visa Holders.

Reminders when filling out the application:

FAFSA: 

• Students should start the process by getting an FSA ID (a process to access the form, once they request their FSA ID. It takes up to 5 days to send back a username and password generated by the system) 
• Parents should also get an FSA ID. Parents without Social Security Number (SSN) must wait for the application to open December 31st to get their FSA ID.
• Start here: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch

WASFA:

• Once the student completes the online application, they must send an email to the parents asking them to sign the form. The form will not be considered complete until the parent signs. 

Students should not use their parent's income information if they are an Independent applicant.  Click here to learn more. 

Information or documents needed to completed WASFA or FAFSA ( YOU FILL ONLY ONE)

Reminders for student qualification to apply:

• FAFSA – student is US citizens or legal residents (green card holders)
• WASFA – student without SSN, when the student cannot provide information from the parent even if the student is a citizens or legal residents. 
• Tax document 1040 to show salary of parents from 2 years before the school year that they will be applying for aid. (1040 will have SSN for both FAFSA or WASFA or ITIN for WASFA)
• Examples: for the 2024-2025 application, use the salary from 2022
• Documents showing investment income (other home)
• Student ID - Driver's license or approved state ID. 
• Case number if you are receiving SNAP, TNAF, Medicaid or other welfare services.
• Use this link to determine which parent's income to use
• List of colleges to which the students will be applying (FAFSA allows up to 20 colleges/universities)

Financial aid offered by the college/university

• Check with the colleges or universities where you are applying to see if they have their own financial aid application form.
• Most schools ask for WASFA or FAFSA form to be completed.
• Private schools usually offer more additional financial aid, so be sure to check the financial aid eligibility requirements if applying to private schools.

College Bound

• A grant given to Washington State students that qualified for Free and reduced lunch in 7-8th grade.
• A database holds information on eligible students, and once a student applies to an institution and files FAFSA/WAFSA, the fund is sent to the school of enrollment, given that the family still stands in qualification to free and reduced lunch income stipulations.
• For more information: College Bound | WSAC (wa.gov)

Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS)

• There is a separate application for this scholarship (about $2500 the first year).  Need to apply each year. 
• WSOS supports Washington students on a path to 
  • High-demand trade
  • STEM and Health care credentials 
  • In Washington state through certificate, degree and apprenticeship programs
  • Creates a college-to-career pipeline for those who are often furthest from opportunities in these fields 
    • women 
    • students of color 
    • first-generation students

Good news for Washington State residents!

For students who attend a Washington state college, technical school or university:

• Students who qualify for FAFSA will automatically qualify for WA state aid.
• College Bound scholarship recipients may also qualify for additional financial support from the institutions (colleges or universities)
• Reminder that this is all income-based eligibility not merit.

So those students who are citizens or green card holder (can apply for FAFSA), can possibly qualify for aid from:

FAFSA -> WASHINGTON STATE GRAN -> Financial aid from college attending -> WSOS 

Students can also apply for other scholarships as well!

Tips for families for the application process

• It may be beneficial for students to apply to both private and public colleges and universities.
• Private colleges and institutions may have financial aid outside of Federal and State funds that they offer to students based on financial need. 
• Work with your child to determine outside costs of college attendance – transportation, travel, clothing, entertainment (going out), miscellaneous
• Prepare your child for life in a dorm or apartments if they are moving out
• Celebrate this new journey and college life with your child. 

Application Choices

• Early Decision – Plans are binding. Student who is accepted must attend that college.
• Early Decision is restrictive. Top choice for student – regardless of financial aid offers.
• Early Action – Non-binding.  Students receive an early response but do not have to commit to the college until May 1st.
• Regular Decision – When the application is due. Standard deadline.
• Early Action and Regular Decision allows students more flexibility to wait and consider all financial offers before committing to a specific college.

After completing & submitting financial aid forms:

• Students will get letters from 4-year colleges or universities to which they have applied informing them if the student has been:
• Accepted
• Not accepted at that school, or
• Placed on a wait list
• The college/university can access the WASFA and FAFSA forms to know how much government aid the student received or will be receiving
• The college/university will send a financial aid offer after the student has been accepted.
• The financial offer provides information as to how much money they will receive in government aid, school aid/grant, other scholarship offers if applicable, work study offer, loans, etc.

Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program

What you need to know:

• ISD students are guaranteed admission to 5 Washington state public colleges/universities if they meet the following minimum requirements:
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher
• On track to complete all College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs) by end of 12th grade.
• Students still must apply to their college of interest. They are guaranteed admission if they meet the minimum requirements.
• If a student is ineligible for Guaranteed Admission, but still wants to attend one of these schools, they can and should still apply!

Which colleges are included in this program?

• Central Washington University

• Eastern Washington University

• The Evergreen State University

• Washington State University

• Western Washington University

• University of Washington – Tacoma Campus

Glossary

• FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
• FSA ID:  A username and password combination you use to log in to into the FAFSA application. (First step in order to complete FAFSA). https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
• WASFA: Washington Application for State Financial Aid: https://wsac.wa.gov/wasfa
• CSS profile: Online application that collects information used by hundreds of colleges, universities, other institutions and scholarship programs to award financial aid from sources outside of the federal government. https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/
• Affidavit of residency SB 5194:  Confidential statement verifying that student qualifies for resident tuition, under the promise that the student will seek for citizenship or legal residency as soon as eligible to apply. 
• Financial/ Award Letter: A school aid offer (sometimes called an award letter) tells you what financial aid you can receive at a particular college or career school.

Questions? The College & Career Center can help!

Please have your student contact their College and Career Specialists for further information and support:

• Issaquah High School IHScollegeandcareer@issaquah.wednet.edu 
• Liberty High School LHScollegeandcareer@issaquah.wednet.edu 
• Skyline High School SHScollegeandcareer@issaquah.wednet.edu 

Workshops to help complete forms: 

Please bring the following if you join us on January 10th or 11th:

• Tax document 1040 to show salary of parents from 2 years before the school year that they will be applying for aid. (1040 will have SSN for both FAFSA or WASFA or ITIN for WASFA)
• Examples: for the 2024-2025 application, use the salary from 2022
• Documents showing investment income (other home)
• Have your FSA ID ready.  (It takes up to 5 days to get it so be sure to start the process at least by Jan. 1st)
           https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
• Student ID - Driver's license or approved state ID. 
• Case number if you are receiving SNAP, TNAF, Medicaid or other welfare services.
• If the parents are separate or divorced, use the salary of the parent with whom the child lives primarily (most amount of time)
• List of colleges the students will be applying

Resources: Scholarship search engine

• theWashBoard.org | Login
• College Search - BigFuture | College Board
• Home – BigFuture | College Board
• Find Scholarships for College for FREE | Fastweb
• Scholarships.com Search Free College Scholarships Financial Aid Grants Scholarships College Scholarship Free Scholarships
• Home | TheDream.US - TheDream.Us (site specifically for students without an SSN)
• Visit the financial aid webpage or office at the schools the student will be applying to find more scholarship opportunities.

Additional Resources

• FAFSA Limits: Is there an Income Cutoff on Eligibility for Financial Aid? (savingforcollege.com)
• In-state and out-of-state prices: Save On College Tuition | Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) (wiche.edu)

College Education is Possible for All

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