University of Washington students use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for financial aid. The FAFSA should be received at the federal processor by February 28, 2009 for priority consideration for our aid programs for the 2009-10 school year.
Go to http://www.pin.ed.gov to apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN) from the U.S. Department of Education if you do not already have one. If your parents have to provide their information, they can apply for a PIN too. After you receive your PIN, go to http://fafsa.gov and follow directions to file the FAFSA (and signature page if directed to do so). If you filed a FAFSA in 2008-09, you can use your PIN to file the Renewal FAFSA on the web. File your FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA as soon after January 1, 2009 as possible, noting University of Washington, Code #003798 in Step 6.
If you do not want to use FAFSA on the Web, you can obtain a paper version FAFSA by calling 1-800-4FEDAID. All applications must be received by the federal processor by February 28, 2009 for priority consideration for our aid programs.
We recommend you transmit your application (or mail the form) no later than February 15.
Although the FAFSA requests "actual" tax information, estimates are acceptable and may be used to meet the February 28 priority deadline.
If you have children age 12 or younger who will need childcare during the academic year, you may be eligible for child care assistance offered through the University's Student Parent Resource Center. Read more about the Child Care Assistance Program
You will receive an e-mail to access Student Aid Report (SAR) information after you send in your FAFSA. (If an e-mail address was not supplied, a paper SAR will be mailed). You must make any corrections requested on the form and mail or transmit it back as directed. You should correct any estimated income data when actual data is available, correct your name (which should match the name the Social Security Administration has for you), social security number and date of birth if inaccurate.
We begin sending award notices in the spring and continue through the summer. This may be sent to you electronically so please check your UW e-mail and MyUW regularly. The award notice shows you the types and amount of aid you are eligible to receive. Your award may be an estimate until we complete the review of your FAFSA information. Please accept your aid as directed, even if you are requesting or expecting changes. Unaccepted awards are subject to cancellation.
You may be asked at any time to submit documents or other information to be used in the review of your application. Please respond to any request as soon as possible; review of your file may be delayed until all requested documents are submitted. The volume of material to be reviewed is substantial and we appreciate your patience during the review process.
If you want financial aid for Summer Quarter a separate application is required. See Aid for Summer for more information.
In general, students whose FAFSAs are received after February 28, part-time and post-baccalaureate (5th year) students are considered for limited types of aid. After February 28, we recommend that the FAFSA be submitted as early as possible before the beginning of the quarter in which you wish to receive aid. Less than full-time students and late applicants with exceptional circumstances may download a Financial Aid Priority Appeal Form and submit it to our office.