The Free Application for Federal Student Aid was overhauled to simplify the process of applying for college aid.
A new FAFSA form will be unveiled for the 2024-25 school year. As part of the FAFSA overhaul, the federal government is also expanding eligibility for federal aid.
There will be a new start date. FAFSA for the 2024-25 school year will not open until sometime in December or possibly early January. That’s just for the 2024-25 school year, because the Department of Education needs more time finalizing the form.
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Everyone who needs to put information into FAFSA will need to create a student aid account to get an FSA ID, including parents.
If parents are divorced, the parent who provides the most financial support for the student will need to complete the FAFSA form, regardless of whom the student lives with.
Having multiple students enrolled in college will no longer factor into the calculation of financial aid, meaning the amount of aid may be less.
However, schools can adjust financial aid offers at their discretion, considering the financial burden of having many students in school.
Because of the later start date, some colleges are extending their FAFSA priority filing date, but many are still saying March, meaning students will have a shorter window to get the application filled out.
“So that means you've got January and February,” said Tessie Wilson of College Access Fairfax. The FAFSA ID may take as much as three days to verify, so we're telling people do that step now so if there are any problems, you're ready to go and look at that list of information that you have to have for the FAFSA and have it on hand the second that FAFSA opens. Those are the steps people can take to be ready when it opens.”
Some colleges may require sending information directly to them while they wait for the FAFSA application, so monitor emails constantly for updates.
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