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FAFSA Simplification

Due to the passing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act on December 27, 2020, as as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, there are significant changes for the 2024-2025 aid year.

 Some of the most impacts changes are listed below:

  • The 2024-2025 FAFSA will not be available for completion until December 31, 2023.
    • The 2024-2025 FAFSA determines your financial aid eligibility for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 terms. 
  • The updated FAFSA application process will be streamlined and easier for students to complete. 
  • New terminology will be added to the FAFSA.
  • Eligibility for some federal aid types will be expanded.

We will continue to update this page as additional information becomes available. You can learn more about specific changes, timelines, and how to prepare below. 

Instead of opening in October (as it has in past aid years), the 2024-2025 FAFSA will not be available until December 31, 2023. This is only temporary for 2024. After the 2024-2025 aid year, the FAFSA will be available in October as usual. 

The FAFSA will feature fewer questions, fewer requirements, and retrieve tax information using a direct data exchange from the IRS instead of the previous IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

Check out this simple 3-step process for Contributors without an SSN.
  • The FAFSA is introduction the new term contributor, which refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student's FAFSA application, including the student, student's spouse, biological or adopted parent, or parent's spouse. Being a contributor does not imply responsibility for the student's college costs. 
    • Students will need the contributor's name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address to invite them to complete their required portion of the FAFSA.
    • Contributors will need to provide personal and financial information on their section of the FAFSA.
  • If your parents are divorced or separated, the contributing parent(s) is defined as the parent (and their spouse, if remarried) who has provided the greater portion of your financial support during the 12 months immediately prior to filing the FAFSA. It is not automatically the parent you've physically resided with during the past 12 months. 
  • All contributors - student, student's spouse (if married), and the student's parent(s) (if the student is determined as dependent) - must provide consent to have tax data transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. If consent is not provided by all require contributors, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. In previous years, transferring IRS data was optional. It is now required. 
  • The need analysis formula used to determine financial aid eligibility, formerly known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), will now be referred to as the Student Aid Index (SAI). Unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number. 
  • Small businesses and family farms are now considered assets*.
    • *The department of Education will provide more details in the coming months.
  • The number of family members in college will still be asked on the FAFSA, but it will be excluded from the federal, state, and institutional financial aid calculation.
  • The Student Aid Report (SAR) will now be referred to as the FAFSA Submission Summary. This is the summary submission document you receive after completing the FAFSA.

The adjustments to the new Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation will expand Federal Pell Grant eligibility to more students.

Timeline

The following timeline provides an overview of upcoming changes due to the FAFSA simplification Act. Additional dates will be added as we learn more information.

 

Date Item description

Now

Make sure each person that needs to complete the FAFSA has their own FSA ID.  New for 2024-25 - A parent without a Social Security Number will be able to obtain a FSA ID.  Coming soon in December 2023!

December 31, 2023

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2024-2025 year opens. 
Late Spring 2024

Estimated Financial Aid notices begin going out to undergraduate first-year and transfer students.

If you are admitted to the University and have completed the financial aid process, you will receive an Estimated Financial Aid notice from from Student Financial Services in your University email account.

Returning students will receive email once their Estimated Financial Aid notice is available to review and accept in MyView.
Mid- Summer 2024

Fall 2024 billing statements will go out to students. New first-year students and new transfer students will receive a copy of their first billing statement in the mail. Returning students will receive a billing notification in their University email account. 

If you have completed the financial aid process AND accepted your offered aid in MyView, your statement will reflect the financial aid that is pending disbursement.