Student financial aid is the primary means by which the federal government encourages broad access to higher education and promotes an educated citizenry, and it is a major component of Washington State's efforts to ensure necessary educational opportunities for its residents. This report provides an overview of both federal and Washington State programs for student financial aid, including extensive appendices that detail Washington State's financial aid programs and recipients. Chapter discussions include: (1) a definition of need-based financial aid; (2) the sources of financial aid that are available in Washington; (3) the funding of student financial aid programs; (4) eligibility for need-based financial aid; and (5) methodology for determining student need and assistance. Appendices, comprising over half the report, provide data tables from analyses on financial aid funding levels; the socioeconomic profiles of financial aid recipients; state and national comparisons for state-funded, need-based student aid per full-time undergraduate student and other peer comparisons; descriptions of student financial aid programs; a chronology of federal and state student financial aid authorizations; and undergraduate tuition rates and state tuition and fee waivers. (GLR)