Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Explore

FAFSA Overview

Check out this video to learn how the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) gives you access to grants, loans and work-study jobs that can help fund your education.

Watch in English

Watch in Spanish

Statue of the Wentworth Leopoard in the foreground and students walking in the background
Button Link
Off

FASFA Information

Wentworth students interested in applying for federal grants, work-study, and loans, will need to complete a FAFSA form.

2025-2026 FAFSA Requirements

The 2025-2026 FAFSA will not be fully available until the beginning of December. Please note that the 2025-2026 FAFSA requires all students and families to use 2023 tax information.

The 2025-2026 FAFSA is used for the Fall 2025, Spring 2026 and Summer 2026 semesters.

2024-2025 FAFSA Requirements

Please note that the 2024-2025 FAFSA requires all students and families to use 2022 tax information.

The 2024-2025 FAFSA is used for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 semesters.

First Year & Transfer Students

Submit your FAFSA early at the FAFSA website (to view in Spanish, choose the language option at the top right corner) and submit your application well in advance of the deadline to ensure timely processing.

  • The FAFSA fully opens December 1st
  • March 1st is our FAFSA priority deadline for all incoming students
  • Required:
    • FAFSA listing Wentworth Institute of Technology, 550 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 – School Code #002225
    • Admission offer from Wentworth Institute of Technology

Questions? Call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). You may also stop by the Financial Aid Office located in Williston Hall for assistance or email finaid@wit.edu. 

Returning & Graduate Students

  • Priority Deadline: May 1.
  • Required
    • FAFSA listing Wentworth Institute of Technology, 550 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115 – School Code #002225

FAFSA Filing Options

Online FAFSA (Recommended)

File your FAFSA online. This is the fastest way to apply. Your answers are automatically edited resulting in fewer mistakes, and only questions that apply to you will be asked.

Students and parents who do not or cannot use the IRS linking process, Direct Data Exchange(DDX), when filing a FAFSA, may be required to provide a tax return transcript.

Order a Tax Return Transcript online When asked the type of transcript you want be sure to select "RETURN TRANSCRIPT".

Note: Tax transcripts can not be sent to Wentworth Institute of Technology. Please have this form sent to you directly and then forward to Wentworth with the student name and ID number written across the top of the page.

FAFSA Help

Use the Guide to Completing the FAFSA for help answering specific questions.

If you have technical problems with the online FAFSA, please call 1-800-4FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

Federal Student Aid ID or FSA ID for Each Contributor

The FSA ID is a user-selected username and password. A separate FSA ID is needed for the student and all other contributors on the FAFSA. Visit the federal student aid website for an instructional video on how to establish your FSA ID.

Important Information After You File

Check the status of your FAFSA:

  • Online, 1 week after submission if you used your FSA User ID to sign your FAFSA
  • Online, 2-3 weeks after submission if you printed and mailed a signature page
  • When you receive a paper Student Aid Report in the mail, if you mailed a paper FAFSA

The FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) that you view online or receive in the mail contains information reported on your FAFSA. By including the Wentworth school code (002225), this information is automatically sent to us. Review your FSS carefully and make any necessary corrections or updates ASAP. Errors or missing information will delay your aid package.

Financial Aid Workshops

For families new to Financial Aid and the FAFSA application, we encourage you to register for one of the Financial Aid Workshops available later this Fall.  Please register here to secure your attendance!

What's Changed on the FAFSA

There were major changes for the 2024-2025 financial aid year and forward for the FAFSA including which parent to use on the FAFSA, and much more.

The  FAFSA Simplification Act was passed in 2020 and significantly changes the systems and processes for federal aid. This includes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, the methodology used to determine financial need and aid eligibility, changes in terminology and much more.

Wentworth's Financial Aid Office will provide timely updates to the community as it becomes available. Due to the significant amount of changes and errors in federal information that are occurring there may be times where information is not 100% accurate. We will continue to update this page as we receive more information from the Department of Education and Federal Student Aid and appreciate your patience as we implement these changes.

  • An Easier and Faster FAFSA

    The number of questions has dropped from 108 to 46 and not all 46 questions will be required. This streamlined process makes the form easier to file for applicants and their families.

  • Students may list up to 20 colleges

    Applicants should no longer need to submit the FAFSA multiple times to remove and add colleges with the ability for 20 colleges to be added on their FAFSA. As before, colleges cannot see what other schools applicants list on their application.

  • All contributors must provide financial information

    A contributor is anyone who is required to provide information on a student's FAFSA (such as a parent, step-parent, or student's spouse). A Student's or parent's answers on the FAFSA will determine which contributors need to provide information.

    Contributors will receive an email informing them if they need to provide information based on the email address the applicant provides and will need to log in using their own Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. If they do not already have an FSA ID they will need to create one.

    Being a contributor does not mean they are financially responsible for the student's educational costs, but it does mean the contributor must provide information on the FAFSA in order for it to be completed. If the information is not provided the application will be incomplete and ineligible for federal student aid.

  • Applicants and Contributors must use the IRS Direct Data Exchange (DDX)

    Currently, filers could either manually enter their tax information or use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Starting in 2024-25 all contributors and applicants must provide consent for the Department of Education to receive federal tax information (including confirmation of non-filing status) directly from the IRS using the DDX. In very few instances, contributors will need to enter their tax data manually.

    This consent is necessary even if the contributor does not have an SSN, did not file taxes, or filed taxes in another country.

  • Student Aid Index (SAI) replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

    On the new FAFSA, the term Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). This name more accurately describes the index number used to determine aid eligibility and, unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number down to -1500.

  • The number in college will not impact the SAI

    Previously the FAFSA asked for the number in the household enrolled in college to divide the EFC by the number in college. Starting in 2024-25 the FAFSA application will still ask for this information but it will no longer be calculated into the SAI or index number.

  • Some students will automatically be awarded a Pell Grant

    Families making less than 175% and single parents making less than 225% of the federal poverty level will see their students receive a maximum Federal Pell Grant award. Minimum Pell Grants will be guaranteed to students from households below 275%, 325%, 350%, or 400% of the poverty level, depending on household structure. Pell awards between the maximum and minimum amounts will be determined by SAI.

  • Parent on the FAFSA may change

    For dependent students, currently the parent you lived with the most in the last 12 months was used for the FAFSA. Starting with 2024-25 the parent who provides the most financial support over the past 12 months will now be the parent contributor on the FAFSA.

    For single, divorced, or separated parents who do not live together, only the parent who provides the most financial support's information will be used.

    For parents who are remarried, the income and assets of that parent's spouse must be included on the FAFSA.

    If you are unsure, the FAFSA also includes a contributor wizard tool to assist in figuring out who to include.

  • Family farms and small businesses must be reported as assets

    When asked, families must now report the value of their small business(es) and/or family farm. If the family farm includes the primary residence, applicants should determine the total net value of all farm assets and subtract the net value of their primary residence to determine the value of their farm assets.

  • When will the 2025-26 FAFSA be available?

    The 2025-2026 FAFSA has launched in a beta-testing period starting October 1st. Only test schools and students will have access during this period of time. The form will fully launch on December 1st however may not be able to be access by school until later.

  • What can I do now to prepare for the FAFSA?

    We encourage students who may apply for aid to ensure they have a valid Federal Student Aid ID or FSA ID early, as well as their parent(s) and/or step-parent, or spouse. You can create an FSA ID on studentaid.gov and it takes about 3-5 days to be created and validated through the federal systems.

Virtual Advisor Ruggles Icon Questions? Ask Ruggles