Financial Aid

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has announced that the 2025-26 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is now available. Applications typically open on October 1 for people wanting to start college the next fall. This year the application was delayed as DOE carried out a series of beta tests to mitigate problems experienced during the 2024-25 FAFSA cycle.

In Washington State, there are two ways to apply for financial aid for college or career training. U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens can apply for federal and state aid with the FAFSA. People who can't file the FAFSA due to immigration status can apply only for state aid with the WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid), as can people from mixed-status families who prefer not to file the federal form. Both FAFSA and WASFA are pathways for Washington State residents to apply for Washington College Grant (WA Grant) and other financial aid.

The 2025-26 WASFA will be available in early December. More information and resources for Washington financial aid applicants will be available at that time.

Helpful Tools: 

• FSAID Students and families will create an FSAID. This is how you will electronically sign your FAFSA. 

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is for need- and non-need-based financial aid from both the federal and state governments, as well as your college and some private scholarships. Most people should complete the FAFSA to get the most the money available. The FAFSA form must be submitted by 11:59 pm CT on June 30, 2025.

Confused about the new FAFSA? There have been some technical issues and delays this year, as well as changes to the form. Don't give up! Financial aid is available, but you do need to apply. Get help navigating the 2024-25 FAFSA.

The Washington Application for State Financial Aid, or WASFA, is for financial aid from the state and some college aid, and is only for people who don’t fill out a FAFSA due to immigration status—including being undocumented—or other federal aid eligibility issues. You can still be considered a Washington resident if you are undocumented. Learn more about what it takes on the Student Residency web page.

You are considered an eligible noncitizen if you fall into certain categories, such as the ones listed below:

1. You are a U.S. national or permanent resident.

• U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island) or
• U.S. permanent resident with a Form I-551 or I-151 (Permanent Resident Card, Resident Alien Card, or Alien Registration Receipt Card), also known as a “green card.”

2. You have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing one of the following status categories:*

• Refugee
• Asylum Granted
• Conditional Resident Alien
• Cuban-Haitian Entrant
• Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
• Parolee (you must be paroled for at least one year, and you must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that you are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a U.S. citizen or permanent resident)
• Modified parole requirements for…
  • Ukrainian citizens and nationals paroled into the United States between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023
  • Afghan citizens and nationals paroled into the United States between July 31, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2023

3. You hold a T nonimmigrant status:

• ("T-visa") (for victims of human trafficking) or your parent holds a T-1 nonimmigrant status. Your college or career school’s financial aid office will ask to see your visa (and/or certification letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you have a T-1 visa).*

4. You are a “battered immigrant-qualified alien”

• Someone who is a victim of abuse by your citizen or permanent resident spouse, or you are the child of a person designated as such under the Violence Against Women Act.*

5. You are a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau.

• If this is the case, you may be eligible for only certain types of federal student aid:
  • Citizens of the Republic of Palau are eligible for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Federal Work-Study.
  • Citizens of the Federal States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are eligible for Federal Pell Grants only.

*To qualify for federal student aid, certain eligible noncitizens must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that they are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Certain Native American students born in Canada with a status under the Jay Treaty of 1794 may also be eligible for federal student aid.

You are NOT an eligible noncitizen and cannot receive federal student aid if you:

• have only a “Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence” (I-171 or I-464);
• are in the U.S. on an F-1, F-2, or M-1 nonimmigrant student visa, or on a J-1 or J-2 nonimmigrant Exchange Visitor Visa; or
• hold a G series visa (pertaining to international organizations).

Other Documentation Not Listed Above

You are NOT an eligible noncitizen and cannot receive federal student aid if you:

• have only a “Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence” (I-171 or I-464);
• are in the U.S. on an F-1, F-2, or M-1 nonimmigrant student visa, or on a J-1 or J-2 nonimmigrant Exchange Visitor Visa; or
• hold a G series visa (pertaining to international organizations).

Types of Financial Aid for U.S. Study for Ineligible Noncitizens

Even if you’re neither a citizen nor an eligible noncitizen, there may be some scholarships and other aid you can get.

• Check with your country’s embassy or a consulate in the U.S. or with the appropriate government office in your country to see what they offer.
• Try the U.S. Department of Labor’s free online scholarship search.
• Ask the college or career school you plan to attend whether they offer any aid for students like you.
• Check out the Education USA website.