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Financial Aid and Scholarships

  • Financial Aid: 

    The 2021-22 financial aid applications (for students attending college during the 2021-22 school year : EWHS Class of 2021) will go live on October 1st, 2020.

     

    For U.S. citizens and permanent residents, plan to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) FAFSA

    For students ineligible for the FAFSA due to immigration status, state financial aid is available.  Apply using the free online Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA).  Funds are very limited so apply as soon as possible after October 1st of each year.   WASFA

     

    Colleges each have their own FAFSA filing deadline.  Some as early as November for institutional scholarship consideration! Check each college's Financial Aid deadline for for more information.

     

    The EWHS Financial Aid Night will take place November 18, 2020 at 6:30pm. This is a virtual presentation featuring keynote speaker, Paula Bishop, CPA and College Financial Aid Advisor, which is open to all students and their families. 

     

    Do you plan to attend a Community College?  Don't wait to fill out your FAFSA - fill it out in the fall and plan to apply to your intended community college in fall as well.  Financial Aid money is often "first come first served" so fill out your FAFSA earlier and hold your place in the virtual financial aid "line".

     

    PRO TIP:  When completing your FAFSA use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to download your tax information (this tool is embedded in the FAFSA and you will be prompted to use it).  Using the DRT will often mean that you will likely NOT be chosen for verification, and can avoid the long and tedious process of having to order tax transcripts for the student and parent to verify your information.

     

    A line-by-line guide to completing the FAFSA: Line-by-line FAFSA guide

     

    Watch these Youtube videos on all things FAFSA: how to complete it, what documents you need, and more!! 

 Financial Aid from the College/University:
After you are accepted to your future college AND you have successfully submitted your FAFSA or WASFA, AND you have submitted any college specific forms or documentation required by the specific college, colleges will issue you your Financial Aid Award Letter.  Use the information in this letter regarding grants, scholarships, loans and work study, to determine if the college is a financial right fit for you and your family.

Colleges will often request additional documents and forms prior to issuing the Financial Aid Award, or prior to dispersing aid.  Many students (40%) are selected for Financial Aid Verification and must complete additional documents and provide federal tax transcripts.  Students and families who choose not to use the Data Retrieval Tool when reporting taxes on the FAFSA are  sometimes asked to provide a Tax Transcript or confirmation of non-filing (if taxes were not filed). These transcripts can be ordered online from the IRS and often take about 10 days by mail to be received.  Use the DRT to avoid verification in most cases.

Students should be checking emails from their future colleges. Any items requested by the college should be acted on immediately!  Failure to act can result in financial aid being revoked, or even dis-enrollment from the college or university.  
 

Scholarships: 

  • SENIORS - you must complete and turn in your EWHS Senior Scholarship Application to be considered for staff nominated scholarships! Please turn in to Mrs. Lipscomb in the Career Center / via email!  The application can  be found in the "Document Resources" section of Naviance Student or in the EWHS College and Career Readiness Canvas Course.

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  • Where to look for scholarships:

  1.  In Naviance Student!  Students have their own accounts and family members can log in as a Guest using the password "EWHS Naviance".  Go to the "colleges" tab and scroll down to "scholarship list".  This list is updated weekly and will grow significantly throughout each year. Check back frequently for additions.  Most of our local scholarship applications become available in December and January, and are usually due in March - May.  Local scholarship applications, once available, may also be found outside the Career Center, and in the "documents" folder within Naviance.
  2. Colleges have their own scholarships!  Sometimes merely applying to the college serves as the scholarship application.  Some colleges have separate applications.  Search for scholarships on the "financial aid" page of each college's website.  
  3. Make an account on Washington's scholarship database for Washington high school students: The Washboard
  4. Make an account on one of the largest national scholarship databases:  Fastweb
  5. Make an account on GoingMerry
  6. There are many scholarships out there. Do google searches and talk to college admissions reps about scholarship opportunities.  
  7. Maldef hosts a database of scholarships for undocumented students and DREAMers: Maldef