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FAFSA Issue: High School Completion

Financial Aid Eligibility Issue

High School Completion

On your FAFSA, you did not report that you received a high school diploma or the equivalent. A high school diploma or the equivalent is required to be eligible for federal financial aid.

If you have earned a high school diploma or the equivalent, do not submit a copy of your diploma/certificate to the Office of Financial Aid. Follow the steps below to resolve this requirement:

Step 1 - Correct your FAFSA:

  • Log into studentaid.gov using your FSA ID.
  • Select "Make FAFSA Corrections."
  • Under the "Student Demographics/Information" section, answer the high school completion status question, What will the student’s high school completion status be at the beginning of the school year?"
    • High school diploma means you have received or will receive a U.S. high school diploma before the first date of your enrollment in college or you have received or will receive a foreign school diploma that is equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma before the first date of your enrollment in college.
    • GED certificate or state authorized high school equivalent certificate means you have received or will receive a General Educational Development (GED) certificate or state authorized high school equivalent certificate before the first date of your enrollment in college. A state authorized high school equivalent certificate is a certificate that the issuing state recognizes as the equivalent of a high school diploma in that state. Note: A high school certificate of attendance and/or a certificate of completion are NOT the equivalent of a high school diploma.
      • If you select State-recognized high school equivalent, you will need to select the type of certificate and the state from which you received it. 
    • Home schooled means you have completed home schooling at the secondary level regulated by your state.
    • None of the above means you do not have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent and did not complete secondary school in a home school setting.
      • If your answer is intended to be "none of the above," please contact our office at 316-978-3430 to speak with a financial aid advisor.  
  • IMPORTANT WORKAROUND: If the high school completion question does not show up when you are trying to make your correction, move forward through the FAFSA form to the “Financial Information” section and then move back into the “Student Demographics/Information” section. This may cause the question to show up when it didn’t originally.
  • Note: If you are a dependent student, be sure that both you and your parent electronically signs the FAFSA once you have made the correction.
  • Submit the FAFSA correction.
  • Allow 3-5 business days for the correction to be received by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships.

Step 2 (if you were unable to make the correction to your FAFSA above):

If you have attempted to make the corrections as outlined above but were unable to complete them, our office can submit the corrections to your FAFSA on your behalf. To request our office to make the necessary corrections to your FAFSA, complete the form below for the appropriate year:

Early High School Graduate

  • If you are an early graduate from high school and starting Wichita State University a semester early as a fully admitted degree-bound student, you must correct your FAFSA (as indicated above) to answer the high school completion status question.
  • If you are unable to make the correction to your FAFSA, you may provide one of the following for review so a correction can be made on your behalf:
    • Submit your official final high school transcript which must include the early graduation date to Wichita State University Office of Undergraduate Admissions - OR -
    • Have your high school provide a signed statement on school letterhead indicating you have completed all required coursework and have successfully passed any required proficient examinations for your high school diploma. The statement must also include the date when the official high school diploma will be issued.
  • Note: An official final high school transcript that includes your graduation date will need to be submitted directly by your high school to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions prior to the next academic year.
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