First-time application process
For students applying for first-year or transfer admission, follow the steps outlined for you here.
WashU is committed to meeting 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for admitted students, but we can’t help you if we don’t have your application. Even if you don’t believe you are eligible for financial aid you should take the time to complete the FAFSA. You might be surprised to find out that aid is available to help students like you.
Once our office receives this information, we will consider your family’s financial circumstances. Your financial aid award is based on the information you and your parents provide. Washington University uses this information to determine the amount your family can pay toward your educational expenses.
If you are not applying for university-funded assistance, only a FAFSA is required to be considered for federal and state financial aid.
You can submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) anytime after October 1 and before the financial aid deadline.
To complete the (FAFSA®), you will need:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
- Your federal income tax returns (including schedules), W-2s, and other records of money earned (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool)
- Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
- Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
- A Federal Student Aid ID to sign electronically.
- WashU’s FAFSA code: 002520
If you are a dependent student, then you will also need most of the above information for your parent(s).
The CSS Profile should be submitted by all first-time need-based financial aid applicants. This includes incoming first-year applicants, transfer applicants, and current domestic students wishing to apply for financial aid for the first time.
The CSS Profile is used by nearly 400 colleges and scholarship programs. There is a $16 fee for every college you want to submit to.
CSS Profile Fee Waiver
You are eligible to submit the CSS Profile for free if you are a domestic first-year undergraduate applicant who fits one of the following criteria:
- Family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000
- The student qualified for an SAT fee waiver
- The student is an orphan or ward of the court under the age of 24
CSS Profile for noncustodial parents of domestic undergraduate students is free to submit for noncustodial parents whose family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000.
Students will find out if they are eligible for the fee waiver while completing the CSS Profile.
If you have an extenuating circumstance in which you may need a fee waiver, but do not fall within one or the criteria above, please reach out to our office.
WashU’s CSS Profile Code: 6929
The Financial Aid Portal tracks your financial assistance application, which is separate from your application for admission. You will use your Financial Aid Portal to:
- See your financial assistance application checklist
- See your financial assistance offer as soon as it is released
- Manage/review your financial assistance offer
2023-2024 Academic Year
To track the status of your financial assistance application for the 2023-2024 academic year, log in to the WashU Pathway.
A WashU Pathway account is automatically created for you when you submit:
1) Either the Common App or the Coalition App (Indicate on either application that you are applying for need-based financial assistance. You do not need to complete your admission application for your WashU Pathway account to be created, just submit it. )
2) And, one of the following:
- the FAFSA
- the CSS Profile
*Please note that you will still need to submit both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile to complete your financial assistance application.
Within a few days of submitting these forms, you’ll be able to access your financial assistance application in your WashU Pathway account.
Supplemental forms may be requiredbased on information you supplied on your FAFSA. The financial aid portal in your WashU Pathway keeps a personalized checklist of the forms that you need to submit. All forms can be found in the form library.
You can submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) anytime after October 1 and before the financial aid deadline.
To complete the (FAFSA®), you will need:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
- Your federal income tax returns (including schedules), W-2s, and other records of money earned (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool)
- Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
- Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
- A Federal Student Aid ID to sign electronically.
- WashU’s FAFSA code: 002520
If you are a dependent student, then you will also need most of the above information for your parent(s).
The CSS Profile should be submitted by all first-time need-based financial aid applicants. This includes incoming first-year applicants, transfer applicants, and current domestic students wishing to apply for financial aid for the first time.
The CSS Profile is used by nearly 400 colleges and scholarship programs. There is a $16 fee for every college you want to submit to.
CSS Profile Fee Waiver
You are eligible to submit the CSS Profile for free if you are a domestic first-year undergraduate applicant who fits one of the following criteria:
- Family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000
- The student qualified for an SAT fee waiver
- The student is an orphan or ward of the court under the age of 24
CSS Profile for noncustodial parents of domestic undergraduate students is free to submit for noncustodial parents whose family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000.
Students will find out if they are eligible for the fee waiver while completing the CSS Profile.
If you have an extenuating circumstance in which you may need a fee waiver, but do not fall within one or the criteria above, please reach out to our office.
WashU’s CSS Profile Code: 6929
The Financial Aid Portal tracks your financial assistance application, which is separate from your application for admission. You will use your Financial Aid Portal to:
- See your financial assistance application checklist
- See your financial assistance offer as soon as it is released
- Manage/review your financial assistance offer
2023-2024 Academic Year
To track the status of your financial assistance application for the 2023-2024 academic year, log in to WashU Pathway.
A WashU Pathway account is automatically created for you when you submit:
1) The Common App (Indicate on the application that you are applying for need-based financial assistance. You do not need to complete your admission application for your WashU Pathway account to be created, just submit it.)
2) And, one of the following:
- the FAFSA
- the CSS Profile
*Please note that you will still need to submit both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile to complete your financial assistance application.
Within a few days of submitting these forms, you’ll be able to access your financial assistance application in your WashU Pathway account.
Supplemental forms may be requiredbased on information you supplied on your FAFSA. The financial aid portal in your WashU Pathway keeps a personalized checklist of the forms that you need to submit. All forms can be found in the form library.
The CSS Profile should be submitted by all first-time need-based financial assistance applicants. International transfer applicants are not eligible for need-based financial assistance.
The CSS Profile is used by nearly 400 colleges and scholarship programs. There is a $25 fee to submit your application to the initial school. A $16 fee is charged for each additional college you submit to.
WashU’s CSS Profile Code: 6929
The Financial Aid Portal tracks your financial assistance application, which is separate from your application for admission. You will use your Financial Aid Portal to:
- See your financial assistance application checklist
- See your financial assistance offer as soon as it is released
- Manage/review your financial assistance offer
2023-2024 Academic Year
To track the status of your financial assistance application for the 2023-2024 academic year, log in to WashU Pathway.
A WashU Pathway account is automatically created for you when you submit:
1) Either the Common App or the Coalition App (Indicate on either application that you are applying for need-based financial assistance. You do not need to complete your admission application for your WashU Pathway account to be created, just submit it.)
2) And the CSS Profile.
Within a few days of submitting these forms, you’ll be able to access your financial assistance application in your WashU Pathway account.
Supplemental forms may be required based on information you supplied on your CSS Profile. The financial aid portal in your WashU Pathway keeps a personalized checklist of the forms that you need to submit. All forms can be found in the form library.
If you are an international student who is currently enrolled at WashU and you wish to apply for need-based financial aid for the first time, you should contact Student Financial Services at financial@wustl.edu directly for information about the application process.
Special circumstances
We recognize that each family’s financial circumstances are unique. We recognize that errors could have been made on your application or your family’s circumstances may have changed. We are happy to consider any changes in your family’s situation. If there’s information affecting your ability to pay for college, please include your special circumstances on your FAFSA, CSS Profile, or submit our Financial Aid Special Circumstances Form (PDF) to financial@wustl.edu.