Frederick, MD – The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) has selected Regent Education’s Electronic Application for State Financial Aid (e-ASFA) to automate its Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) process for all participating schools within the state of Washington. For students who are ineligible for federal financial aid due to immigration status, the WASFA provides a chance to apply for state financial aid including: State Need Grant, the College Bound Scholarship, State Work Study and the Passport to College Promise Scholarship.
“Ensuring that WASFA applicants have the same opportunity to apply for financial aid as FAFSA applicants is critically important. Regent Education’s experience and their approach to project management made that happen,” said Becky Thompson, Director of Student Financial Assistance at WSAC. “Thanks to Regent Education’s approach to product implementation, the Washington Student Achievement Council was able to deliver an on-time and user friendly application to students.”
Regent’s solution was developed to provide students with a simple and straightforward online state financial aid application similar to the FAFSA. The WASFA uses the student’s answers to calculate the student’s EFC in accordance with the federal methodology and is kept current on an annual basis. Available for new and continuing students, the solution contains advanced skip logic to ask each student questions applicable to his/her particular situation. Upon completion of the WASFA, the student will be presented with a PDF version for his or her records. The solution also allows for e-signature by students and parents, if applicable.
Prior to WSAC’s use of the e-ASFA, the council utilized a solution for which service was being discontinued in early Fall. Within the solution, a lot of manual intervention was required to download and convert files into ISIR format for schools. With Regent’s e-ASFA, these issues are mitigated by limiting the amount of manual work required, an integral benefit as WSAC anticipates processing nearly 4,000 WASFAs by the end of the year. The solution is branded by WSAC and supports 66 schools across the state of Washington where applicants can choose from amongst the listed colleges.
More information about Regent Education and its e-ASFA can be found at http://www.regenteducation.com.
About the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC)
The Washington Student Achievement Council is committed to increasing educational opportunities and attainment in Washington State. The Council has three main functions:
- Lead statewide strategic planning to increase educational attainment;
- Administer programs that help people access and pay for college; and
- Advocate for the economic, social, and civic benefits of higher education.
The Council has nine members. Four members represent each of Washington’s major education sectors: four-year public baccalaureates, four-year private colleges, public community and technical colleges, and K-12 public schools. Five are citizen members, including one current student. To learn more, please visit www.wsac.wa.gov.
