The 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available at studentaid.gov.
The White House and U.S. Department of Education officially announced that institutions will not receive 2024-25 FAFSA applicant information until "the first half of March".
Check out our FAFSA Simplification page for more information on the changes. We will update this page as more information becomes available.
The 2024-25 FAFSA will have fewer questions than in previous years. The new FAFSA will also make it easier for students and parents to import their tax information directly from the IRS. This means that you will spend less time manually entering information.
A FAFSA cannot be considered submitted until all required contributors have completed, signed, and submitted their respective sections. When a student or other contributor completes their section of the online FAFSA, they will invite the other contributor(s) to log in and complete their own sections of the FAFSA. The other contributor(s) will then receive the invitation and reminder emails every 7 days throughout that 45-day period until the FAFSA is submitted. If a contributor does not complete their section within that 45-day window, and there is no other activity, the FAFSA will be deleted, and all contributors (including the student) will have to start over.
The FSA ID is FAFSA’s version of a username and password. If you have logged onto the Federal Student Aid website before, you may already have an FSA ID. Previously, an FSA ID was not required in order to fill out or sign the FAFSA. However, this is changing with the 2024-25 FAFSA. All contributors to the FAFSA will be required to have an FSA ID to fill out and/or sign the FAFSA. A contributor is anyone who is asked to provide information on the FAFSA including:
Currently, a Social Security Number (SSN) is required to create an FSA ID; however, parents and other contributors who do not have an SSN will be able to create their own FSA ID when the 2024-25 FAFSA is released.
Currently, FAFSA uses the information entered on the application to determine a student’s Estimated Family Contribution (EFC). This number is then used by colleges to determine a student’s need-based financial aid eligibility. The new 2024-25 FAFSA will be replacing the EFC with the Student Aid Index (SAI). Along with having a new name, the SAI will use a new formula to determine financial aid eligibility. This new formula is more streamlined and is designed to expand need-based financial aid eligibility. This means that students may receive new or increased awards compared to previous years. The Federal Student Aid Estimator is a great tool to estimate SAI and some federal aid for the 2024-25 award year.
FSA IDs are required for all FAFSA contributors including students, spouses and parents. If you do not already have an FSA ID, now is time to create one. The process to confirm identity can take up to 3 days. FSA IDs can be created on the Federal Student Aid website. The Federal Student Aid YouTube channel has a helpful video on how to create an FSA ID.
While the new FAFSA will have less questions, you may still have to provide some information that isn’t readily available. Here are some examples of information to have ready for when the FAFSA releases:
Corrections cannot be made on a 2024-25 FAFSA until early May 2024-25.
Due to a delay from the Department of Education issuing institutions FAFSA information, Award offers for the 2024-25 school year will begin being issued once a processed FAFSA is on file at the end of April. Listed below is how to check the status of your FAFSA application.
The application status will be one of the following:
