- The FAFSA becomes available October 1, 2022.
- The income used on the FAFSA will be from two years prior to the application year. For the 2023-24 award year, families will use tax information from 2021.
Using two-years prior tax information on the FAFSA (as opposed to one-year prior information) will increase the form’s accuracy and give families of incoming freshmen an earlier and more accurate idea of their anticipated financial aid and college costs. It will also allow more families to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which will import income and information directly from the IRS.
It's Free!
Simply complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for need-based financial aid. W&J recommends that you complete the FAFSA between October 1st and February 15th.
It's Simple!
No scholarship application is required. Accepted students are automatically considered for merit awards. With a little pre-planning it should take just 20 minutes to complete the FAFSA. All Pennsylvania residents automatically apply for the PA state grant by filing the FAFSA- state deadline is May 1.
It's Fast!
Merit award recipients are notified of their award within a week of being accepted to W&J. Financial Aid packages are mailed on a weekly basis beginning in November.
Applying for Need-based assistance
Checklist & Helpful Hints
- Create your FSA ID. Before beginning the FAFSA, visit here to create this. (This short video will show you how to create your FSA ID). It will be used to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents. Parents and students must each have their own username and password.
- Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool: If, available, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing the FAFSA. This worksheet will show you how to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
- Gather Information: The following is a list of information needed to submit the FAFSA. You will need this information for both the student and parent.
- W&J's Federal (Title IV) School Code is 003389
- Social Security Number
- Driver's License Number
- Federal Tax and W-2 Information
- Records of untaxed income, savings, investments, business and farm assets for both the student and parent.
- Alien Registration Number, if the student is not a U.S. Citizen.
- Submit the FAFSA: The quickest and easiest way to file the FAFSA is www.fafsa.gov. Incoming new students are encouraged to submit the FAFSA by February 15th. Returning students are encouraged to submit the FAFSA by March 15. Please make sure you answer all required questions and sign your FAFSA with your FSA ID (and your parent's FSA ID).
- Follow-Up: Once your FAFSA is processed, you will receive an e-mail (to the e-mail address you provided on your FAFSA) containing the link to your Student Aid Report (SAR). Review your SAR and make any corrections or updates if necessary. If you do not receive your SAR within three weeks, go to www.fafsa.gov and select Check the Status of a Submitted FAFSA.
Helpful FAFSA resources: Our Office of Financial Aid would like to share some helpful resources to make applying for financial aid as easy as possible. The FAFSA on the Web tutorial is a big help to many. You may also want to review our tips for applying for financial aid prior to beginning the FAFSA.
We also understand that some federal student aid applicants may have unique situations that may raise questions regarding how questions are answered and/or how information is reported on the FAFSA. These FAFSA Tip Sheets are designed to help single parents, Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) recipients, wards of the court, foster youth, and undocumented students.
