Category: Student Resources

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2022-2023 opened Oct. 1. To help students meet the priority filing deadline Dec. 1, the Office of Financial Aid will help students fill their FAFSA forms 2-5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1 at the Rhatigan Student Center (Room 301). Participants will be entered in a drawing for a book scholarship as well as a chance to win a full-tuition scholarship for spring 2022.

To participate in this event, members will need to bring the following to complete their FAFSA:

• A laptop and/or mobile device (cell phone, tablet, etc.)
  • Download the myStudentAid application on your mobile device in Google Play (Android) or Apple App Store.
• Your FSA ID and password – If you need to reset your ID, you can do so at studentaid.gov prior to the event.
• Parents or guardians who are available to call for information.
• Social security number or Alien Registration Number, if applicable.
• Student and parent W-2s received in 2020.
• Student and parent tax returns for 2020 and proof of any other untaxed income.
• Totals of student and parent cash, checking, savings and investment accounts.

For more information about this event or Wichita State financial aid at Wichita State, please contact  (316) 978-3430 or by chat at wichita.edu/onestop 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Enrollment will soon be underway. Instructors should encourage students to speak with their academic advisors to help them develop a schedule to meet their needs and to help them complete 30 credit hours in one academic year.

Students can remain on track with their degree programs and potentially shorten the time it takes to earn a degree by enrolling in a combination of fall, spring and summer classes. They can also utilize the summer semester to help balance academic work during the fall and spring semesters.

The last day to withdraw from a full-semester class and receive a W on your transcript is Oct. 26. Make sure you communicate with your instructors if you have questions about where you stand academically and with your academic advisors if you are unsure of how to withdraw. You should also reach out to the Office of Financial Aid to understand the potential Financial Aid implications of withdrawing from a class.

Enrollment will open soon. Have you done your degree audit and met with a faculty and academic advisor? Do you know how many credits you will need to complete next year? To accomplish these tasks, students should consider enrolling in a pre-session or summer class to help them reach 30 hours without overwhelming themselves during the fall or spring semesters. This schedule would be similar to the following example:

15 (fall) + 15 (spring) = 30
3 (pre-session) + 12 (fall) + 15 (spring) = 30
12 (fall) + 12 (spring) + 6 (summer) = 30
3 (pre-session) + 12 (fall) + 12 (spring) + 3 (summer) = 30

No matter how you build your 30 hours, you have the potential to graduate earlier, begin your career sooner, reduce your student loan debt and increase your GPA. Talk to your advisor about options you may have.

It’s normal to feel not like yourself from time to time. Fortunately, students have a lot of resources available if they need someone to help them through a difficult time, including Counseling and Prevention Services, the CARE Team, Success Coaches and other advisors who can help students manage academically and personally. We encourage students to reach out for help when they need it.

If you need help to finish strong this semester, reach out to a Wichita State Success Coach. Success coaches can help students make an individualized plan to help with organization, time management, motivation, study skills and accountability. To schedule an appointment, visit the WSU Success Coach website today.

As the date for spring 2022 enrollment approaches, it’s time for students to check their degree progress. Students who haven’t used Wichita State’s Degree Works to run an audit of their classes will need to before meeting with an advisor.

WSU’s Degree works is a great way for students to view the courses they have completed and find out how these courses fulfill their degree requirements. It also shows students which courses have remaining for their degree plan. If a student is considering changing their major, the audit can also help them understand how their completed classes count toward their new major.

For more information, visit the Degree Work website. Students can also contact their academic advisor or OneStop.

On Oct. 6, the United States Department of Education announced that it will make major changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) in the next few months. These changes are meant to make the PSLF process easier and to expand PSLF eligibility for all Federal Student Loans (some exceptions still apply).

Federal Student Loan borrowers may also receive credit for past payments made on loans that normally do not qualify for PSLF. This temporary waiver opportunity will expire Oct. 31, 2022.

Wichita State’s Office of Financial Aid has informational resources available for the PSLF program and the PSLF limited temporary waiver.

For more information about eligibility for the PSLF program, contact your loan servicer directly.

Student Support Services (SSS) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to provide free academic services to a limited number of first-generation students, limited-income students, and students with disabilities.

Some of the free services include: individualized tutoring, academic advising, textbook loans, referrals to loan technology, FAFSA application assistance, and scholarships exclusively for SSS student participants.

Currently enrolled WSU students who are interested in joining the program can visit SSS in Grace Wilkie Hall 309. Call 316-978-3715 or visit our website at www.wichita.edu/sss for more information and to apply.

Swing by the Shocker Learning Center, the hub for tutoring services, in Lindquist Hall room 107 to find out more about what is available to you. Or, follow our step-by-step guide to request a tutor online from your student portal. Request a tutor now before it is too late to improve your academic performance.