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Wichita State University offers federal financial aid (typically only available to US Citizens and Permanent Resident students), WSU scholarships, and State of Kansas financial aid. The first step in applying for financial aid is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at studentaid.gov.
The purpose of the FAFSA is to help the U.S. Department of Education and financial aid administrators determine your eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid.
Deadlines
For the 2025-2026 academic year, the priority date to apply for financial aid April 1, 2025. Eligible students completing the FAFSA before this date are given priority consideration for limited campus-based funds such as the Federal Work Study Program and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).
Students can file after April 1, but the opportunity for some types of aid will be greatly reduced. Eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Loans are not typically affected by this priority date.
Important Note: Grants will be auto-accepted for you, but you must be enrolled by July 1 for any limited grant aid funding (i.e. FSEOG and Kansas Comprehensive Grant) due to funding levels.
Additional deadlines for financial aid are available here: wichita.edu/finaiddates.
To find out more about the specific types of aid available, visit wichita.edu/financialaid.
Steps to apply for financial aid
- Complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov using WSU’s Federal school code of 001950.
- In most cases you can directly transfer your tax information from the IRS into your FAFSA.
- A few days after submitting your FAFSA, your should receive your FAFSA Submission Summary via email or mail; this is a summary of the information you included on your FAFSA. The colleges you list on your FAFSA will also receive your information after the application has been processed.
- Make certain you are fully admitted to WSU in order for your FAFSA application to be processed.
- Check the status of your aid to make sure you have met all requirements. Click here for instructions on how to check your status.
How much financial aid you can receive
You will not know how much money you are eligible for until after you apply for financial aid. Based on the information you provide on the FAFSA, WSU will create an aid offer for you, which may include a combination of grants, work-study, loans, and/or WSU scholarships. Be sure to meet our April 1 priority date to maximize your financial aid assistance.
Financial aid eligibility will depend on the following for both you and your parents (if dependent): income, living expenses, assets, and savings. This is called the the Student Aid Index (SAI). Your eligibility is also determined by the Cost of Attendance (COA) at WSU. The amount of need-based financial aid you are eligible to receive is determined by: estimated COA at WSU minus SAI - Other Financial Assistance (OFA) equals financial need.
For information about scholarship opportunities, please click here.