Membership FAQ

Please visit our Why Join WASFAA page for a full overview of member benefits and what WASFAA has to offer.

1. Go to WASFAA's Member Registration system to Check for Membership.
2. Enter the email address you believe to be associated with your WASFAA account.
3. You will see one of the following results:
   • If the email is valid AND you hold an individual membership or are the Primary Contact for your institution:
     "You are currently an active member. Please login or go to Forgot Password."
   • If the email is NOT recognized:
     "No records for xxxxx@xxx.edu. If you think you have a different email address on file, enter the new email and select 'submit again'."
   • If no result appears: Your email is valid and you are a "list-only" member under your institution's institutional membership.

Use the "Forgot Password" option to reset your password if necessary.

Questions? Contact our Membership Chair at membership@wasfaa.org.

1. Log into your WASFAA Member Dashboard at WASFAA.org.
2. Select the Billing Info tab.
3. Select Membership Status/Billing Info. Your invoice amounts and links will be listed under Billing Statement.

Note: If you are listed as "List-Only" under Membership Plan, you are not the Primary Contact for your institution and will not have direct access to pay the renewal invoice. You may, however, view invoices created on your account prior to being added under institutional membership.

Questions? Contact our Membership Chair at membership@wasfaa.org.

The Primary Contact (or Primary Member) is the person responsible for managing an institution's WASFAA Institutional Membership — generally the Director of Financial Aid, unless otherwise specified.

The Primary Contact will:

• Have access to add or drop members to maintain the institutional membership roster.
• Receive renewal invoice notifications for their institution.
• Receive membership registration codes for training events and be responsible for sharing those codes with staff.

Questions? Contact our Membership Chair at membership@wasfaa.org.

WASFAA's annual membership year runs from July 1 through June 30. Membership dues are due and payable as of July 1.

Members will have 90 days to settle overdue balances before being dropped.

Please contact our Membership Chair at membership@wasfaa.org for assistance reactivating your account.

Individual WASFAA Membership — Available to Active, Associate, and Retired members.

Institutional WASFAA Membership — Available to Active and Associate members.

At $390/$405, institutions with seven or more members will benefit from institutional membership compared to individual memberships at $60/$62 per person.

Note: Membership dues increase automatically by 2–5% every two years.

Please contact our Membership Chair at membership@wasfaa.org to initiate this change.

Based on our current Bylaws (Article IV: Membership, Sections 2–5):

Active Membership — Open to individuals who:

• Are associated with the administration and support of student financial aid in postsecondary institutions, government offices, lending institutions, or private/community/civic organizations; and
• Are located, or have administrative responsibility, in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Palau, American Samoa, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and other U.S. Pacific possessions as of May 6, 1974; and
• Have paid annual membership dues for the current year.

Honorary Membership — Presented by Board vote to individuals who have performed outstanding service in the support and/or administration of student financial aid. Key details:

• Includes a lifetime WASFAA membership.
• All WASFAA Past Presidents and Distinguished Service recipients who are no longer directly involved in financial aid administration are automatically granted Honorary membership.
• Intended to be conferred toward the end of an honoree's career.

Associate Membership — Open to individuals who:

• Have primary job duties outside the direct administration of student financial aid; or
• Represent government, lending, or civic organizations where financial aid is a secondary or related responsibility; or
• Administer financial aid at institutions headquartered outside the WASFAA region; and
• Have paid annual membership dues for the current year.

Retired Membership — Available to individuals who:

• Were actively engaged for at least 10 years in the administration of student financial aid (or approved by majority Board vote); and
• Are not eligible for Active, Honorary, or Associate membership; and
• Have paid annual membership dues (amount determined by the Executive Council) for the current year.

• Institutional-Active Membership: All members listed in this group are considered voting members.
• Institutional-Associate Membership: All members listed in this group are considered nonvoting members.

If you are a member through institutional membership: Contact your Primary Contact (generally the Director of Financial Aid). Your prior institution should drop you from their roster, and your new institution can add you to theirs if they also use institutional membership.

If you hold an individual membership: Log in at WASFAA.org, go to your Member Dashboard, and select Change Contact/Profile Info.

Note: Individual memberships transfer with the individual; institutional memberships do not.

Questions? Contact our Membership Chair at membership@wasfaa.org.

The Primary Contact is responsible for keeping the roster updated. To add a new member:

1. Log into your Member Dashboard at WASFAA.org.
2. Select the Member Information tab.
3. Select Additional Individuals Attached to this Membership.
4. Use the pencil icon to edit member information or the X icon to drop a member.
5. Scroll to the bottom and use Add List-Only to add new staff members.

Please note:

• If your new employee had a prior WASFAA membership, please notify the Membership Chair so we can ensure they've been dropped from their previous institution's roster.
• New members will receive a welcome email within 1–3 business days. Check Spam/Junk folders, as some institutional security measures may redirect these messages.
• New members cannot register for events until they receive their welcome email and complete their profile setup.
• If a new member does not receive their welcome email, please reach out to us.
• For a PDF version of these instructions, submit a request to membership@wasfaa.org.

For questions regarding WASFAA's mailing address, please contact our Treasurer at treasurer@wasfaa.org.

You can find a copy of WASFAA's W-9 on our Online Forms page.

You may also contact our Treasurer at treasurer@wasfaa.org.

WASFAA accepts all major credit cards for payment of dues, event registration, and other invoices. Anyone may submit a credit card payment on behalf of a member or event registrant using the link included in the invoice email.

Note: WASFAA no longer accepts paper checks. For payment questions, contact our Treasurer.