If you plan to attend college in the 2024–25 academic year, apply now.

Please be advised, applying for aid does not necessarily mean you will be eligible for financial aid funding. We encourage you to explore alternate funding options and resources that may be available:

     Workforce Education Services (WES)

     STEPP payment plan

     Veteran benefits (if eligible)

You only need to complete one. Determine which one by completing the WAFSA eligibility questionnaire.

The earliest Clark anticipates being able to provide 2024-25 financial aid award offers is (likely) late June.

Please watch for emails from Federal Student Aid and check your To-Dos on your ctcLink homepage for any additional requests for documentation.

Clark College will process awards for summer term students first. If you want to attend during summer term, enroll as soon as enrollment opens on May 21st so we can prioritize your application.

Admissions Application – make sure to include your SSN on the application and select a financial aid eligible program plan. https://www.clark.edu/getstarted/

Financial aid Application – complete a FAFSA or a WASFA. Please only complete ONE of these applications.

• FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
• WASFA: https://wsac.wa.gov/wasfa

Financial aid is awarded based on the number of credits enrolled each term.

Dropping or withdrawing from a single credit may cause you to owe financial aid funds back to the college. Please make sure that you are enrolled in the number of credits that you will complete prior to financial aid disbursement each term.

The college utilizes your FTI to determine how much federal, state, and institutional financial aid you qualify for. Any other use requires a signed release of information.

It is now required that you and all contributor(s) give consent for their FTI to be transferred from the IRS to the FAFSA.

Student Aid Index (SAI) is replacing the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) calculation. The SAI is what is used to determine your eligibility for financial aid in the FAFSA application.

If you are under the age of 24, not married, do not have children, and have not served in the military; you will need your parent(s) to create an FSA ID and provide information to your FAFSA application. Your parent(s) will be contributors on your application.

If you’re married, your spouse will need to create an FSA ID and provide information to your FAFSA application. Your spouse will be a contributor to your application.

Starting in December 2023, parents or spouses will be able to create a StudentAid.gov account without having an SSN to access their portion of your FAFSA form. On the 2024–25 FAFSA form, if the parent or spouse is completing their own section and doesn't have an SSN, the SSN will be blank and disabled. If the parent or spouse has an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), they should add it to the FAFSA form. If they don’t have an ITIN, they should leave that question blank.

Your family size is based on the dependents claimed on your federal tax return. If your family size has changed since 2022 you can update the family size on your FAFSA application.

If you are under the age of 24, not married, do not have children, and have not served in the military; you will need your parent(s) to create an FSA ID and provide information to your FAFSA application.

The parent who provides the most financial support over the 12-month period before filing FAFSA/WASFA, must be the parent contributor on the FAFSA/WASFA. This is regardless of whom the student is or was living with.

All FAFSA contributors have 45 days to fill out their sections of the FAFSA and give consent to import FTI or the FAFSA application will expire, and a new one will need to be created.

With a provisional SAI calculation, you will need to work with the financial aid office to determine if you are eligible for a dependency override prior to aid being processed.

Once the FAFSA application is accepted by Federal Student Aid, you will receive an estimate of Pell eligibility based on the calculated SAI.

When the college receives the FAFSA/WASFA application information, we will determine if additional documentation is required. Once all documentation is submitted, the application can be reviewed.

After review, the application is used to determine eligibility for Federal, State, and Institutional grants, loan offers, and Work Study. Once eligibility is determined you will receive an award offer, sent by email to your preferred account.

Loans must be accepted in ctcLink and Entrance Counseling & Master Promissory Note must be completed.

Work study must be accepted in ctcLink and additional steps are needed. Please go to student employment page for more information. https://www.clark.edu/enroll/paying-for-college/wstudy.php