The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as the FAFSA, is the gateway to financial aid at WCC.
Filling out the form determines your eligibility for federal grants, loans, and work-study. It’s also the key to qualifying for most of the financial aid that WCC offers. You fill out the form online.
There’s lots of help available with filling out the FAFSA:
- You can always get help from WCC’s Financial Aid Office by calling 734-973-3523, emailing [email protected] or visiting the office on the second floor of the Student Center building.
- The federal government has great information on the Federal Student Aid website for completing the FAFSA.
WCC’s Federal School Code, which you’ll need for the FAFSA, is 002328.
You must file a new FAFSA every year if you want to receive financial aid. You can file a new FAFSA each year starting October 1 for the next fall semester.
What happens after you submit your FAFSA
If you’ve completed everything correctly and the Federal Student Aid accepts your FAFSA, you may view your FAFSA Submission Summary under the “My Activity” section of your studentaid.gov account Dashboard. The FAFSA Submission Summary provides you with your “Eligibility Overview” along with the information you provided on your FAFSA. Review it carefully to make sure it’s correct and complete.
The federal processing center may randomly select your FAFSA for a process called verification. If you’re selected, you must submit additional information, and WCC’s Financial Aid Office will email you instructions on how to complete the verification process. In most cases, you and/or your parents will need to provide additional documents to the Financial Aid Office. You should complete your file as soon as possible so the Financial Aid Office can complete your verification. Aid will not be awarded to your account until all FAFSA requirements are complete.
WCC’s Financial Aid office will send an award letter to your student email address. You can receive it as soon as 10 days after you submit your FAFSA.
The award letter will list the grants and loans for which you qualify. You’ll get a separate award letter if you qualify for work-study. Each letter will explain the next steps needed to receive your financial aid.
What to do if you have an unusual circumstance
If you are required to provide your parent(s) information on your FAFSA and do not do so, your FAFSA will be rejected, and you will not qualify for financial aid. To receive aid, you must:
- Correct your FAFSA to include your parent(s) information. You can do so by visiting the FAFSA website at fafsa.gov.
- If your parent(s) refuse to provide information on the FAFSA or if you have an extreme family circumstance that has caused an involuntary or uncontrollable break in the relationship between you and your parent(s), contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss your situation.
What to do if you have a special circumstance
Students who experience special circumstances that could affect their financial aid package should contact the Financial Aid Office. These circumstances could include a change in income or extraordinary living expenses.
There's no guarantee that you will get more financial aid. However, financial aid administrators will review your paperwork to determine whether it's possible to recalculate your aid eligibility.