Financial Aid 101: Get the Facts on Applying for Financial Aid
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About Financial Aid 101
An excellent, affordable education is within your reach at Wright State University. Our Enrollment Services staff is ready to help you understand your financial options and provide you with tips and tools. Join us for a live virtual presentation and discover how to maximize your financial aid by completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The FAFSA is a free application that will determine your eligibility for:
- Federal grants
- Student and parent loans
- Work-study opportunities
- Scholarships
To learn more about completing your FAFSA, select a date and join us for a virtual presentation through the WebEx virtual meeting platform.
Register for a Virtual Financial Aid 101 Presentation
Unable to attend a virtual presentation or need personal assistance with applying for financial aid?
Complete the contact form and we will reach out to you to schedule a virtual one-on-one appointment.
Financial Aid 101: Pre-FAFSA Preparation
To access and get the most out of your virtual Financial Aid 101 presentation or individual appointment, please review and complete the following steps before your virtual session.
Visit webex.com to install WebEx on your personal computer or mobile device. You will be using this online meeting platform to access your virtual presentation or one-on-one appointment.
Gather documents needed to apply.
Contributors may need the following documents when completing the FAFSA:
- FSA ID: Visit studentaid.gov to create or manage your FSA ID. Students and other FAFSA contributors must have an FSA ID. Details on who is considered a contributor and how to create an FSA ID can be found below.
- Social Security number
- Alien Registration number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
- Income and Tax information from two prior tax years. For example, when filing the 2025–2026 FAFSA (Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026), you will need income information from the 2023 calendar year.
- Records of child support received
- Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
- Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms
FAFSA Contributors Request or Update an FSA ID
All FAFSA contributors must have an FSA ID. A contributor is a new term and refers to anyone required to provide information, consent and approval, and a signature on the FAFSA form. Contributors are determined by your dependency status, tax filing status, and marital status. Contributors may include the student, student’s spouse, biological or adoptive parent(s), or step-parent. Please keep in mind that providing consent or providing personal and financial information doesn’t make a contributor financially responsible for the student’s educational costs. If you have questions about who would be a contributor to your unique situation, please contact Enrollment Services.
The FSA ID is a username and password needed to contribute to the FAFSA. Anyone who needs an FSA ID will need a valid email address. If you or someone who needs to contribute to your FAFSA already has an FSA ID, make sure the information is current, including legal name, date of birth, and email and home address. Parents, if you previously created an FSA ID when you were a student or for another child, you don’t need to create another. You can only have one FSA ID linked to your Social Security number. If you forgot your FSA ID username and password, you can retrieve the information on the studentaid.gov website by clicking “Forgot Username” or “Forgot Password."
Contributors requesting or updating an FSA ID should wait to begin their portion of the FAFSA until they receive an email from the Department of Education stating their identity has been verified and they can use their account.
*Students should use their personal email or Wright State email address to create their FSA ID. Do not use a high school email address, since it will most likely become inactive after graduation. Also, email addresses can only be associated with one FSA ID account. If you share an email address with someone else, only one of you can use that account to create an FSA ID.
If you have questions or need assistance with any of the items in this checklist, please contact Enrollment Services at enrollmentservices@wright.edu or 937-775-4000.
