An important step to applying for college is filling out the FAFSA or WASFA so you can be eligible for federal aid, state grants, scholarships, and loans. This section also includes helpful links for thinking about how to pay for college and how to understand financial aid packages from colleges you've been accepted to.
FAFSA
Colleges and career schools use the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form to determine how much financial aid you're eligible to receive, which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans. It takes most people less than an hour to fill out this form.
WASFA
The WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid) is a specialized application for Washington residents who cannot or choose not to complete the federal FAFSA. It allows undocumented students and others who do not qualify for federal aid to apply for state-funded financial aid and institutional scholarships.
CSS PROFILE
If you are applying to elite colleges, they may require you to fill out a CSS profile. This is so that they can gather deeper financial data than the standard FAFSA provides, and fairly distribute their own institutional grant money.