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Admissions & Aid

 

Office of Financial Aid | Class of 2027

Your FAFSA

quick-start guide.

The FAFSA is the first step toward federal grants, work-study, and student loans, and Westminster College uses it to build your financial aid offer. Here’s everything your family needs to file with confidence.

 

 Start your FAFSA

 Download Printable Guide

 

Mark Your Calendar

Key Dates for fall 2027 students

Oct 1

FAFSA opens

October 1, 2026 for the 2027–28 school year

 

 

2025

Tax year used

The return you filed in spring 2026

 

 

Apr 1

$1,000 FAFSA Filing Grant

File by April 1, 2027 and submit to Westminster to be eligible

 

 

May 1

PA State Grant

Pennsylvania residents must file the FAFSA by May 1, 2027 to be eligible for the PA State Grant

 

Westminster College’s federal school code: 003392

 

 

 

Which FAFSA?

The 2027–28 FAFSA uses your 2025 taxes

Starting college in fall 2027?

Complete the 2027–28 FAFSA. It uses your 2025 federal tax return.

This surprises many families. The FAFSA looks back two years (“prior-prior year”), so you can file right away with a tax return you’ve already completed. You do not need to wait for your 2026 taxes.

 

 

Westminster FAFSA Filing Grant:

File your FAFSA by April 1, 2027 and submit it to Westminster (school code 003392) to be eligible for a $1,000 grant from Westminster College.

 

 

Pennsylvania residents:

You must file your FAFSA by May 1, 2027 to be eligible for the PA State Grant. The FAFSA alone is not enough: you also need to apply for the PA State Grant separately through PHEAA. Apply for the PA State Grant.

 

Get Started

Three things to know before you file

It takes most families about an hour once everything is gathered.

1

Create StudentAid.gov accounts

Your StudentAid.gov username and password (often called the “FSA ID”) is how you log in and sign the FAFSA.


  •  The student and each parent contributor need their own account.

  •  Each person needs their own email address. One email can’t be used on two accounts.

  •  Set up accounts before you sit down to file. Verification is usually instant. If an account shows “Pending,” it can take 1–3 days, but you can still complete and sign the FAFSA.

  •  Parents without a Social Security number can still create an account.

 Create an account

 

 

2

Tax info comes straight from the IRS

The old IRS Data Retrieval Tool has been replaced. The FAFSA now pulls your 2025 tax information directly from the IRS.


  •   Everyone must give consent: the student and each parent contributor.

  •  Each person needs their own email address. One email can’t be used on two accounts.

  •  Consent is required even if you didn’t file taxes. Without it, the student isn’t eligible for federal aid.

  •  Keep your 2025 return and W-2s handy to answer questions.

 

 

3

Know who fills out which part

Anyone who provides information is a contributor. A parent means a biological, adoptive, or stepparent. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and legal guardians do not count.


  •   The student starts the FAFSA, adds Westminster (003392), and invites parents.

  •  Married parents: one usually completes the parent section for both.

  •  Divorced or separated: the parent who gave more financial support in the last 12 months completes it, plus a stepparent if remarried.

 

 

Be Prepared

Gather these before you start

Student

  •   StudentAid.gov login

  •   Social Security number

  •   Driver’s license number (if any)

  •   2025 tax return and W-2s (if filed)

  •   Current savings and checking balances

  •   Westminster’s school code: 003392

  •   Alien Registration Number (non-U.S. citizens)

 

 

Parent(s)

  •   StudentAid.gov login (each parent)

  •   Social Security number(s)

  •   2025 tax return and W-2s

  •   Child support received in 2025

  •   Current savings and checking balances

  •   Investments (not your home or retirement accounts)

  •   Business or farm value (if any)

  •   Number of people in the household

 

Good to know: your home, retirement accounts (401(k), IRA), and life insurance are not reported as assets. Report bank balances as of the day you file.

 

For Students

Your questions, answered

The FAFSA is your application. Here’s what students ask us most.

We hear this a lot, and it’s a fair question. But for the FAFSA, federal law decides whether you’re independent, and financial support isn’t part of the test. Living on your own, paying your own bills, or not being claimed on your parents’ taxes doesn’t make you independent.

You’re independent for the 2027–28 FAFSA if, for example, you’ll be 24 by December 31, 2027, you’re married, you’re a veteran or on active duty, you support children of your own, or you were in foster care or a ward of the court after age 13. See the full federal criteria.

If you’ve left home because of abandonment, abuse, or another unsafe situation, contact our office. You may qualify for a dependency override, which lets you file without your parents’ information. We’ll walk you through what to send and keep it confidential.

If your parents simply won’t take part, talk to us before you submit. You can usually still file, but without their information your aid is typically limited to a federal unsubsidized loan.

A personal email you’ll keep for years. Don’t use your high school email. Schools deactivate those after graduation, and you’ll need your StudentAid.gov account every year you’re in college. Your email also can’t be the same one your parent uses for their account.

No. Your StudentAid.gov username and password are your legal signature, so only you should use them. Start the FAFSA yourself, add Westminster (school code 003392), and invite your parent. They’ll log in with their own account to complete their part.

 

 

After You Submit

What happens next

Make sure it shows as submitted, not just saved. Everyone must sign before it can be submitted. Within a few days you’ll receive a FAFSA Submission Summary by email. Review it and fix any mistakes on StudentAid.gov.

When StudentAid.gov sends your FAFSA information to Westminster, we’ll email you to let you know it has been received.

Possibly. Watch your email for messages from Westminster’s Office of Financial Aid, which may request additional documents.

File with your 2025 information anyway. Then contact Westminster’s Office of Financial Aid and ask about a special circumstances review for events like a job loss, high medical costs, or divorce.

No. The FAFSA is always free. Only use StudentAid.gov, and never pay a website to file it for you.

 

 

We're Here to Help

Questions about your FAFSA?

FOur financial aid team is happy to walk you through any step of the process.

 Start your FAFSA

Office of Financial Aid

finaid@westminster.edu

(724) 946-7102

Federal Student Aid: 1-800-433-3243 · StudentAid.gov

 

 

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