Student Financial Aid

Apply for Financial Aid

Ready to get started on financial aid? Whether you’re an undergraduate or graduate student, be sure to start the process each year by filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. Most Western students qualify for some type of financial aid, so it’s always a good idea to complete a FAFSA application.

The federal application for the 2025-26 academic year will be available to all families by Dec. 1. More information regarding the 2025-26 FAFSA is available at studentaid.gov.

The federal application for the 2024-25 academic year is available and has been updated.

Timeline for 2024-25 FAFSA 

  • Our office received FAFSA data in March.
  • Financial aid offer letters were sent in April for first year and transfer students.
  • Financial aid offer letters were sent in early June for returning students.

If you would like to understand your offer letter better, please watch this video:

We recommend that you check your WMU email regularly as we may need to request additional information from you. Check this webpage for new updates from Student Financial Aid and the Department of Education.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) received an update for the 2024-25 school year due to the FAFSA Simplification Act. Here are some things to know regarding the updates and what to do. 

File your FAFSA

  1. Create an FSA ID for yourself and any contributors. 
  2. File the FAFSA at studentaid.gov using WMU's school code: 002330. 
  3. For more information on filing the FAFSA, please visit studentaid.gov

Next steps

  1. Plan a visit to Western Michigan University! Visiting campus can provide valuable insight to aid in your final decision.
  2. Estimate potential aid using the FSA Student Aid Estimator. Compare this to actual WMU costs as you consider your options. This tool provides an estimate of how much federal student aid you may be eligible to receive for the academic year you are applying for. 
  3. Apply for scholarships: We encourage you to apply early, as some scholarship priority deadlines are March 1.
  4. Be sure to check your WMU email often! Financial aid updates and notifications will be sent via your WMU email. 

What are the FAFSA changes?

The new FAFSA® will:

  • Determine your financial aid for summer II 2024, fall 2024, spring 2025 and summer I 2025 for the 2024-25 FAFSA and summer II 2025, fall 2025, spring 2026 and summer I 2026 for the 2025-26 FAFSA.
  • Be more streamlined with fewer questions. 
  • Be updated with new information and terms.  
  • Offer increased eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant.  
  • Be streamlined with fewer questions and automatically pull your tax info from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 

New terminology and info 

  • Contributor is a new term and refers to anyone providing info on the FAFSA®, including the student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adopted parent or a stepparent.  
    -  Contributors are required to provide information on the FAFSA® form.  
    -  Students will need the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address to invite them to complete the required portion of the FAFSA®. 
    -  Contributors will need their own FSA ID.
    -  Contributors must provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information directly transferred from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to the FAFSA®.
    -  If all contributors do not provide consent and approval, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. 
  • Student Aid Index (SAI) calculates how much need-based financial aid a student is eligible to receive. The lower the SAI, the greater the financial need. SAI can be a negative number as low as -$1,500. It replaces Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from previous forms.
  • FAFSA Submission Summary is what you will receive once you have completed and submitted the FAFSA® and will replace the Student Aid Report (SAR).
  • Direct Data Exchange (DDX) previously known as IRS Data Retrieval Tool is a tool that imports tax data directly from the IRS to your FAFSA.
  • More students will now be eligible for the Pell Grant.
  • Small family-owned businesses and farms are now counted as assets.
  • Families will no longer benefit from having multiple students in college.
  • The parent who completes the FAFSA® is changing for divorced or separated parents. The FAFSA® will now be completed by the parent who provided more financial support in the past year rather than the one the student lived with the most.

Student Financial Aid
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5337 USA
(269) 387-6000

First things first: Apply for an FSA ID

We encourage all students and their families to complete the FAFSA. The application provides us information used for determining not only grants but also loan and scholarship amounts.

If you haven't already, you need to apply online for an FSA ID. Your FSA ID serves as your electronic signature.

Your FSA ID will be available at the time of application so you can use it immediately to electronically sign your FAFSA.

Your FSA ID allows you to sign other financial aid documents, check the status of your FAFSA, make corrections and check your loan history.

FAFSA checklist: What you need in order to file

  • Your FSA ID.
  • Your name and Social Security number exactly as they appear on your Social Security card.
  • WMU’s FAFSA code: 002330. List Western Michigan University, West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI as one of your college choices.
  • Federal income tax return from the previous year.
  • Driver's license (if you have one).
  • Bank statement.

The IRS Direct Data Exchange allows FAFSA filers to have tax data directly imported from the IRS to the FAFSA. You will be able to report tax information from two years ago (i.e., if you apply for the 2024-25 FAFSA, you can use 2022 tax information). 

 

How the FAFSA works

The FAFSA gathers information about your income, assets and other related information to determine your student aid index, a new term introduced for the 2024-25 FAFSA. Once you’ve filed, you can check the status of your application with the federal processor online or by calling the U.S. Department of Education Student Aid Information Center at (800) 433-3243. TTY users call (800) 730-8913.

The federal processor creates your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)—new for the 2024-25 FAFSA—based on the information you provided and sends it to the schools you listed on the application. Once WMU receives your FSS, the estimated cost of attendance minus your student aid index determines your unmet need. We then apply the financial aid programs you qualify for toward your need.

 

FAFSA corrections

Sometimes, you need to make corrections to your FAFSA after it has been turned in. To make changes, visit studentaid.gov and use your FSA ID to log in.

If you, WMU, another school or the Department of Education submits FAFSA corrections after you have been offered financial aid, your offers may be adjusted or canceled. In addition to submitting corrections based upon verification, WMU may also submit corrections if:

  • You indicated you have a prior degree in error.
  • You indicated you will be a graduate student in error.
  • You indicated you are married, and the date you became married is after your original FAFSA date.
  • You do not meet the definition of an independent student.

WMU may also request additional documentation from you to verify the information you supplied on the FAFSA.

 

Are you an international student seeking financial aid info?

While most U.S. federal financial aid only applies to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, funding sources are available for undergraduate and graduate international students in the form of scholarships and assistantships.

Learn how to obtain funding as an international student