FAFSA Simplification

The FAFSA Simplification Act has introduced a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid starting with the 2024–25 award year. The goal of the law is to make it easier for families to apply for financial aid, and to increase the number of eligible students.

The state WASFA application was updated to reflect these changes.

The 2024-2025 FAFSA and 2024-25 WASFA are now available. Please visit StudentAid.gov to learn more and find resources for completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA.

Highlights for 2024-2025 Financial Aid

• The aid application has fewer questions, making it easier for students to complete the application.
• The application uses new terms. Instead of “parent” or “spouse,” the form uses “contributor” to identify someone who is asked to provide information on the FAFSA like a parent or spouse did previously and “consent.”
• Each contributor is required to consent to their information being included on the FAFSA.  If a “contributor” does not give consent and approval, the student will not be eligible for financial aid. 
• The “Expected Family Contribution” (EFC) calculating how much aid students may get has changed to a “Student Aid Index.” (SAI). This number measures the student and/or family’s ability to pay for college. The new formula implements a separate eligibility standard for determining Federal Pell Grants. 
• Eligibility for Federal Pell Grants is expanded. The new criteria includes family size and the federal poverty level for income. To estimate your potential eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant and WA College Grant, you can use the available calculators.
• New tools are available to help families with divorced, separated, widowed, or never married parents determine which parent(s) should enter their information on the student’s FAFSA. 
• Parents and spouses without a social security number can now get an FSA ID username and password.  An FSA ID is now required to complete the FAFSA. 
• The "Student Aid Report" (SAR) is now be referred to as the "FAFSA Submission Summary". This is the summary submission document you receive after completing the FAFSA.

Financial Aid Offers 

The U.S. Department of Education was delayed in sending student financial aid data to college and universities until mid-March, four months later than usual. This has prevented our financial aid office from processing applications for the 2024-25 academic year until mid-June. Here’s what you need to know:

• The Financial Aid Office will begin sending out Financial Aid Offers via email beginning August 15, 2024. We will contact you via the email address you have listed in ctcLink.
• Students must accept their Aid Offer within 30 days or their funds will be canceled.
• If we need any additional information to determine your eligibility, we will contact you via the email address you have listed in ctcLink.
• Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.
• To ensure timely processing of your financial aid, please register for your classes as soon as possible.