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FAFSA

2024 FAFSA Announcement

FAFSA DELAY 

Feb. 1, 2024

The U.S. Department of Education announced a timeline update for the 2024-25 FAFSA. Due to the Department of Education failing to update some numbers in the FAFSA formula and making corrections late, all FAFSAs that have been submitted are in a holding period until this correction is made.

The correction will result in more students getting more aid, but the fix will take time. Unfortunately, this means the government will not be releasing FAFSA data to any higher education institutions until mid-March at the earliest.

With this new reality, the Westminster College financial aid team is working to prepare as much as possible ahead of the release of the FAFSA data. We want to be a proactive partner with you to provide an accurate financial aid offer as soon as we can. 

If you have not yet filed the FAFSA, we strongly encourage you to do so. Once Westminster College has access to your data, we will work as quickly as we can to provide you a financial aid offer. 

If you have already filed the FAFSA, you can read more about the post-processing experience for students on the Department of Ed webpage. This link has information on what you should receive to confirm your FAFSA has been processed. 

In the meantime, continue conversations with your admissions counselors, coaches and family about what school may be right for you. If you would like to schedule another campus visit to ask more questions, we would love to host you! No institution will be able to provide you a completely accurate estimate of your cost to attend their school until we have the FAFSA data from the Department of Education.

We really want to have you as a student at Westminster College, and we understand cost could be the number one barrier to you making a college decision. We know this is frustrating in your decision-making timeline, but if you have any questions about attending Westminster this fall, please contact your admissions counselor. 

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Complete the FAFSA

Apply

Westminster College School Code: 002523
We encourage students to fill out their FAFSA by November 15th every year.

New or Prospective and Current Students can start/renew the financial aid application by applying for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

  1. To apply or request a duplicate FSA ID go to https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch.     
    Student and parent FSA ID's are used to electronically sign your FAFSA and other financial aid online documents.
  2. Complete FAFSA to determine eligibility for Federal Grants, Loans, and Work-Study
    Helpful Hints: Have student and parent (for students under 24) income information. You do not have to have your current year's tax return completed.
  3. The Financial Aid office will mail new or prospective students and communicate via email for current students' award letters, updates, and any other documentation requirements.

Verification

At least one third of all FAFSA applications will be selected by the Department of Education for verification. Students will be notified that their application has been selected for verification on their Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Department of Education. Financial aid awards cannot be finalized until the Financial Aid Office has completed the verification of your financial aid application. If your application has been selected for verification, please submit the following documents to the Financial Aid Office:

  1. Verification Worksheets
  2. Student's prior year W-2 Form(s) - only for students who did not complete a Federal income tax return
  3. Parents' prior year W-2 Form(s) - only for parents who did not complete a Federal income tax return
  4. Student's prior year IRS Tax Transcript - only for students who completed a Federal income tax return, paid their IRS tax liability, if applicable, and didn't consent to transfer the Federal income tax data into the FAFSA.
  5. Parent's prior year IRS Tax Transcript - only for parents who completed a Federal income tax return, paid their IRS tax liability, if applicable, and didn't consent to transfer the Federal income tax data into the FAFSA.

IRS Tax Return Transcript Request Process

Federal income tax filers (students and parents) who didn’t consent to transfer their Federal income tax data into the FAFSA must submit an IRS Tax Transcript to the Financial Aid Office. To request a transcript free of charge from the IRS, select one of the following methods. Your prior year Federal income tax return must be accepted by the IRS and you must pay your prior year IRS tax liability, if applicable, before you can request a transcript.

Online:

  1. Go to https://www.irs.gov/
  2. Click on the “Get Your Tax Record” box.
  3. You may click on the “Get Transcript Online” box and follow the instructions that will allow you to print out your 2022 return transcript(s) immediately OR
  4. You may click on the “Get Transcript by Mail” box and Enter the tax filer’s Social Security Number, date of birth, street address, and zip code. (Be sure to use the exact address currently on file with the IRS). Click Continue; In the Type of Transcript drop-down box choose, “Return Transcript” and in the Tax Year drop-down box, select “2022”. If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive paper IRS Tax Transcript(s) in the mail within 5 – 10 days.

Process for Non-Tax Filers

Students and parents who are not required to file a prior year Federal income tax return must submit copies of their prior year W-2 forms to confirm income earned from work. If no income was earned, please check the appropriate box on the front of this worksheet