Incoming freshmen
File the FAFSA early
To receive federal aid you must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year.
2020-21 FAFSA - Apply for fall 2020, winter 2021 and spring/summer 2021 semesters.
Available October 1, 2019 - June 30, 2021, use your 2018 income/tax information
2021-22 FAFSA - Apply for fall 2021, winter 2022 and spring/summer 2022 semesters.
Available October 1, 2020 - June 30, 2022, use your 2019 income/tax information
- Use the WSU School Code 002329.
- Use the IRS Data Retrieval tool to transfer your tax data directly onto your FAFSA.
We recommend that you submit your FAFSA by December 1, 2020 for maximum scholarship consideration.
| If you plan to attend college | Submit this FAFSA | Submit the FAFSA | Use income and tax information from |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021 | 2020-21 | October 1, 2019- June 30, 2021 | 2018 |
| July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 | 2021-22 | October 1, 2020- June 30, 2022 | 2019 |
| July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023 | 2022-23 | October 1, 2021- June 30, 2023 | 2020 |
Your financial aid awards are determined by the Financial Aid Office based on the information on your FAFSA
Parent information on the FAFSA
Award notification
As an incoming student, you will receive one paper award letter mailed to your home address. You will receive all other notifications via your WSU email account. You may view your award information at any time in Academica.
Complete outstanding requirements
Aid cannot be applied to your student account until all requirements are met. You may have requirements if your FAFSA was selected for verification. If you have accepted student loans, you will have loan entrance counseling and promissory note requirements to complete. Click on the requirement in Academica and you will be directed to the form or the studentloans.gov website.
Expected Family Contribution
We use the expected family contribution (EFC) to determine your eligibility for need-based federal student aid and university grants.
Your EFC is calculated by the U.S. Department of Education, using the need-analysis formula set by Congress, and based on the information you reported on your FAFSA.
This number is calculated from parent and student income and asset information. Allowances are made for household size, number of family members in college and an asset protection based on age. There are opportunities to borrow funds to help pay for the EFC.
Need-based aid
Need-based aid includes federal grants, state grants, university grants, federal college work-study, Federal Perkins loans and the subsidized portion of the Federal Direct loans.
Financial need is calculated by subtracting your expected family contribution from estimated costs.
Non-need-based aid
Non-need-based aid includes university merit scholarships, the unsubsidized portion of the Federal Direct loan, Federal Parent PLUS loans, private educational loans, and other resources.
The sum of all aid from all sources cannot exceed the estimated cost of attendance.
Eligibility for non-need-based aid is determined by subtracting your amount of need-based aid from the estimated cost of attendance.
WSU Academica
Academica is the secure portal for information and resources at Wayne State University. Academica requires a student AccessID. On application for admission to WSU, notification of the AccessID and a temporary password are mailed to applicants from the Office of Computing & Information Technology (C&IT).
