Steps To Apply for Financial Aid

New Students must apply for Admission to the College.

• Your financial aid application cannot be uploaded to our system until you completed all the steps of the admission process.

If you have any questions about admissions, please contact Enrollment Services

There are two different types of applications to Financial Aid.

• FAFSA  - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
• WASFA - Washington Application for State Financial Aid

Not Sure which application to complete?
Take this short questionnaire to help determine which application you should fill out.

Or  contact our financial aid department!

Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)  online or through the MyStudentAid mobile app. Do not complete both. 

If you need to complete the WASFA, please go to 2.b

See Federal Aid Eligiblity Requirements

Note: If you plan to transfer to Edmonds College and completed the FAFSA for another school, you must add Edmonds College to your existing application.
Our school code is 005001.

• Use the FAFSA to apply for federal and state aid, which includes loans.
• Complete the FAFSA once each year.
• Select Edmonds College on the FAFSA so we can receive your application.

Make sure Enrollment Services has a your Social Security Number (SSN) on your student file. We use your SSN to connect your FAFSA application to your file. Without it we cannot process your application.

I submitted my FAFSA. What happens next?

•  After you submit the FAFSA, you receive a response from the federal processor, which includes a summary of your application.
  Review this carefully to make sure it is correct.
  You can make corrections if needed.
• It may take around 5 business days before our school recieves your FAFSA. Once we recieve your FAFSA, you may be assigned tasks in your financial aid tile on ctcLink.

If you are not sure, contact Financial Aid so we can verify and direct you what you need to do if needed.

If you cannot complete the FAFSA due to your immigration status, federal loan default, etc., you can complete the WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid).
Do not complete both the WASFA and the FAFSA.

See WASFA Eligibility Requirements

If you need to complete the FAFSA, please refer to step 2.a

• Use the WASFA to apply for state aid if you cannot complete the FAFSA.
• Complete the WASFA once each year.
  Select Edmonds College on the WASFA so we can receive your application.
• Before submitting, review your application carefully to make sure it is correct.
• You can make corrections if needed.

Make sure Enrollment Services has a one of of the following on your student file.

• WASFA ID Number
• Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
• Social Security Number (SSN)

We use these numbers to connect your WASFA application to your file. Without it we cannot process your application.

What is my program plan/program of study?
Your program plan is the degree or certificate you plan to work on while taking classes.

You must tell us your program plan before you can receive financial aid. We only process aid for students enrolled in an eligible program plan.

Ineligible programs include, but are not limited to, “Undeclared,” “Non-award Seeking,” and certificates under 24 credits.

• You can only take classes needed to complete your program plan.
• Our system blocks enrollment for classes outside your program plan.

To prevent delays in getting your aid and enrolling for classes, complete this step early.

To choose or correct your program plan, take these steps:

1. Using your ctcLink student ID number and account, login to ctcLink.
2. To view your program plan, choose the “Academics” tile and then “Programs.”
3. If your program plan is not correct, submit an online request to change it.

Check the Financial Aid Deadline for the quarter you plan to start taking classes.

• If you miss the deadline it usually means we cannot review your file before the start of the quarter, and you must pay your own tuition, or start at a later date.

We cannot review your file or determine your eligibility for aid until your file is considered compelte when you...

• complete any tasks assigned to you
• submit any documentation we request

To assit you further, we have a page to help students with the common tasks,

<Insert button to /admission-and-tuition/financial-aid-and-scholarships/financial-aid/apply-for-aid/status-and-tasks.pcf  >

Once you provide us with the last document or complete the last process needed for your file, we mark your file as “Complete.”

After we upload your FAFSA/WASFA, we email you at the address listed on your college account. The email includes a list of other documents or processes you must complete before we can review your file and determine your eligibility for aid.

You can check the status of missing requirements by using your ctcLink account and choosing the “Financial Aid” tile. 

You automatically miss the deadline if you submit the FAFSA/WASFA on the deadline date. It can sometimes take several weeks for a student to complete their financial aid file.

• We review files in the order of completion and after enrollment begins for the upcoming year.
• We prioritize students enrolled for the upcoming quarter.

At Edmonds College, students who want a loan need to complete a separate form on top of completing the FAFSA.

How to Apply for a Loan

1. Complete the FAFSA
   – Steps 2 & 3 are all located on the same website that a student does the FAFSA, studentaid.gov.
2. Complete the Entrance Loan Counseling session online.
   • This is required if this is your first time taking out a Direct Loan at Edmonds College.
3. Sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN) online using your FSA ID if this is your first time taking out a Direct Loan at Edmonds College.
   • Please note: You do not need to submit a copy of the Master Promissory Note or Entrance Loan Counseling. Our Loan officer is able to verify if you have completed them when we are reviewing your Loan Request form.
4. Fill out Loan Request form
   • Submit the Loan Request Form Online

Note: Loans have their own requirements, rules and regulations.

Visit out Direct Loans page for the general information that you should be aware of.