FAQs

A U.S. citizen or national; A citizen of the Freely Associated States: the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republics of Palau and the Marshall Islands; or a U.S. permanent resident or other eligible noncitizen (typically determined through the Department of Social and Human Services or Social Security Administration) will complete the FAFSA.

The Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) is for people who don’t file a federal FAFSA application such as those without proper documentation or those repaying federal loans, and family members who do not want to file the FAFSA for Other personal reasons.

We recommend that your family file a 4506-T to document your record of non-tax filing.

You should apply for financial aid every academic year you plan to attend class.

Use the 2025-2026 FAFSA/WASFA for Fall 2025, Winter 2026, and Spring 2026. Complete your 2026-2027 application for financial aid for the Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027, and Spring 2027 quarters. If you’re unsure which application you should complete, please feel free to contact our office.

Yes, students typically will provide parent information until they reach 24 years of age, this is considered a dependent student for financial aid purposes. There are some unique circumstances that allow a student to apply without parent information. For more questions, please contact Financial Aid.

Check for any outstanding requirements in your ctcLink Task List and submit them to our office. When your application is complete and reviewed in the order it was received, you will find any eligible financial aid awards in your ctcLink Financial Aid Tile.

Typically, yes! The financial aid office offers financial aid based upon assumed enrollment of full-time, 12+ credits, to provide you with the maximum amount of funding. However, most forms of funding can be prorated to match your enrollment. Please feel free to review our Types of Financial Aid Page for specific guidance on different funding sources including minimum enrollment requirements. If you plan to enroll in less than 12 credits, please complete our Enrollment Change Form once you have finalized your schedule. Our office will manually adjust your financial aid offers once the form has been received and processed: https://southseattle.edu/financial-aid/financial-aid-forms.

Thank you for helping us complete your financial aid application. Please monitor your ctcLink for the status of your document’s verification and review (it may take up to 10 business days for you to see changes reflected in your account). You can check the status of your application via the Financial Aid tab in ctcLink.

We ask for at least 10 business days to process an update to your financial aid application. Once your application has been completed our office will work diligently to make a financial aid offer as soon as possible. You can check the status of your application via the Financial Aid tab in ctcLink. A reminder that until a student has been confirmed eligible for funding and has a financial aid offer letter, they are responsible for any outstanding balance with the college.

While there is no official deadline to apply for financial aid, our office recommends completing your application as early as possible. Some forms of financial aid have limited availability with a first-come basis. If student’s have not received a financial aid offer prior to the tuition payment deadline we recommend they explore self-pay options such as our NelNet payment plan. 

To be granted consideration of your financial funds applying to courses taken at another institution, you will need to complete a consortium agreement. We heavily recommend you meet with your advisor (if you haven’t already) to solidify your academic plans and submit this at least three weeks before the quarter begins. Please note you may have to pay tuition at your host school before financial aid funds are disbursed.

If you withdraw from courses after the withdrawal deadline, receive an unsatisfactory grade, you may need to complete a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal in order to explain what affected your ability to perform well in your classes.

For students who want a loan, the first step is to accept the loan in ctcLink and then complete the Master Promissory Note and Entrance Counseling. Students can also accept or decline loans or workstudy. Here is a helpful guide: https://www.seattlecolleges.edu/sites/seattlecolleges.southseattle.edu/files/2021-11/ctcLink-student-accept-or-decline-financial-aid-award-desktop.pdf