Financial Literacy, FAFSA, and Scholarships

Navigation

Financial literacy is learning about and understanding financial topics such as managing personal expenses, creating a budget; understanding financial aid including loans, grants, scholarships, and how to complete the FAFSA; home buying and investing; and managing debt.

Providing financial literacy education is a federal requirement for all TRIO programs. For this reason, we require all TRIO participants to complete a one-time, online financial literacy training when they join TRIO.

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Student Aid. This application allows students to apply to receive various types of student aid such as; grants, loans, and student work study employment.

For many students, completing the FAFSA is confusing, intimidating, and frustrating. This is why as a TRIO participant, your TRIO advisor will meet with you one-on-one to help you complete the FAFSA. Advisors can also help you to understand your aid package and refer you to the Financial Aid office with any questions they cannot answer.

To schedule a FAFSA appointment with your advisor, contact TRIO at (425) 739-8361 or email trio@lwtech.edu.

Applying for Scholarships

Scholarships are a way to pay for tuition, books, and living expenses that you don't have to pay back. They are similar to grants, but you do not apply for scholarships by using the FAFSA. To apply for scholarships, you must complete a separate application process.

Applying for scholarships can be a little intimidating and overwhelming. There are literally hundreds of thousands of scholarships out there and it can be difficult to figure out which ones to apply for and which ones are just scams.

TRIO can help you find and apply for scholarships and point you in the right direction so you don't waste your time. We offer one-on-one appointments to help you sift through the scholarship noise and find the ones you qualify for.

We help TRIO students with the following:

  • Finding scholarships
  • Applying for scholarships
  • Reviewing application materials
  • Assistance with editing essays
  • Submitting scholarship applications

If you would like to schedule an appointment with a TRIO advisor to discuss finding and applying for scholarships, contact TRIO at (425) 739-8361 or email trio@lwtech.edu.