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Completing the FAFSA form is the first step to unlocking thousands of dollars in need-based scholarships, grants, work-study and student loans to help pay toward your college costs. Apply early to unlock as many dollars as you can!

Sheelu Surender, Executive Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships

Completing the FAFSA® Form

About the FAFSA Form

What is the FAFSA?

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is the single form to apply for federal and state financial aid, such as grants, student loans, and work study at Wichita State.

Why should I complete the FAFSA?

Completing the FAFSA allows you to be considered for federal, state, and some types of institutional financial aid. The fastest way to submit your FAFSA is online at studentaid.gov.

Which FAFSA should I complete?

You need to complete the FAFSA every year that you want to be considered for financial aid.  Review all of your information every year because your eligibility may change depending on your family's circumstances.

The 2026-27 FAFSA is used for the Fall 2026, Spring 2027, and Summer 2027 terms. For the 2026-27 FAFSA, you will use your 2024 income information on the application.

The 2027-28 FAFSA is used for the Fall 2027, Spring 2028, and Summer 2028 terms. For the 2027-28 FAFSA, you will use your 2025 income information on the application.

When should I complete the FAFSA? Is there a deadline?

Finish your FAFSA as soon as possible. For 2027-2028, April 1st is WSU's priority date. You can apply after this date, but the opportunity to receive some types of aid programs will be reduced. Eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant and/or Federal Direct Loans are not affected by this priority deadline. A list of final deadlines is available here.

Why do I need to give consent on my FAFSA?

All FAFSA applicants and contributors must provide their consent to transfer their tax information through the IRS Direct Data Exchange. You must provide this consent and approval on the FAFSA in order to be eligible for federal student aid. Providing consent even applies to contributors without SSNs, those didn't file taxes in the relevant tax year, or individuals who filed taxes outside the U.S.

Need Help with Your FAFSA?

How to Apply

  • Before the FAFSA

    Create your FSA ID and gather these materials before beginning your FAFSA.

  • During the FAFSA

    Use this checklist to answer frequently asked questions and to avoid common errors while completing your FAFSA.

  • After the FAFSA

    Follow these steps after completing your FAFSA to ensure you receive a timely financial aid offer.

 

Before the FAFSA

  • Create your StudentAid.Gov account. Create your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID username and password at least 2-3 days before you begin the FAFSA to prevent delays.
    • Do NOT use your school email to create your FSA ID. Use an email account (such as gmail or hotmail) you plan to use regularly.
    • Enter your name and social security number exactly as it appears on your social security card. Double check for errors.
    • Don't mix up you and your parent's FSA IDs. This is one of the most common errors. That's why it is important for each person to create their own FSA ID and not share it with anyone.
    • NEW: Parents without SSNs must apply for their FSA ID.
    • Write your FSA ID username and password down and store it in a safe place.
  • Gather your information. Click on the options below to see what information you need.

Dependent students

For the 2027-28 FAFSA:

  • FSA ID username and password.
  • Your Social Security card.
  • If you are a Permanent Resident: your Permanent Residency card (you will need your Alien Registration Number).
  • Your driver's license (if you have one).
  • Your 2025 W-2 forms.
  • Your 2025 federal income tax return.
  • Your 2025 untaxed income records.
  • Your current bank statements (to report the amount you have in cash, savings, and checking accounts).
  • Value of your investments.
  • Net value of your current business or farm.

Your parent(s) will need:

  • Their FSA ID username and password.
  • Their 2024 federal income tax return.
  • Their 2024 untaxed income records (like child support received).
  • Their bank statements (to report the amount they have in cash, savings, and checking accounts).
  • Value of their investments (do NOT include their retirement accounts).
  • The net value of their current business, farm, and investment records.

Independent students

For the 2027-28 FAFSA:

  • FSA ID username and password.
  • Your Social Security card.
  • If you are a Permanent Resident: your Permanent Residency card (you will need your Alien Registration Number).
  • Your driver's license (if you have one).
  • Your 2025 W-2 forms.
  • Your 2025 federal income tax return.
  • Your 2025 untaxed income records.
  • Your current bank statements (to report the amount you have in cash, savings, and checking accounts).
  • Value of your investments.
  • Net value of your current business or farm.
  • If you are married, your spouse will also need the same information as above.
  • Financial Aid PRO Tip: For 2027-28, apply as soon as possible beginning in October 2026! You can complete your FAFSA form even if you haven't yet been accepted to Wichita State yet!
  • Need a preview of your eligibility? Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool to estimate your aid eligibility without having to log in or create an account.  The estimator also gives you access to information about the Student Aid Index (SAI) and its role in determining their federal student aid.  It provides non-binding estimates that include eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, work-study funds, and federal student loans.

During the FAFSA

  • Find a reliable internet connection and a private area to complete your FAFSA.
  • Allow yourself 30-60 minutes to complete the FAFSA. After your first year, it may take as little as 10 minutes to finish. You can save the FAFSA if you cannot complete it all at once, but be sure to remember the password you entered at the beginning of the application.
  • Mistakes can delay your application and limit the amount of aid you are eligible to receive. Carefully read all questions on the FAFSA.
  • Dependent Students: Use the parent wizard in the FAFSA form to determine which parent or parents you will need invite to complete their portion of the FAFSA. For the initial question, provide the answers based on your biological or adoptive parents. In cases of divorce or separation, the parent providing the most financial support will be your parent for the FAFSA. The FAFSA will then determine if you need to provide information about a step-parent. 
  • The FAFSA is a roles-based form, so each person only sees questions that apply to them and mostly only need to answer questions about themselves.
    • Students will be asked to provide information about their parents or spouse to "invite" the appropriate parents/spouse to complete the parent/spouse portion of the FAFSA.
    • Parents and spouses will receive an email invite to log in with their FSA ID and provide their individual information.
  • List ALL schools you are considering attending. You can include up to 20 schools on the FAFSA. Wichita State's school code is 001950.
  • Read the "Help and Hints" located on the right side of every FAFSA webpage.  They change depending on the question selected.
  • If you have siblings, your parent can use the same FSA ID to sign the FAFSA for all of their children.
  • In some cases, you may need to invite both of your parents to complete a portion of the FAFSA:
    • Your parents are married, but file taxes separately.
    • Your parent's marital status has changed since they filed their taxes.
  • If you are having trouble with submitting the FAFSA because your contributor doesn't have an SSN, visit this link for tips. 
  • Financial Aid PRO Tip: Complete the FAFSA online at studentaid.gov. The alternate route of completing a paper FAFSA may take more than 6-8 weeks to process.

After the FAFSA

  • Review your online FAFSA Submission Summary carefully.  It is the official record that proves the federal processor received your FAFSA. If you find any errors, you should correct your FAFSA online. Unresolved errors could impact your federal aid offer.
    • The FAFSA Submission Summary is divided into four tabs:  Eligibility overview: An estimate of your federal student loan and Pell Grant eligibility.
  • Student Aid Index (SAI): Your SAI is used to calculate how much financial aid you’re eligible to receive.
  • FAFSA form answers: A copy of the information you provided on the FAFSA.
  • School information: Includes the graduation rate, retention rate, transfer rate, default rate, median debt upon completion, and average annual cost of the schools you listed on your FAFSA.
    • Next steps: Includes informational comments and instructions for any required action items such as:
  • Verification: Your FAFSA Submission Summary may include a note stating you’ve been selected for verification. If you’re selected, Wichita State will contact you and ask for additional documentation to confirm the information you reported on your FAFSA is accurate. After receiving the documentation, Wichita State will compare your FAFSA with documents, including tax returns, that verify your financial status. If asked, submit the information requested to Wichita State as soon as possible. Your aid may be delayed or decreased if the materials are not provided promptly.
  • FAFSA changes: Information on how to resolve any issues or fix incorrect information on your FAFSA.

  • Carefully read all emails, letters, and texts from the Wichita State Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. If we are contacting you, it's important! Email is the primary way our office with contact you, but we may also call or text you to help you complete the financial aid process.
  • Make sure all documents you submit are complete, accurate, and signed as required (tax forms typically require a signature and a date).
  • Respond promptly to all requests for additional information. Some financial aid is first-come, first-served, so make sure you're in line!
  • Financial Aid PRO Tip: Print your name and myWSU ID on all documents you submit to Wichita State.
  • If your financial situation changes after you submit your FAFSA or if the information submitted does not reflect your situation, you may be eligible to appeal. Changes in finances due to a reduction in income, a change in marital status, death of a parent/spouse, or other special circumstances may greatly impact a family’s ability to pay for college. The Department of Education allows financial aid administrators to use Professional Judgment on a case-by-case basis to make adjustments to the data used in calculating the student aid index (SAI) to reflect these special circumstances. If your family is experiencing financial issues (such as the loss of a job, reduction of income, or other extenuating circumstance) and would like to discuss financial aid options and information about the process of a Professional Judgment for the next academic year, schedule an appointment to meet with a financial aid advisor at wichita.edu/finaidappt.

    • Tips for Completing the FAFSA

    How to Create Your FSA ID

    Follow the steps in this video to create your FSA ID (StudentAid.gov Account).

     

    How to Regain Access to Your FSA ID

    Don't stress if you've lost your FSA ID and password.

     

    Who Is a Contributor on the FAFSA Form?

    Learn about who will need to contribute information to your FAFSA form.

    How to Help Your FAFSA Form Contributors

    Prepare your FAFSA form contributors for why their information is needed.

    Gather Information Required to Complete the FAFSA Form

    Here is the information you should have nearby when you complete the FAFSA.

    What Happens After Your FAFSA Form is Processed?

    Learn about the next steps after you complete your FAFSA form.

    High School Counselors & College Access Professionals

    5 Things College Access Professionals Should Know

    FAFSA Form Updates

    • Contributor is a term used on the FAFSA® form—it refers to anyone (the student, the student's spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or the parent's spouse [stepparent]) who is required to provide their information and signature on the FAFSA form. All contributors must also provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred from the IRS directly into the FAFSA form. Contributors are not responsible for paying for the student's education costs.
    • The parent wizard on the FAFSA form will offer a series of filtering questions that determine which parent of a dependent student will need an invitation to be a contributor. The parent wizard will also identify if there's another parent whose information must be included on the FAFSA form. The information provided by the parent on the FAFSA form will determine if a second parent or parent's spouse will also be a required contributor.
    • Students will be able to include up to 20 colleges on the online FAFSA form (double the previous limit).
    • The save key has been eliminated on the FAFSA form.
    • Demographic questions about the student's gender, race, and ethnicity have been added to the FAFSA form. These questions are for research only and do not affect federal student aid eligibility.

    Requirement for StudentAid.gov Account (FSA ID)

    • Everyone contributing to the FAFSA form online must have their own StudentAid.gov account.
    • Each contributor, including the student, will access their StudentAid.gov account by using their FSA ID (account username and password).
    • Parents and other contributors (not including the student) without a Social Security number (SSN) will be able to create a StudentAid.gov account to fill out and sign their section of the student's FAFSA form online. Instructions are available here.
    • Students will need to provide their SSN to create their StudentAid.gov account. However, a student who is a citizen of the Freely Associated States can create a StudentAid.gov account without an SSN.

    Consent and Approval To Transfer Federal Tax Information

    • All contributors, including the student, must provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into the FAFSA form via direct data exchange.
    • Consent and approval for the transfer of federal tax information is required even if the contributor didn't file a tax return.
    • Federal tax information will be used to determine the student's eligibility for federal student aid.
    • If the student or another contributor doesn't provide consent and approval, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid—even if they manually enter tax information into the FAFSA form.

    Changes to Federal Pell Grant Eligibility

    • New formulas expand Federal Pell Grant eligibility to more students and link eligibility to family size, household income, and the federal poverty level.
    • Federal Pell Grant eligibility has a calculation that is separate from the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation. For some applicants, the Federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria will only include tax information and federal poverty guidelines. For other applicants, the formula may also use the separately calculated SAI.
    • The SAI replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) in the calculation to determine eligibility for need-based funding. The formula is: Cost of Attendance – Student Aid Index – Other Financial Assistance = Financial Need.
    • Federal Pell Grant access has been expanded to include students who are confined or incarcerated and enrolled in an approved Prison Education Program.
    • Federal Pell Grant lifetime eligibility has been restored for students who had an eligible federal student loan discharge.

    Applicants Unable To Provide Parent Information

    • There is federal student aid available for students who cannot provide parent information on their FAFSA form due to unusual circumstances.
    • Students who are homeless, orphans, former foster youth, or who have unusual circumstances that prevent them from providing parent information will benefit from simplified questions that more efficiently determine their independent status.
    • Students who indicate unusual circumstances on their FAFSA form will be granted provisionally independent status and will be able to complete the form without providing parent information.
    • A financial aid administrator will make the final determination of a student's dependency status based on the documentation that the student submits to the school, or the financial aid administrator may perform their own personal assessment.

    Social Media Tools to Promote the FAFSA

    wushock promoting fafsa completion

    Download the image and share on social media to promote FAFSA completion. Tag us in your post and follow us on our socials for helpful financial aid tips.

    Use the hashtags: #shockerfafsa #wichitastatefafsa #shockerfinaid

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