FAFSA Simplification
Effective 2024-25
Simplifying the Financial Aid Application Process
The is an initiative by the U.S. Department of Education to make applying for federal student aid easier for students, beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.
This process represents the first major redesign of the FAFSA process in over 40 years and includes a significant overhaul of federal student aid, including the FAFSA form and the way need is calculated.
*Due to the Department of Education needing to complete updates on the FAFSA Form, colleges including 鶹 Fox will not be receiving FAFSA records until the first half of March.
We will continue to update this webpage as we receive more information from the Department of Education.
Current FAFSA Issues FAQ
FAFSA Soft Launch
UPDATE - April 16, 2024
The ability to make FAFSA corrections is now broadly available at . Many students need corrections such as: providing a signature for a student or parent, granting consent to access IRS tax data, adding a school to your FAFSA, or correcting questions previously answered incorrectly such as seeking Unsub loans only.
Federal Student Aid has on how to complete the most common corrections.
鶹 Fox should receive the corrections within 1-4 days and provide an updated Financial Aid package in the following days.
If a FAFSA has missing information, it will be rejected. The student will receive information on what information is required before the Department of Education can process their FAFSA. Follow their guidance to update your FAFSA.
UPDATE - March 13, 2024
The Department of Education identified two scenarios where students may have missing information:
- Missing Asset Information - In some circumstances, the FAFSA did not ask for contributor asset information because an individual contributor did not meet asset reporting thresholds on their own, however, assets should be reported for a student/spouse or parent/parent spouse meeting asset reporting requirements. There is a small batch of submitted FAFSAs that may result in a rejected FAFSA at processing as the system identifies applicants (and their contributors) who should have been required to report assets but were not presented with the requirement to do so when completing their form. In these cases, the student, and/or their contributor(s) should submit a correction when corrections are available to report those assets.
- Missing Family Size - If a student has missing family size information, their SAI is not calculated. Currently, the FAFSA Submission Summary does not show why the SAI has not been calculated (i.e., due to missing family size information). A potential workaround is that a contributor returns to the form to provide the family size. There is currently no firm timeline for resolution.
If you have a rejected FAFSA or did not receive a Student Aid Index (SAI) number, contact your Financial Aid Counselor to help provide the right information.
If you included our school code on your FAFSA (003194), then we should receive a copy of your 2024-2025 FAFSA. We will send students a FAFSA confirmation email when we receive their FAFSA.
Only select yes if your parent is unwilling to contribute information on your FAFSA. If you select yes, then you will only be eligible for unsubsidized loans.
It is important to select No so that the FAFSA gathers parent information to determine eligibility for Federal Pell and FSEOG grants, Student Employment, State grants, and 鶹 Fox need-based grants.
Some families experience trouble submitting their FAFSA when the parent tries to complete the FAFSA first, or the student tries to submit the FAFSA before the parent completes their part. While Federal Student Aid works to resolve this issue, here is the best way for dependent students to complete the FAFSA:
- Student starts the FAFSA form and work through all sections up to the parent invite
- Invite parents to complete their section.
- Save and stop (do not submit)
- Parent completes their portion of the FAFSA including signature
- Student returns to their FAFSA to sign and submit their section
Yes, visit the . This provides info on known issues, resolution status, and potential workarounds.
FAFSA Simplification Webinar
Did you miss our FAFSA Simplification webinar? Don't worry, we recorded it for you!
Benefits to Students and Families
Students and families will see a different measure of their ability to pay for college and experience a change in the methodology used to determine aid. The benefits of FAFSA simplification include:
- A more streamlined application process with a reduced number of questions
- Expanded eligibility for federal student aid
- Expanded eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant
- Better user experience for the FAFSA form
- Enhanced data sharing with the IRS to simplify the applicant’s experience
FAFSA Changes for 2024-2025
December 2023 Release Date
The 2024-25 FAFSA is available now at .
EFC Replaced by SAI
The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is being replaced by the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is a number that determines each student’s eligibility for certain types of federal and institutional need-based aid. The SAI can be negative, with a minimum SAI of -1500 instead of zero.
FAFSA Contributors
Anyone asked to provide information on the aid application – a student, spouse, student’s parent(s) and/or stepparents(s) – is called a “contributor” to the application.
- Contributor’s name
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Email address
All FAFSA contributors must have an FSA ID to log into the online form; a new process to get an FSA ID for parents and spouses without a Social Security number will be available.
IRS DRT Replaced with Direct Data Exchange
Direct data sharing with the IRS will replace what is currently known as the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT).
All required contributors will need to grant consent to provide their Federal Tax Information (FTI) in the new Consent to Retrieve and Disclose Federal Tax Information section of the FAFSA for federal student aid eligibility.
Custodial Parent
The custodial parent on your FAFSA will be the parent(s) who provided you with more financial support instead of the parent(s) with whom you lived more during the past 12 months.
Provisional Independent Status
Foster, homeless, and unaccompanied youth, as well as applicants who cannot provide parental information, will be able to complete the form with a provisional independent student determination and receive a calculated SAI.
Changes to Calculating Your Aid Eligibility
Students and families will see a different measure of their ability to pay for college, and they will experience a change in the methodology used to determine aid.
Number of Students in College
The FAFSA no longer takes into account the number of students in college from your household in the SAI formula.
Family Farms and Small Businesses
Families must provide the value of their families farm or small business even if they have fewer than 100 employees.
Federal Pell Grant Eligibility
There is now a separate eligibility determination criteria for federal Pell Grants based on federal poverty levels and family size. More students may qualify and many students may see an increase in their award amount under the new criteria guidelines.
General FAFSA FAQ
FAFSA Timeline
We highly encourage students and parents to create an FSA ID if you have not done so already. You can start this process at . It takes one to three days for an FSA ID to go through the verification process, so we recommend getting it done now.
FSA ID / Contributors
At the very least, each student will be a contributor. Depending on the student’s family situation, you may need other contributors, such as a parent, spouse, or step-parent.
The FAFSA form will guide you through questions to determine who needs to contribute information to your FAFSA. As part of your application, you will invite contributors to create an account and supply the required information.
Yes. FSA is in the process of enhancing the FSA ID process so that individuals without SSNs will be able to establish an FSA ID to access and sign the FAFSA. There will be alternative steps for verifying one’s identity within the process.
FSA will use TransUnion services to ask knowledge-based questions to help with identity verification. Examples of these questions may include current or former addresses, a previous phone number, an employer, or a home/auto loan. Answers will be multiple choice (including “none of the above”). The signature page process has been eliminated with the new form.
Financial Student Aid also has .
Students who can answer no to every question below are considered a dependent student on the 2024-2025 FAFSA. This means that a student can be a dependent student even if they live away from home and/or contribute most or all of their own financial support.
- Were you born before Jan. 1, 2001?
- As of today, are you married? (Answer “no” if you are separated but not divorced.)
- At the beginning of the 2024–25 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?
- Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?)
- Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?
- Do you have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you a ward of the court?
- At any time since you turned age 13, were you in foster care?
- Are you or were you a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in your state of residence?
- Are you or were you in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state of residence?
- At any time on or after July 1, 2023, were you unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
Federal Methodology Formula
No. The new legislation removed the number of family members in college from the formula. However, the question will remain on the form and will be required to be answered. To help families who may be negatively impacted by this change, 鶹 Fox may consider the number of students in college through a Professional Judgment . More details will be available soon.
Contact Us
If you have any questions at all, stop by our office on the second floor of the Stevens Center, give us a call at 503-554-2302 or . We’re here to help!