Paying for School

THE FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid):

• To receive federal financial aid, you will need to fill out the FAFSA. The FAFSA will determine how much money you can receive in federally-funded loans (money you have to pay back) and/or scholarships/grants (money gifted to you).

• The FAFSA application opens on October 1, 2025 for students planning to attend college in 2026. 

• This Federal Student Aid YouTube Channel has excellent video tutorials to support your FAFSA process. 

• West End FAFSA Night 2025: Come chat with a financial aid expert to get support for successful completion of the FAFSA!

  • October 27, 2025 at 6PM in the WHS auditorium 

• Visit https://studentaid.gov to learn more and apply. 

SCHOLARSHIPS

• Money you do not have to pay back!

• See the scholarship essay page for writing support!

• Sometimes require letters of recommendation. (See link for more info)

• University scholarships can be located directly on the university websites (donor-funded)

• Westwood releases recommended local, state-wide, and national scholarships between October and January. Most deadlines are before Spring Break. 

  • • Class of 2026 Google Classroom Scholarships here

• State or national scholarship resources:

  • • https://www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid (FAFSA/MI scholarships)

    • https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search 

    • https://www.salliemae.com/scholarships/search/ 

    • https://www.fastweb.com/ 

    • https://www.goingmerry.com/ 

    • https://www.scholarships.com/ 

    • https://scholarshipsandgrants.us/