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)

The 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is expected to be available to the public on or before Dec. 1, 2024.

To determine what type and how much funding you qualify for; you will need to first complete either the FAFSA or WASFA application - please do not complete both. If you are unsure of which application, you should complete the WAFSA eligibility questionnaire.

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

The Financial Aid Office determines your eligibility for aid and notifies you with an aid offer when your application is processed. The financial aid offer is sent by email to the preferred email address in ctcLink. The initial aid offer is based on the information reported on the FAFSA or WASFA and the assumption that you will enroll full‐time (12+ credits) each term.

If you are not attending full-time, you are required to submit an Enrollment Change Form. This allows your aid to be adjusted based on the appropriate enrollment level. Please have your Enrollment Change Form submitted 2 weeks prior to the start of the term to avoid any delays in your disbursement of aid.

Eligibility for Federal Pell Grant, Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship is based on the number of credits enrolled each term. This is called “Enrollment Intensity.” The initial aid offer is based on the assumption of full‐time enrollment intensity (12+ credits). Students may still be eligible for aid at lower enrollment intensity.

Dropping or withdrawing from a single credit after funds have disbursed 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.

Please watch for emails from Federal Student Aid and check your To-Dos on your ctcLink student homepage for any additional requests for documentation. You can access any outstanding forms, documentation, or other requests pending in your “Tasks” tile. Any items we need are listed as “To Do” list items. As we receive and process these items, they will drop off from your requirements list. We also communicate with you via your preferred email, and at times the ctcLink “Message Center” tile. Please be sure to also check these regularly.

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

The first disbursements of typically begin the Thursday before the start of each term and happen throughout the term. Any credit balance of financial aid funds remaining after payment of tuition and fees will be refunded to you through your preferred BankMobile disbursement method.

If you are not enroll in full-time (12+ credits) an Enrollment Change Form must be submitted and processed to allow all forms of aid to disburse at the correct amounts.

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.

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.

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.  Watch this brief Understand and Prepare FAFSA Form Contributors video for more information and use the Who’s My FAFSA Parent? Wizard to help determine the correct contributor(s) for your FAFSA.

Parents and spouses can create a StudentAid.gov account without having an SSN to access their portion of your 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 you can update the family size on your FAFSA application.

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.  Please contact finaidmail@clark.edu to connect and learn of options available. 

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 and be enrolled in a minimum of 6 financial aid eligible credits.

Work-Study is a way to earn extra money for living and educational expenses through part time employment. A work study offer does not guarantee employment. Work-Study payments/funding are received through bi-monthly paychecks.

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