WASFA stands for the Washington Application for State Financial Aid. This financial aid application is for students who are not eligible to file a FAFSA because of immigration or citizenship status. This allows a college to offer WA State and college financial aid. 

Look at the chart to the right. If you aren’t sure, go ahead and start the WASFA. At the end of a few questions, it will tell you whether to continue the WASFA or switch to FAFSA. 

The WASFA is made available to seniors each year on October 1 at the website readysetgrad.wa.gov. At the bottom of this page, there is a WASFA Instructions slide show to walk you through the process. 

The WASFA asks for student and parent information, including your legal name, date of birth, address and your financial situation.

If you filed taxes, you will need your tax return, W-2s, records of untaxed income, and related information. Your tax return will be from the prior-prior year, meaning that if you are applying for the 2021-2022 school year, the application will ask for 2019 income tax information.

Each college has a different financial aid priority deadline, so look those up for each college. We suggest you do it soon after it opens on October 1, preferably by December. Financial aid is awarded on a first come, first serve basis until it runs out for the year. Even if you miss a college's priority deadline, apply.

The WASFA works for nearly all accredited colleges in Washington State. It does not work for colleges in other states. 

You can list up to 10 schools on the WASFA. WASFA will send a summary of the information to the colleges you list. 

The WASFA is your main step for financial aid, but you need to do all of the other college application steps, including applying to the college(s) and doing the Naviance steps so that Shorewood can send materials. See the College Applications page and pay attention to messages from Shorewood. 

As long as your WASFA is complete and you are admitted to the school, you should get a financial aid award letter in the spring. Many colleges ask for additional information, so watch for emails after you apply to the college(s) and complete the WASFA.