FAFSA Simplification Act: Update

FAFSA Simplification Act: Update

Updated 4/17/24

The William James College Financial Aid Office has slowly started to receive FAFSA application records, is processing them and is currently issuing financial aid packets to students. Thank you for your continued patience.

Updated 3/18/24

William James College is currently awaiting FAFSA records from Federal Student Aid. At this time, no FAFSA records have been received by the WJC Financial Aid Office. Students may continue checking this page for updates as the situation progresses. Again, thank you for your patience.

Updated 2/12/24

On January 30, 2024, the Department of Education informed schools that they will not provide FAFSA data to institutions until mid-March. Unfortunately, we do not have control over this FAFSA change and do not know if the delay will be extended come March. In a typical year, we begin receiving this data starting October 1st and begin to process and package financial aid awards as applicants are offered admission. Due to this delay from the Department of Education, we ask you to be patient since it will take some time to review FAFSA applications and award you once the information is received. 

We understand that financing your education is stressful and complicated, even in a typical year, and we are sorry that you have to experience these unforeseen delays.

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What does this mean for a student admitted to William James College?

Tuition may be funded through a number of different sources including scholarships, grants, federal loans, and private loans. Please view our shopping sheets to get an idea of the annual cost of each academic program.

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Scholarships

Several scholarships at William James College are merit scholarships, which means they do not take financial need (FAFSA) into consideration and do not require a separate application. These scholarships are awarded in your offer of admission letter. Your financial aid award letter will include any scholarships you’ve been awarded, but will not include any additional scholarships, just loans and work-study if applicable.

Other scholarships, such as the Serving the Mental Health Needs of the Underserved Scholarship, do require the FAFSA in order to make an eligibility determination, so these will be delayed for 2024.

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Federal Loans

Once your FAFSA is completed and processed, those with a valid FAFSA could be eligible for the following amounts for graduate programs:

Unsubsidized Stafford Loan

• $33,000 for PsyD in Clinical Psychology students per year
• $20,500 for all other MA programs and Leadership Psychology PsyD per year

Grad PLUS Loans
Students may also request Grad PLUS loans up to their Cost of Attendance, which can include direct (tuition and fees) and indirect (living expenses, books, transportation, etc.) costs, as long as credit is approved.

Private Loans
You may also consider private loans as another option to finance your education—ELMselect has some lenders listed. Please note: You will be billed after registration. We recommend waiting until then to apply for a private loan so you will know how much you need. 

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What to expect from your offer letter

As mentioned above, any merit scholarships you receive will be included in your admissions offer letter. Once the FAFSA has been completed and we are provided with access to the information from the Department of Education, the Financial Aid Office will work to process financial aid packages. These separate financial aid letters will include information about federal loans and work study.

Are there other sources of funding after I enroll at William James College?

Yes, we encourage you to visit Scholarships and Grants for Enrolled/Continuing Students of your program of interest, for eligibility and application information.