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How do I apply for aid?
To apply for Federal student aid, you need to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free and quick, and it gives you access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college or career school.
For further instructions on applying for Federal aid and completing the FAFSA, including what documents you'll need, visit the Federal Student Aid website at https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out.
What information will I need to fill out a FAFSA® form?
You’ll need the following to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form:
For those completing a 2024–25 FAFSA form, you need the following information:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your A-Number (if you're not a U.S. citizen)
- Federal income tax returns, records of child support received; and your current balance of cash, savings, and checking accounts (Note: You must provide consent and approval to disclose your federal tax information to be eligible for federal student aid.)
- Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable), net worth of investments, businesses, and farms
- Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
- An FSA ID (account username and password) to log in to StudentAid.gov and start the FAFSA form electronically
What is an FSA ID, and will I need it to complete the FAFSA® form?
The FSA ID (account username and password) allows individuals to access Federal Student Aid websites and complete the FAFSA form online.
For the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, students and contributors (parents or spouses) are required to have an FSA ID to complete and sign the form online.
If you don't already have an FSA ID, you can create an FSA ID.
If you have an FSA ID but don't remember your username, select "Forgot Username." Note: If you verified your email address or mobile phone number during account creation, you can enter your email address or mobile phone number instead of your username.
If you have an FSA ID but don't remember your password, select "Forgot Password."
Contributors: If you previously created an FSA ID when you were a student, you don’t need to create another one. You can only have one FSA ID.
How do I report my family’s special financial circumstances on the FAFSA® form? (2024–25)
If you or your family have experienced special financial circumstances, submit a completed FAFSA form as instructed and then notify the financial aid office at Wichita State University. The office of Financial Aid & Scholarships may take these special circumstances into account and adjust your FAFSA information. When you meet with them, they may ask you to document your special circumstances so that they can consider making an adjustment to your FAFSA information.
Examples of special circumstances may include the following:
- significant changes to your financial situation, such as loss of employment or pay cuts
- tuition expenses at an elementary or secondary school
- high amounts of medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance
- a family member who recently became unemployed
- other changes in income or assets that may affect your eligibility for federal student aid
To schedule an advising appointment with Wichita State University Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships, visit wichita.edu/finaidappt. We can also forward this request to them to provide outreach to you.
Can I just delete my application and start over?
Yes, you can. Though not the always-recommended option, it sometimes can help if you are stuck with a website/application issue.
Can I complete a paper FAFSA and mail it in?
While mailing your 2024-2025 FAFSA is an option; we recommend that you complete your FAFSA on the web at studentaid.gov for faster review/processing of your data and financial aid results.
2024-25 FAFSA Issues
I have an issue with the 2024-25 FAFSA.
As the FAFSA continues to navigate the new form, Federal Student Aid is working on improving user experience and will provide ‘workarounds’ to alert issues as they appear to students. They have a great webpage that lists all current and resolved issues: 2024–25 FAFSA Issue Alerts | Knowledge Center.
Common Issues Below:
I made a mistake on my 2024-25 FAFSA. How can I go in and edit it?
You will need to wait until the school receives your FAFSA form. Once the Department of Education releases this information to us, then you can go back into studentaid.gov to correct your existing 2024-25 FAFSA form.
Student who incorrectly selects "eligible noncitizen" on FAFSA form prevented from completing and submitting form after correction.
- Description: If a student who is a citizen initially selects "Eligible noncitizen" on the 2024-25 FAFSA form, enters an “A-Number” when prompted, and completes the demographic section, the student is prevented from completing the form even after the student changes the citizenship status response to "U.S. citizen or national". In this situation, the A-Number is not removed from the form and the student cannot proceed beyond the “Select Colleges” question. The student receives no error message to explain this situation and is prevented from completing and submitting the form.
- Workaround: The student can delete the existing application and then start a new 2024-25 FAFSA form online.
Parent with no SSN unable to start FAFSA form for student or contribute to an existing form. ((updated as of 2/23/2024))
Status: Open Issue (Not Resolved Yet)
- Description: If a parent with no Social Security number (SSN) starts the 2024-25 FAFSA form for a student, the parent will receive an error message on the “Student Information” page. This incorrect error message states that the user is “unauthorized to act on behalf of the student since they already have a 24-25 FAFSA form” even if the student has not started an application. A parent with no SSN also is not able to contribute to the form, even if the student starts the application and invites the parent to contribute.
- Workaround: There is currently no workaround for a parent without an SSN. A student may start the application, but the parent will not be able to contribute the parent information. The student and parent will be able to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved.
What if my parent does not have an SSN and I need to submit it to meet the deadline?
The Department of Education will resolve 2024-25 FAFSA submission issues for students who have a contributor without an SSN in the first half of March. At that time, students will be able to submit a fully completed form that includes contributor information.
Students who need to immediately submit the 2024-25 FAFSA form online to meet critical deadlines for non-federal aid may use the tips FSA published in How To Submit the 2024–25 (FAFSA®) Form if Your Contributor Doesn’t Have an SSN as a workaround.
FAFSA application status is "in progress" even when user is ready to submit FAFSA
- Description: If a 2024-25 FAFSA form has all required information and the only remaining actions are for signature/submission, the status of the FAFSA form in My Activity will display as “In Progress” for any users/contributors that do not have those remaining actions. For example, if a dependent student completes the student section but does not submit and the student’s parent completes the parent section, the FAFSA form status displays as In Progress to the parent because the student still needs to submit. As a result of the In Progress status, the parent may not realize what action is required to finalize the form.
- Workaround: Student can enter the application and navigate through the end of the application to finalize and submit the application.