Financial Aid Resources
FAFSA and WASFA Information
There are a variety of financial resources that students may qualify for to pay for college expenses. Oftentimes, it requires completing either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Washington Application for Financial Student Aid (WASFA).
Types of financial aid include grants, scholarships, loans, and work study. Visit the Federal Student Aid web page to learn more about each type of aid.
For scholarships, please visit your Naviance homepage and you can find the list of scholarships by clicking “Colleges” — “Scholarships and Money” — “Scholarship Match”
If you have any questions, please reach out to your School Counselor and also come to one of our evening Financial Aid Events at West Seattle High School.
FAFSA
OPENS December 2023
If you, the student, are a US Citizen or Naturalized Citizen, please complete the FAFSA
In order to correctly submit the FAFSA, you will need the following information about both student and parents or guardians. The below list may vary depending on each household and financial situation:
- Tax Information – You will reference Prior-Prior Year (ex. when completing 2021-2022 FAFSA, you will use 2019 tax information)
- Assets, stock, benefits and other taxed/untaxed income
- Bank Account Information
- Demographic information such as legal name, social security number, date of birth, address, email, high school name
- Date of Marriage or Divorce (if applicable)
- Colleges you will be sending the FAFSA to (up to 10)
- Documents you will need to complete the FAFSA
- Our friends at Seattle Promise helped make a presentation with step by step directions on how to complete the FAFSA
After submitting your FAFSA, please save all emails sent by the Federal Student Aid. These emails include confirmation numbers that your colleges may need you to reference. Most importantly, it includes your “Estimated Family Contribution (EFC)” which is an estimated (not exact) amount that colleges expect your family to pay. Each college will use your EFC to gauge your financial need.
If you need help getting started on your FAFSA application, review the below videos.
Creating an FSA ID:
Completing the FAFSA Application:
WASFA
OPENS OCTOBER 1st
If you, the student, do not have a Social Security Number, you will complete the WASFA. To determine eligibility, please visit the WASFA
After completing the WASFA, you may qualify for one or more of these benefits:
- In-state tuition rates
- Washington College Grant
- College Bound Scholarship
In order to correctly submit the WASFA, you will need the following information about both student and parents or guardians. The below list may vary depending on each household and financial situation:
- Tax Information – You will reference Prior-Prior Year (ex. when completing 2021-2022 FAFSA, you will use 2019 tax information)
- Assets, stock, benefits and other taxed/untaxed income
- Bank Account Information
- Demographic information such as legal name, date of birth, address, email, high school name
- Date of Marriage or Divorce (if applicable)
- Colleges you will be sending the WASFA to (up to 10)
Help with the Common App
- What to know before submitting the Common App
- Step-by-step guide to the Common App
- Counselor contact information
- Follow the Common App on Twitter!
Letters of Recommendation
All Common Applications require a counselor recommendation. You must fill out and send completed Senior Recommendation Packet to your counselor at least 2 weeks before the submission deadline.
Adding Your Counselor, Teacher, and Community Member as your Recommenders
After completing your Education section and FERPA release authorization, go into “My Colleges”, select a college, and invite your recommenders to the Common App.
Help for Low Income Students
Nearly one-third of college students are low-income, and most don’t know the resources and programs that can help them. If you’re a college student in need, use the key resources to get help both inside and outside of the classroom.