{"id":456,"date":"2017-03-06T18:08:28","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T18:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/finaid\/renewal\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T17:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T17:50:32","slug":"renewal-applicants","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/renewal-applicants\/","title":{"rendered":"Continuing Applicants"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 120%\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"color: #000080\">Continuing Students<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) becomes available on October 1. To be considered for financial aid, you must have a processed and valid FAFSA on file with the Office of Financial Aid &amp; Student Employment by <strong>March 1<\/strong>.\u00a0 It is recommended that you submit your FAFSA as early as possible in order to meet the deadline.\u00a0 Be advised that it takes 3-5 business days for your FAFSA to be processed and received by WCSU.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">If your application is selected for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/verification-process\/\">Verification<\/a> or additional information is requested, be sure to submit documents by <strong>April 1<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Applications received after the deadline(s) are considered based on available funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 100%\"><span style=\"color: #ff4d00;font-size: 200%\">1.)<\/span> <span style=\"color: #000080;font-size: 200%\">How to Apply<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at <a class=\"style3\" href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/\"><strong>studentaid.gov<\/strong><\/a> using Western&#8217;s federal school code: <strong class=\"style3\">001380<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\"><strong>Use the<\/strong> <strong class=\"style3\">FA Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX)<\/strong>\u00a0available on FAFSA to ensure accurate and timely processing of your financial aid application.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"style3\"><span style=\"font-size: 110%\"><strong>2023 income information<\/strong> should be used to complete your <strong>2025-2026 FAFSA<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\"><strong>2024 income information<\/strong> should be used to complete your <strong>2026-2027 FAFSA<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"style3\"><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Any discrepancies in income information between award years may result in adjustments to prior awards and, in some cases, a balance due to the Cashier&#8217;s Office.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 200%\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"color: #ff4d00\">2.)<\/span> <\/span><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"color: #000080\">Next Steps: Verification<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"style3\"><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Additional information may be requested of you if selected for a process called Verification by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are selected, you will receive an introductory email from <a href=\"\/finaid\/verification-process\/\">Inceptia<\/a> to the email address you\u00a0provided on your FAFSA.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"style3\"><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">If not previously used, you may be asked to update your FAFSA using the FA-DDX on the application.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"style3\"><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Students whose FAFSA application was not selected for verification, but may require additional information to proceed with processing, may receive information directly from <a href=\"mailto:wcsufinancialaid@wcsu.edu\">wcsufinancialaid@wcsu.edu<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Please <strong class=\"style3\">do not<\/strong> submit additional documents unless they are requested.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">The Verification deadline is <strong>April 1<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 200%\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"color: #ff4d00\">3.)<\/span> <\/span><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"color: #000080\">Financial Aid Award Offer<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress and be enrolled at least half-time for the subsequent term.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Continuing students are awarded in mid-June &#8212; after all spring grades are posted and Academic Progress is run.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Award notifications are sent to your WCSU email account.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Follow the instructions provided to accept or decline your financial aid offer.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Use this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2026\/02\/2026-Quick-Reference-Guide-FINAL.pdf\">Quick Reference Guide<\/a> for assistance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Financial aid offers are made based on the availability of funding at the time of packaging.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Should you accept any portion of a federal student loan, you will be required to complete additional requirements, if not already completed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Make note of specific award messages.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size: 200%;color: #000080\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif\"><span style=\"color: #ff4d00\">4.)<\/span> <\/span><span style=\"color: #000080\">Additional Financing Options<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 110%\">Federal Direct Student Loans are automatically offered to students at the maximum eligibility amounts. If there are additional financing needs, the following options are available:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"style3\"><span style=\"font-size: 110%\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.studentaid.gov\">Parent PLUS Loans<\/a> are available to parents of dependent students; applications typically become available after May 1.\u00a0 A valid FAFSA for the student must be on file.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 110%\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/cashiers\/payment-plan-options\/\">Payment Plans<\/a> are available through our Cashier&#8217;s Office.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"style3\"><span style=\"font-size: 110%\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elmselect.com\/v4\/\">Private Educational Loans<\/a> are also available. A listing of private loans and lenders can be accessed at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elmselect.com\"> elmselect.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>NOTE:<\/b> \u00a0 Any aid awarded to a student is contingent upon WCSU receiving federal and\/or state funds.<\/p>\n<p>Student awards may be adjusted with the receipt of new financial information during the academic year, or in accordance with the student&#8217;s enrollment status as of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/disbursements-refunds\/\">university&#8217;s census date<\/a> (enrollment freeze date). Financial aid is awarded to matriculated students who are registered at least half-time (6 credit hours).\u00a0 For more information concerning the above process or any related questions, please call our office at 203-837-8580.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\">Updated: 02\/04\/2026<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Continuing Students The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) becomes available on October 1. To be considered for financial aid, you must have a processed and valid FAFSA on file with the Office of Financial Aid &amp; Student &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"left-navigation.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-456","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/finaid\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}