Our office processes all your financial forms to help you get financial assistance for the cost of college. We also process your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which determines your eligibility for need-based aid, including federal, state, and institutional grants, work-study, and federal loan programs.
The Skyhawk Station, our one-stop-shop for the business of being a college student, will help you with any questions or tasks with your financial aid.
Yes, plan to bring some money to cover last minute items you may need.
Financial aid automatically credits your bill when enrolled in 12 credit hours or more (9 credit hours for graduate students). After your bill is paid in full, any extra money will be available to you in a refund. The earliest financial aid can credit towards your bill for the semester is ten days before classes begin.
If you don't have enough money to buy books, supplies or a parking permit, you can add those items to your bill. Your bill is due in full by census day each semester unless you have set up a payment plan.
Fort Lewis College does not have designated aid for summer. Summer financial aid is usually limited to Federal Direct Loans and, in some cases, a Federal Pell Grant. To be considered for summer financial aid, students should:
Students MUST consult with the Financial Aid Office before adjusting their summer schedule to avoid having to pay back any of their summer aid.
After registration, the Financial Aid Office will email students starting in April each year with a link to view their summer financial aid package.
Go to studentaid.gov and login using your FSA ID and password (the same username and password you use to fill out the FAFSA).
Your FSA ID confirms your identity when you access your financial aid information and allows you to sign Federal Student Aid documents electronically. You will need to create one before submitting a FAFSA application for the first time. A parent will also need to create one to sign your FAFSA if you are required to put parent information on your FAFSA.
Create your FSA ID.
The most common verification request is the IRS Tax RETURN Transcript.
There are three ways a student and/or parent can request a Federal Income Tax Return Transcript from the IRS:
If they qualify, they can also use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool in the students' FAFSA account.
Students and parents who have filed their current year taxes can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing the financial information portion of the FAFSA application. This option is available approximately 2-3 weeks after electronically filing Federal Income Tax returns and 8-11 weeks after mailing Federal Income Tax returns.
Two separate financial information sections on the FAFSA for dependent students exist: students use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for the Student Financial Information section, and parents of dependent students will use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for the Parent Financial Information section.
Applicants who are completing an initial FAFSA, completing a renewal FAFSA, or making corrections to their initial FAFSA and meet all the following criteria:
If you did not use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you must provide our office with an official Federal Income Tax Return Transcript. If you are a dependent student, we will also need a copy of your parent's or parents' Federal Income Tax Transcript.
Tax filers can request Federal Tax Return Transcript information free of charge by:
Even if you have not completed your Federal Tax Returns for the applicable tax year, you should complete your FAFSA using tax estimates. Once you file your current Federal Income Tax Returns, you can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to update your FAFSA with your FSA ID.
Tax filers who cannot get an IRS Tax Return Transcript because of IRS identity theft submit a Tax Return DataBase View (TRDBV) instead along with a signed and dated statement indicating that they were victims of tax-related identity theft and that the IRS is aware of it. will be referred to the Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU), the toll-free number 800-908-4490.
To get a TRDBV, tax filers should call the Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) at 800-908-4490 and ask them to mail a TRDBV.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, also known as the Buckley Amendment, helps protect the privacy of student records. The Act provides the right to inspect and review educational records, to seek to amend those records, and limit disclosure of information from the records. The Act applies to all institutions that receive federal funding under any program administered by the Secretary of Education. View the FERPA policy.
Students must sign a FERPA release for the Financial Aid Office to discuss their financial aid file with anyone else.Fill out the FERPA release form.
The FAFSA application uses tax information from two years prior to the school year you are applying for. Therefore, you should have tax information available to use. We recommend that you use the IRS Data Retrieval tool (DRT) in the FAFSA application to obtain your tax information. This tool will download your tax information directly from the IRS into your FAFSA application. If you and/or your parents were not required to file a tax return you will be asked for other verification documents.
We begin processing aid applications for the upcoming school year in December once your student financial aid file is complete and you're admitted to the college. Only new students will receive a mailed letter. All students can view their financial aid award via their WebOPUS account.
You pay back loans. You don't pay back scholarships, grants or work-study unless you withdraw before the midpoint of the term and become subject to "Return of Funds" policies.
Under the Colorado ASSET bill, undocumented students who qualify for in-state tuition are eligible for State of Colorado financial aid and need-based institutional aid. ASSET students fill out the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid, or CAFSA, instead of the FAFSA application.
Apply for the CASFA