October 19, 2025 • 15 mins
We spoke with Luis Santiago, Director of Admissions, and Melissa Stephens, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management & Financial Aid, about what to expect during the application and financial aid process at Western Connecticut State University.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, thank you for listening to Community Access. I
have two guests with me this morning. The first is
Louise Santiago. He is director of Admissions at Western Connecticut
State University, and the other is Melissa Stevens. She is
Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at Western
Connecticut State University. Good morning, good morning, thank you for
(00:20):
having us. You've bet you know, a big fan of
Western Connecticut State University. My children attended, my niece graduated
from there. So happy that you're here today. It's a
new year, so we have lots of questions. Let's start
out with admissions. Louis, what is your job? Like, what
do you do?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I have the best job in the world. Yeah, you know,
it starts, uh, you know with the team. You know,
a great team that that supports our university recruitment and
the other activities. But you know, we work with the
freshman and the transfer population applying to Western Connecticut State University,
taking him through the steps to apply and then westy accepted.
(00:59):
What are the steps to enroll at the university?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Oh? Nice. It is the best job because you get
these kids out of high school that are so excited,
but they're also apprehensive, and you're there to hold their
hand and walk them through it, and the parents as well.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
That's the best part of the job, seeing them coming, curious,
helping answer their questions, but seeing when they made that
final decision to come to Western Connecticut State University. And
then the ice in on top is when they graduate
and they cross that stage within four.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Years to watch it all unfold exactly. So if somebody
is in their senior or junior year, should they come
and visit the university.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Definitely, It's never too early to come and see our
campus to find out if it's the right field to
start to make those connections. The thing about our missions counselors,
they're all friendly. They love speaking with you. But the
same host true for our faculty and our staff and
the students. You know, my big advice is, you know,
when you comfort to work, go seek out another student
on campus. Ask them how their experience is, what do
(02:00):
they love about WCSU, and how has WCSU been support
to them to be successful within the university.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Absolutely so, do you have open house visits or is
it something that they should just make an appointment for.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah, if you just go on our website, that's the
opportunity to see all our visit programs during Monday through Friday.
We have tours in the mornings and the afternoons throughout
the year. We also have information session its tours on
select weekends on both of our campus locations and open house.
You know, if you're someone who's looking to apply, that's
(02:35):
the opportunity, I feel to get the biggest bang for
your buck because we're going to have our faculty, our staff, administrators,
alumni or there to let you know why WCSU is
the place that you want to apply.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So when is the date for the open house?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
So our open house will be on November two, Sunday,
November second Daylight savings time, so be careful, make sure
it comes to the right time. And once again, I
mean it's you want to get a feel of what
WCSU is all about. This is your immediate opportunity coming
up to engage with the admissions team, financial aid, our faculty,
(03:12):
our student clubs and organizations. We have over eighty clubs
and organizations which will be there that day, and an
opportunity to tour the campus.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
My daughter actually found her roommate at one of the
open houses. They just started chit chatting and they hit
it off. And what is the time of the open house.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
The first check in will be at ten o'clock. The
next checking will be at eleven o'clock. Now, once you're accepted,
definitely take advantage of our accepted Student's Day. That's when
you're making that final decision. That's when you're going to
have those academic presentations. Take another tour of the campus,
meet with financial aid, meet with the admissions counselors before
you settle down and make the deposit, and then we'll
(03:51):
see you at during orientation.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
But you have to go eat there. You have the
best food ever, the biggest buffet, everything you could possibly
think of. You really do like WCSU has the best food.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Oh yeah, the dining services are excellent on campus. It's
one of my favorite spots to go to and that's
where you're going to find all the students as well too,
So that is the hot spot.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
It is best chicken tenders ever, best mac and cheese.
I mean that's a big deal. When you go to
a college, kids spend their money on so many other things.
They don't want to have to spend it on food,
especially when you're paying for your style to eat their
So it's wonderful. So once you're accepted, how do you
remain connected to your admissions team?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So all all counselors are on the website. Like I said,
this is this is a business where we love to
talk to people. We love to guide the students and
the families through the process. You know, so certainly make
a connection with your territory manager. But also we have
an online presence where we're on social media, so you
can get a feel of what the campus is like,
what's going on. And then once again a ten accept
(04:55):
the students day at ten a tour. You need to
be on campus, see what it's little about, find out
that is the right fit for you as you make
that final decision.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And we did that, both of my kids, honestly, and
they applied to a bunch of other places, and my
niece for that matter, who just graduated. We absolutely loved it.
We love Western, huge fans of Western. I can't see
why anyone would go out of state when they can
go to Western, save a fortune and get the best education.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, and I agree. One of the things that makes
me proud inspires me, you know, every day to get
up in and do. My job is at Western Connecticut State University.
We are a university which is going to prepare all
students for success without leaving them with that burden of debt.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
M so weak in mind. It's a true value, right right.
The student loans aren't horrible like some other places. It's wonderful,
no wonder You feel so gratified because you're seeing these
children blossom, as you said, and then they graduate and
they go on to be amazing young adults.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yeah. Yeah, And this is one thing too, since we
haven't touched on this topic. If you like what you're
hearing and you're excited about learning more about the WCSU,
as they mentioned, come and visit. But now, during the
month of November, for the entire month on the Common app,
it's free to apply to Western Connecticut State University.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Really yeah, So when you say what app is this
so people can go to it?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
This is the common app, you know. So there's about
two thousand colleges on it, you know. But if you
click on WCSU, you'll see that we have a fee
waiver for the entire month.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Beautiful.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
And what we're going to do is that first week
in December is when we begin to send our decision letters.
So you apply in November a year from us. In December,
if you're going to receive a merit scholarship, that's included
with your letter of acceptance as well too, and we
will begin the journey.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
And that's the best feeling ever when they find out
they're accepted. Yes it is yes, so is it WCSU
dot edu. Yes, okay, great, So they can also go
to the website. Let's speak with Melissa for a moment.
You know he has the best job in the world, Luis, because.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
He doesn't actually I do well.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I'm just gonna say. I was just gonna say, but
you're pretty up there. But I have to say you
have to be probably one of the most patient people
in the world. I know from my own experience calling
about financial aid because I don't understand it. It's not
my wheelhouse. I could take a blood pressure, I could
bake a cake like you know, but understanding numbers and money.
(07:25):
I guarantee we were probably on the phone at one point.
I guarantee it. And I can see my experience always
has been amazing with everyone I've ever spoken to. So
tell us a little about yourself and what you do
at the college as well.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Western Connecticut State University is not where I work, but
it is truly has become who I am and a
huge part of who I am today. I was once
a first gen student who landed on the campus of
Western Connecticut without really a path, without knowing how to.
I was born to teenage parents who made significant sacrifices
to get me there, except there was no one to
(08:00):
really tell me what the next steps were. And I
think that's what really makes Western distinctly West con is
It's not what we do, but it's how we do it.
It's how we wrap ourselves around the whole person, the
whole student, and not just in academics, but tending to
their mental needs, their emotional needs, their physical needs, and
really seeing the student as a person in a hole
(08:22):
and in everything that we do at Western, in all
of the areas, whether it be in the admissions office,
advisement center, in the financial aid office, we really wrap
ourselves around that student. And that's I think what I'm
most proud of. So for the last ten years or so,
I've had the privilege of being the director of Financial Aid,
and I've also held every role in the Office of
Financial Aid, And in this past year, I've had the
(08:44):
pleasure of expanding my role to becoming the Associate Dean
of Enrollment Management and still overseeing Financial Aid. And it
really is where the boots meet the ground, so to speak.
So I often say admissions is like window shopping, right,
So you go and you look through the way and
you see all the things that you want, But financially,
it is really the door that makes it happen. And
(09:05):
for so many of our families, finances are really one
of the big indicators or predictors of their ability to
make that dream a reality of going to college. And
it's not if they need it, it's how they need it.
And so it is a huge deciding factor for families
and choosing an institution. And not only is Western competitively
(09:27):
priced already, and not only are we also a best
value education in the state of Connecticut, but we offer
so many other resources to our students and families that
really make Western not just a dream but truly a reality.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
And how do you make it affordable?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
So Western Connecticut State University probably offers a variety of
resources from federal State Institutional Foundation, scholarships, We also offer
incentives like free application months and deferments for students who
may be having extenuating circumstances that are preventing them from
taking those first initial steps of entering college. But one
(10:05):
of the things that we proudly do is we assign
every single student upon application, not admission, not acceptance, not enrollment,
but upon application, with their own personal financial aid advisor
who is there to meet them through the entire process,
through all of the steps from applying to accepting their
awards to making decisions on what next available resources they
(10:28):
may need to bridge the gap. And we offer that
sort of wrap around services that I'm so very proud
of at Western.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
And that's all four years.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
That is all four years, so it begins before you
even say yes to us. It's maybe I'm thinking about
you process all the way to commencement. And one of
my other roles that I proudly do is I have
the privilege in the honor of reading all the names
that commencement at our annual commencement, and I've done that
since two thousand and three, and talk about seeing the
(10:56):
full circle of life of our students from going through
what they go through with Lou and as a prospective
student and seeing them cross that stage is a pretty
remarkable thing, which is why I say I have the
best job.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Yeah, I would be choking back the tears. Yeah, probably,
so I am proudly.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Last year had a really significant experience in that I
was able to read the name of my youngest son
and hand him his degree as he walked across stage.
And that was a really kind of icing on the
cake moment for me and my professional career and personally.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Oh, that's so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that. Yes,
we mentioned how the college is made affordable to students,
how is it made accessible?
Speaker 3 (11:41):
So it is made accessible because of like I said,
as I shared is how we wrap ourselves around the student,
and so we make our doors open both figuratively and
actually for our families. And we recognize, as Lu said earlier,
that we're not recruiting the student, we're recruiting the family,
and we're helping them make a decision. It's not just
going to change their life, but generations to come. And
(12:03):
we take that commitment seriously, which is why we do
it the way we do it, So it's not you know,
we are we recognize that we're in a competitive higher
education landscape. We know that, we know that there's tons
of others great universities and colleges in our area, but
it's the way in which we do it that make
us so distinctly west Con.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
If someone was going to apply for financial aid, what
is the application process?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
So applying for financial aid at west Con is really simple.
The only thing that we require is the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid, which is otherwise affectionately known.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
As the FASTPA.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
And I always tell families the first F and FASPA
stands for free, so you should never have to pay
someone to complete your FASPA for you. And what I
would like everyone to know out there is if you
are considering applying to Western our financial aid counselors are
available to you. We have FASTPA events that begin actually
this Wednesday, which is National Financial Aid Day, and we'll
(13:04):
continue throughout the year. So any students, perspective and returning
students can come into the Office of Financial Aid and
get assistance with completing their FASTA form for free. They
can also schedule a meeting virtually if they didn't want
to come on our campus, or they may be out
of state or in state just a distance away, So
we really make ourselves available to our families in that way.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Oh no, you really do, because I was that girl
on the phone trying to figure everything out with payments
and setting them up. Tell me, what are the deadlines?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Thank you for asking that. So Western has a priority deadline.
It is not a hard deadline, but we always say
in the world of financial aid, time is money, so
the earlier you apply, the more likely you are to
maximize your financial opportunities at Western Connecticut, so we have
a priority deadline of March first. However, the FASTA form
became available to all students to complete prior to October
(13:55):
one this year, which we're really happy about. So we
encourage students to go ahead and apply for the FASTFA
studentaid dot gov once again, that is studentaid dot gov
and they should be sure to include Western Connecticut State
University's Federal school code excuse me, and that is zero zero,
one three eight zero on the FASTPA form to make
(14:15):
sure that we receive it.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
And again you can always calm a list at the
Financial Aid office if you've missed any of this. If
it happened too fast. My oldest daughter went to the
Waterbury Arts Magnet School. My youngest went to Holy Cross
and Praise Jesus, they did the FASPA their senior year
of high school.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
One of the services that we do provide talking about access,
is we go to all of our local high schools,
including WHAMS in Waterbury because I'm a Waterbury resident, so
WHAMS is one of the sites that we actually do
the financial aid nights for Awesome.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yes, I would just.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Like to mention that over eighty percent of our students
receive some sort of financial aid, and we are committed
to making additional institutional aid investment in our students in
order to make sure that it is affordable and accessible
to all students.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I'm speaking with Louis Santiago, Director of Admissions at Western
Connecticut State University, and also Melissa Stevens, Associate Dean of
Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at Western Connecticut State University.
If you would like to apply for financial aid, if
you'd like to learn more about admissions, anything about the
school whatsoever, just go to WCSU dot edu. I'm Allison
(15:29):
de Merz. Thank you so much for being here and
for serving the community.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Thank you for having us
Good morning, thank you for listening to Community Access. I
have two guests with me this morning. The first is
Louise Santiago. He is director of Admissions at Western Connecticut
State University, and the other is Melissa Stevens. She is
Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at Western
Connecticut State University. Good morning, good morning, thank you for
(00:20):
having us. You've bet you know, a big fan of
Western Connecticut State University. My children attended, my niece graduated
from there. So happy that you're here today. It's a
new year, so we have lots of questions. Let's start
out with admissions. Louis, what is your job? Like, what
do you do?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I have the best job in the world. Yeah, you know,
it starts, uh, you know with the team. You know,
a great team that that supports our university recruitment and
the other activities. But you know, we work with the
freshman and the transfer population applying to Western Connecticut State University,
taking him through the steps to apply and then westy accepted.
(00:59):
What are the steps to enroll at the university?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Oh? Nice. It is the best job because you get
these kids out of high school that are so excited,
but they're also apprehensive, and you're there to hold their
hand and walk them through it, and the parents as well.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
That's the best part of the job, seeing them coming, curious,
helping answer their questions, but seeing when they made that
final decision to come to Western Connecticut State University. And
then the ice in on top is when they graduate
and they cross that stage within four.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Years to watch it all unfold exactly. So if somebody
is in their senior or junior year, should they come
and visit the university.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Definitely, It's never too early to come and see our
campus to find out if it's the right field to
start to make those connections. The thing about our missions counselors,
they're all friendly. They love speaking with you. But the
same host true for our faculty and our staff and
the students. You know, my big advice is, you know,
when you comfort to work, go seek out another student
on campus. Ask them how their experience is, what do
(02:00):
they love about WCSU, and how has WCSU been support
to them to be successful within the university.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Absolutely so, do you have open house visits or is
it something that they should just make an appointment for.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah, if you just go on our website, that's the
opportunity to see all our visit programs during Monday through Friday.
We have tours in the mornings and the afternoons throughout
the year. We also have information session its tours on
select weekends on both of our campus locations and open house.
You know, if you're someone who's looking to apply, that's
(02:35):
the opportunity, I feel to get the biggest bang for
your buck because we're going to have our faculty, our staff, administrators,
alumni or there to let you know why WCSU is
the place that you want to apply.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So when is the date for the open house?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
So our open house will be on November two, Sunday,
November second Daylight savings time, so be careful, make sure
it comes to the right time. And once again, I
mean it's you want to get a feel of what
WCSU is all about. This is your immediate opportunity coming
up to engage with the admissions team, financial aid, our faculty,
(03:12):
our student clubs and organizations. We have over eighty clubs
and organizations which will be there that day, and an
opportunity to tour the campus.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
My daughter actually found her roommate at one of the
open houses. They just started chit chatting and they hit
it off. And what is the time of the open house.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
The first check in will be at ten o'clock. The
next checking will be at eleven o'clock. Now, once you're accepted,
definitely take advantage of our accepted Student's Day. That's when
you're making that final decision. That's when you're going to
have those academic presentations. Take another tour of the campus,
meet with financial aid, meet with the admissions counselors before
you settle down and make the deposit, and then we'll
(03:51):
see you at during orientation.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
But you have to go eat there. You have the
best food ever, the biggest buffet, everything you could possibly
think of. You really do like WCSU has the best food.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Oh yeah, the dining services are excellent on campus. It's
one of my favorite spots to go to and that's
where you're going to find all the students as well too,
So that is the hot spot.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
It is best chicken tenders ever, best mac and cheese.
I mean that's a big deal. When you go to
a college, kids spend their money on so many other things.
They don't want to have to spend it on food,
especially when you're paying for your style to eat their
So it's wonderful. So once you're accepted, how do you
remain connected to your admissions team?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So all all counselors are on the website. Like I said,
this is this is a business where we love to
talk to people. We love to guide the students and
the families through the process. You know, so certainly make
a connection with your territory manager. But also we have
an online presence where we're on social media, so you
can get a feel of what the campus is like,
what's going on. And then once again a ten accept
(04:55):
the students day at ten a tour. You need to
be on campus, see what it's little about, find out
that is the right fit for you as you make
that final decision.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And we did that, both of my kids, honestly, and
they applied to a bunch of other places, and my
niece for that matter, who just graduated. We absolutely loved it.
We love Western, huge fans of Western. I can't see
why anyone would go out of state when they can
go to Western, save a fortune and get the best education.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, and I agree. One of the things that makes
me proud inspires me, you know, every day to get
up in and do. My job is at Western Connecticut State University.
We are a university which is going to prepare all
students for success without leaving them with that burden of debt.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
M so weak in mind. It's a true value, right right.
The student loans aren't horrible like some other places. It's wonderful,
no wonder You feel so gratified because you're seeing these
children blossom, as you said, and then they graduate and
they go on to be amazing young adults.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yeah. Yeah, And this is one thing too, since we
haven't touched on this topic. If you like what you're
hearing and you're excited about learning more about the WCSU,
as they mentioned, come and visit. But now, during the
month of November, for the entire month on the Common app,
it's free to apply to Western Connecticut State University.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Really yeah, So when you say what app is this
so people can go to it?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
This is the common app, you know. So there's about
two thousand colleges on it, you know. But if you
click on WCSU, you'll see that we have a fee
waiver for the entire month.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Beautiful.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
And what we're going to do is that first week
in December is when we begin to send our decision letters.
So you apply in November a year from us. In December,
if you're going to receive a merit scholarship, that's included
with your letter of acceptance as well too, and we
will begin the journey.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
And that's the best feeling ever when they find out
they're accepted. Yes it is yes, so is it WCSU
dot edu. Yes, okay, great, So they can also go
to the website. Let's speak with Melissa for a moment.
You know he has the best job in the world, Luis, because.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
He doesn't actually I do well.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I'm just gonna say. I was just gonna say, but
you're pretty up there. But I have to say you
have to be probably one of the most patient people
in the world. I know from my own experience calling
about financial aid because I don't understand it. It's not
my wheelhouse. I could take a blood pressure, I could
bake a cake like you know, but understanding numbers and money.
(07:25):
I guarantee we were probably on the phone at one point.
I guarantee it. And I can see my experience always
has been amazing with everyone I've ever spoken to. So
tell us a little about yourself and what you do
at the college as well.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Western Connecticut State University is not where I work, but
it is truly has become who I am and a
huge part of who I am today. I was once
a first gen student who landed on the campus of
Western Connecticut without really a path, without knowing how to.
I was born to teenage parents who made significant sacrifices
to get me there, except there was no one to
(08:00):
really tell me what the next steps were. And I
think that's what really makes Western distinctly West con is
It's not what we do, but it's how we do it.
It's how we wrap ourselves around the whole person, the
whole student, and not just in academics, but tending to
their mental needs, their emotional needs, their physical needs, and
really seeing the student as a person in a hole
(08:22):
and in everything that we do at Western, in all
of the areas, whether it be in the admissions office,
advisement center, in the financial aid office, we really wrap
ourselves around that student. And that's I think what I'm
most proud of. So for the last ten years or so,
I've had the privilege of being the director of Financial Aid,
and I've also held every role in the Office of
Financial Aid, And in this past year, I've had the
(08:44):
pleasure of expanding my role to becoming the Associate Dean
of Enrollment Management and still overseeing Financial Aid. And it
really is where the boots meet the ground, so to speak.
So I often say admissions is like window shopping, right,
So you go and you look through the way and
you see all the things that you want, But financially,
it is really the door that makes it happen. And
(09:05):
for so many of our families, finances are really one
of the big indicators or predictors of their ability to
make that dream a reality of going to college. And
it's not if they need it, it's how they need it.
And so it is a huge deciding factor for families
and choosing an institution. And not only is Western competitively
(09:27):
priced already, and not only are we also a best
value education in the state of Connecticut, but we offer
so many other resources to our students and families that
really make Western not just a dream but truly a reality.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
And how do you make it affordable?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
So Western Connecticut State University probably offers a variety of
resources from federal State Institutional Foundation, scholarships, We also offer
incentives like free application months and deferments for students who
may be having extenuating circumstances that are preventing them from
taking those first initial steps of entering college. But one
(10:05):
of the things that we proudly do is we assign
every single student upon application, not admission, not acceptance, not enrollment,
but upon application, with their own personal financial aid advisor
who is there to meet them through the entire process,
through all of the steps from applying to accepting their
awards to making decisions on what next available resources they
(10:28):
may need to bridge the gap. And we offer that
sort of wrap around services that I'm so very proud
of at Western.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
And that's all four years.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
That is all four years, so it begins before you
even say yes to us. It's maybe I'm thinking about
you process all the way to commencement. And one of
my other roles that I proudly do is I have
the privilege in the honor of reading all the names
that commencement at our annual commencement, and I've done that
since two thousand and three, and talk about seeing the
(10:56):
full circle of life of our students from going through
what they go through with Lou and as a prospective
student and seeing them cross that stage is a pretty
remarkable thing, which is why I say I have the
best job.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Yeah, I would be choking back the tears. Yeah, probably,
so I am proudly.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Last year had a really significant experience in that I
was able to read the name of my youngest son
and hand him his degree as he walked across stage.
And that was a really kind of icing on the
cake moment for me and my professional career and personally.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Oh, that's so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that. Yes,
we mentioned how the college is made affordable to students,
how is it made accessible?
Speaker 3 (11:41):
So it is made accessible because of like I said,
as I shared is how we wrap ourselves around the student,
and so we make our doors open both figuratively and
actually for our families. And we recognize, as Lu said earlier,
that we're not recruiting the student, we're recruiting the family,
and we're helping them make a decision. It's not just
going to change their life, but generations to come. And
(12:03):
we take that commitment seriously, which is why we do
it the way we do it, So it's not you know,
we are we recognize that we're in a competitive higher
education landscape. We know that, we know that there's tons
of others great universities and colleges in our area, but
it's the way in which we do it that make
us so distinctly west Con.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
If someone was going to apply for financial aid, what
is the application process?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
So applying for financial aid at west Con is really simple.
The only thing that we require is the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid, which is otherwise affectionately known.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
As the FASTPA.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
And I always tell families the first F and FASPA
stands for free, so you should never have to pay
someone to complete your FASPA for you. And what I
would like everyone to know out there is if you
are considering applying to Western our financial aid counselors are
available to you. We have FASTPA events that begin actually
this Wednesday, which is National Financial Aid Day, and we'll
(13:04):
continue throughout the year. So any students, perspective and returning
students can come into the Office of Financial Aid and
get assistance with completing their FASTA form for free. They
can also schedule a meeting virtually if they didn't want
to come on our campus, or they may be out
of state or in state just a distance away, So
we really make ourselves available to our families in that way.
Speaker 1 (13:24):
Oh no, you really do, because I was that girl
on the phone trying to figure everything out with payments
and setting them up. Tell me, what are the deadlines?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Thank you for asking that. So Western has a priority deadline.
It is not a hard deadline, but we always say
in the world of financial aid, time is money, so
the earlier you apply, the more likely you are to
maximize your financial opportunities at Western Connecticut, so we have
a priority deadline of March first. However, the FASTA form
became available to all students to complete prior to October
(13:55):
one this year, which we're really happy about. So we
encourage students to go ahead and apply for the FASTFA
studentaid dot gov once again, that is studentaid dot gov
and they should be sure to include Western Connecticut State
University's Federal school code excuse me, and that is zero zero,
one three eight zero on the FASTPA form to make
(14:15):
sure that we receive it.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
And again you can always calm a list at the
Financial Aid office if you've missed any of this. If
it happened too fast. My oldest daughter went to the
Waterbury Arts Magnet School. My youngest went to Holy Cross
and Praise Jesus, they did the FASPA their senior year
of high school.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
One of the services that we do provide talking about access,
is we go to all of our local high schools,
including WHAMS in Waterbury because I'm a Waterbury resident, so
WHAMS is one of the sites that we actually do
the financial aid nights for Awesome.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yes, I would just.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Like to mention that over eighty percent of our students
receive some sort of financial aid, and we are committed
to making additional institutional aid investment in our students in
order to make sure that it is affordable and accessible
to all students.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
I'm speaking with Louis Santiago, Director of Admissions at Western
Connecticut State University, and also Melissa Stevens, Associate Dean of
Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at Western Connecticut State University.
If you would like to apply for financial aid, if
you'd like to learn more about admissions, anything about the
school whatsoever, just go to WCSU dot edu. I'm Allison
(15:29):
de Merz. Thank you so much for being here and
for serving the community.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Thank you for having us
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