2024-2025 FAFSA Updates

Financial Aid Office Closure & Summer Updates

Published June 20, 2024

Since our last update on June 6, SPSCC has just a few updates for you.

• SPSCC's Financial Aid office will remain closed through June 28.
• Summer financial aid awards are being sent now. 
• If you plan to take summer classes, register ASAP so we can prioritize your financial aid review and award.
• Fall financial aid awards will be sent after the Financial Aid office completes summer awarding.

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Published June 6, 2024

Since our last update on April 29 (below), SPSCC has some important updates for you.

Summary:

• SPSCC’s Financial Aid office will close from June 10 to June 21.
• Summer financial aid awards will be sent starting mid-June.
• If you plan to take summer classes, register ASAP so we can prioritize your financial aid review and award.

As SPSCC prepares to welcome students for our July 8 Summer Quarter start date, we want to share with you an estimated timeline for summer financial aid. 

As you may have heard, the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) has been updated at the federal level, with fewer questions to answer and more students now eligible for Pell Grant. These changes have affected processing times for financial aid at colleges throughout the country. At SPSCC, processing of summer awards will begin in mid-June.

If any information is needed before we can determine your eligibility, we will contact you at the email address you have listed in ctcLink. Please check your email regularly as many of these requests have already been sent.

Financial aid applications will be reviewed in the order received, and you will receive an offer of financial aid by email once your eligibility is determined. In the meantime, you can use two calculators to estimate your potential eligibility for Federal Pell Grant and WA College Grant. 

In order to process financial aid for our summer students as quickly as possible, SPSCC’s Financial Aid office will be closed from June 10 to June 21. During the closure, students can find general answers to their financial aid questions on this page, or visit the One Stop, which will be available to students during our closure time.

To help ensure timely processing for your summer financial aid, register for your summer classes as soon as possible—registration is now open. If you did not submit a FAFSA or WASFA by the summer deadline of May 31, you should explore other options* for summer enrollment or pay out of pocket if you are able.

*Workforce Programs, Veterans & Military Benefits, Nelnet Payment Plan

Thank you for your understanding as we work diligently to provide timely financial aid as we adjust to new federal systems. 
 

Summer & FAFSA Updates

Published April 29, 2024

Since our last update on March 13 (below), SPSCC and the U.S. Department of Education have made great progress on FAFSA forms and the ability to award financial aid for summer 2024.

SPSCC wants to share some very important information with you. These are things you should do right now to ensure you’re ready to get financial aid for Summer and Fall Quarters:

1. May 31 is the deadline to get financial aid for summer. Visit our FInancial Aid page for how to apply >
2. If you haven’t already, complete the 2024-25 FAFSA or WASFA form as soon as possible. Select SPSCC as your school with school code 005372.
3. Go to your 2024-25 FAFSA Submission Summary to confirm your FAFSA is complete:
   1. Log in to StudentAid.gov using your FSA ID (account username and password).
   2. Navigate to the account Dashboard.
   3. Select your processed FAFSA submission from the “My Activity” page, which will bring you to the Status Center “Details” page.
   4. Select “View FAFSA Submission Summary”.
4. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary to be sure that:
   1. Your signature is submitted.
   2. Your contributor(s) signature is submitted, if needed.
   3. You have SPSCC listed as a school (school code 005372).
   4. Your contributor(s) have submitted their income and demographic information.
5. Starting May 1, the Financial Aid Office will close public hours on Wednesday & Friday mornings from 8 to 10 a.m. to complete work related to FAFSA and WASFA processing. The One Stop will still be open and available at this time.

As we continue to work through the impacts that the new FAFSA brings, SPSCC is working very hard to ensure you get the funding you deserve to support your studies at SPSCC, this summer and into the future. We’re here for you!

As a reminder, a list of Issue Alerts and Workarounds is being published on the U.S. Dept. of Education Knowledge Center >. If you run into a problem, look there first. If you have questions on how to get started, complete the FAFSA, submit a signature, unlock your FSA ID, or which parent to use, visit studentaid.gov for help.
 

Common Questions and Getting FAFSA Help

Published March 13, 2024

Since our last update on Feb. 7 (below), working through the new FAFSA form has seen some enhancements and improved access for users.

SPSCC wants to share some answers to common Financial Aid questions in Washington State:

Q: I experienced errors the last time I tried to complete the FAFSA. When can I continue and complete it?
A: Now is a great time to check on the error status and try again. A list of known errors, workarounds, and status updates is being published on the on the U.S. Dept. of Education Knowledge Center >.

Q: When will I get my Fall 2024 Financial Aid offer letter from SPSCC?
A: SPSCC doesn't have a set date to send Financial Aid offer letters. The entire nation is working through delays getting students' data from the U.S. Dept. of Education, and rewriting the software that processes this data to create Financial Aid offer letters.

Q: My family makes too much money for me to get financial aid. Why does this matter to me?
A: You should complete the FAFSA even if you think you are not eligible for financial aid. The only sure way to know and get access to funds and grants to pay for college is by completing the FAFSA or WASFA.

Q: Are there also delays with the WASFA?
A: The Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) is for people who are undocumented or who do not qualify for federal financial aid but may qualify for state financial aid. The 2024-25 WASFA is open now and, like the FAFSA, it will have fewer questions and a simpler form. However, the FAFSA delays are also causing WASFA delays.

Q: What's the good news in all of this?
A: There is a lot of good news!
1) The application is much shorter, and for many people, it can be completed in 10 minutes or less.
2) There is more federal aid available than ever before, and the average grant is expected to be larger.
3) Washington State offers generous state aid through the Washington College Grant. Filling out the FAFSA or WASFA is your key to accessing these funds.

We understand the stress financial aid delays are causing and are exploring all options to help financial aid applicants through these difficult times. We will continue to provide updates on this webpage as we learn more.

FAFSA Updates and Getting Help

Published Feb. 7, 2024

Since our first update on Jan. 10 (below), the new FAFSA form has revealed some ongoing issues and errors.

SPSCC wants to share some tips and new information with you:

• The 2024-25 FAFSA is now available. Despite the found issues, we encourage you to attempt to complete the FAFSA form.
• Special note: at this time, the FAFSA is not ready for students whose parents do not have a Social Security Number. The U.S. Department of Education is working on the issue so all students may submit the 2024-25 FAFSA.
• If you get stuck or have questions, pause your application and come to our next FAFSA Help Walk-In Session:
  • Feb. 22 from 12 – 1:30 p.m.
  • Held in the Assessment Center (Bldg. 22, 2nd Floor)
• A list of known errors and status updates is being published on the U.S. Dept. of Education Knowledge Center >. 
• The U.S. Dept. of Education has announced that it will not make FAFSA information available to colleges and universities until around mid-March. This means that all colleges will be delayed in sending applicants their Financial Aid Offer and helping students with corrections to their FAFSA form. This is true at SPSCC; we’ll provide more information about SPSCC timelines once we have access to the FAFSA data.

Remember, you have time and support to get the FAFSA or WASFA completed, and get funding to pay for college in 2024-25. SPSCC is here to help you!
 

FAFSA Changes and Getting Help

Published Jan. 10, 2024

As you may know, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has undergone significant changes this year. Overall, these changes are positive and should make it easier to complete the FAFSA. Like any new technology system, some challenges have been revealed as nearly 1 million people have completed the FAFSA.

For your ease of mind and safety, SPSCC wants to share a few tips with you:

• The 2024-25 FAFSA is now available. If you found the form to be “unavailable” on a previous attempt to complete it, try again.
• You still have plenty of time to complete the FAFSA. SPSCC Financial Aid deadlines for Fall 2024 are far off.
• Beware of phishing attempts to capture your FAFSA login information, for both you and your “contributors”.
• Do not pay someone to help you complete the FAFSA; you can get free help at SPSCC.
• New: FAFSA can automatically access IRS Tax Returns for (most) students and contributors. If the numbers look incorrect to you, do not manually update these in the FAFSA; SPSCC can help you make corrections.
• And most importantly: If you get stuck or have questions, pause your application and come to an upcoming event with Student Financial Services:
• FAFSA Help Walk-In sessions
  • Feb. 6 from 12 – 1:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 22 from 12 – 1:30 p.m.
  • Held in the Assessment Center (Bldg. 22, 2nd Floor)

Remember, you have time and support to get the FAFSA or WASFA completed, and get funding to pay for college in 2024-25. SPSCC is here to help you!