HOW TO APPLY

To determine how much financial aid you may be eligible for, you must complete The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  This is the only application used for financial aid at Westfield State College.  All students must complete the FAFSA every year prior to March 1st for priority consideration. 

Below are the instructions on completing the FAFSA:

  • Go to www.pin.ed.gov and apply for a FAFSA Personal Identification Number (PIN) for yourself and your parent(s) or spouse, if applicable.  A dependent student must have one PIN for himself/herself and a separate PIN for a least one of his/her parent(s).  An independent student must have one PIN for himself/herself and separate PIN for his/her spouse, if married.

  • You will receive an email from the Department of Education informing you of your PIN(s) availability usually within 36-48 hours of applying.

  • Once you have your PIN(s), go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and complete the FAFSA.  The FAFSA is available each year beginning January 1 for the following academic year.  To complete the FAFSA, a dependent student should be ready to provide income and asset information (information found on your FEDERAL taxes) and a PIN for himself/herself and his/her parent(s).  If your taxes are not yet prepared, but information has not changed from the previous year, please use previous year information.  An independent student should be ready to provide income and asset information (information found on your FEDERAL income taxes) and a PIN for himself/herself and his/her spouse, if married.  If your taxes are not yet prepared, but information has not changed from the previous year, please use previous year information.  Be sure to include the Westfield State College Title IV Financial Aid Code of 002189.

  • You will receive an email from the Department of Education informing you of the progress of your FAFSA.  This email will include a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR).  Review the SAR for any information or requests made of you by the Department of Education.

  • Return to www.fafsa.ed.gov only to make any necessary corrections to your FAFSA information.  Any time a change is made to your FAFSA information, you will receive a new SAR.  Every time you receive a new SAR, review it for any information discrepancies or requests made of you by the Department of Education.

  • Your FAFSA information will be sent to Westfield State College.  The college will contact you with any requests for information.  If you are chosen by the Department of Education or by Westfield State College for a process called verification, the Financial Aid Office will contact you and ask that additional information be forwarded directly to the school.  You are not required to submit any verification documentation to Westfield State College unless requested to do so.  If information is requested, please provide it as soon as possible.  If the necessary documents for the verification process are not submitted, you will be ineligible to receive any Federal funding, including Federal student loans.

  • Once all requested information is received, you will be sent your financial aid award for the following year.  For new students, you will be sent an estimated award.  Once verification is complete and if your financial aid eligibility changes, a revised award letter will be mailed to you.

If the student and student’s parents(s), if applicable, are Massachusetts residents, you will automatically be considered for financial assistance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts upon completion of the FAFSA, provided that all necessary information has been completed on the FAFSA.  Students who reside in other states should contact their home state scholarship agency regarding specific application forms and deadline dates.

Please note that financial aid awards are not renewable automatically.  You must reapply for aid prior to March 1st each year.

For families not comfortable completing the FAFSA online, the form may be completed in paper format.  To obtain a paper copy of the FAFSA, high school seniors can pick up the FAFSA at their high school Guidance Office.  The form also is available at the Westfield State College Student Administrative Services Center.  Westfield State College strongly encourages all students to complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Online completion speeds processing time and eliminates data entry errors.