2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) FAQ’s

2024–25 FAFSA Form

The 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is now available. You can complete the form to apply for financial aid to help pay for attendance at college if you are planning to attend between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.

What’s New?

The 2024–25 FAFSA form expands eligibility for federal student aid, including Pell Grants, and provides a streamlined user experience. Due to updates to student calculations, 610,000 new students from low-income backgrounds will be eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants. Plus, applicants can skip as many as 26 questions, depending on their circumstances.

What should I expect in the new FAFSA?

1. A New Opening Date—Instead of the FAFSA forms being available in October, the 2024-25 FAFSA form was scheduled to “soft launch” in December 2023. This launch began on December 30, but access was limited as glitches were monitored and fixed in real time.
2. Fewer Questions to Answer—Federal Student Aid (FSA) has reduced the average user’s 118 questions to approximately 36 questions.
3. Assigned Roles—The new FAFSA now requires the applicant to select the role of “student” or “parent” which will change the form of questions you answer. Each person must log in to complete their required questions separately. Parents and others providing financial support are considered contributors.
4. New Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) —Instead of uploading and submitting tax information, the new DRT is directly connected to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) through Mandatory IRS Direct Exchange. The applicant and contributors must give consent to utilize the DRT.
5. Increased School List—Instead of being limited to 10 schools, 20 schools can now receive your FAFSA information.
6. Goodbye Expected Family Contribution (EFC) —The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is now identified as Student Aid Index (SAI). Also, the Student Aid Report (SAR) has been changed to FAFSA Submission Summary. Applicants often confused the EFC as the only out-of-pocket expense to attend the institution. The new name is expected to clear up this misconception along with new formulas, so more students are eligible for federal grants.
7. Removal of Family Members in College—The number of family members currently in college is no longer applicable. There was a consideration for the number of students in one household attending college in previous years, but this factor has been removed.
8. Net Worth Reporting—Families who own small businesses must report their net worth on the FAFSA form.
9. Exemption of Living Arrangements—Reporting a student’s housing intentions is no longer required. Therefore, students must ensure their intended school is aware of their housing intentions for the upcoming school year.
10. Pell Grants Amounts—PELL Grant eligibility has increased. The increase in the number of students eligible to receive this form of aid will make college more accessible for more students.

When does the 2024-25 FAFSA close?

The 2024-25 FAFSA is scheduled to close on June 30, 2025; however, you are encouraged to complete the form as soon as possible as deadlines vary by school and state. It is recommended to contact your intended school to determine filing deadlines.

Where do I begin?

The first step to completing the 2024-25 FAFSA is to create a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID). This process usually takes three to five days as the Social Security Administration must validate your ID. Without your FSA ID, you cannot begin your application.

Who is considered a Contributor?

Federal Student Aid states, “A contributor refers to anyone who is required to provide information, consent and approval, and a signature on the FAFSA form. Contributors include the student, student’s spouse, biological, adoptive and/or step parent. Dependency status, tax filings, and marital status determine contributors. Being a contributor does not automatically mean that financial responsibility is assigned to you.

If parents are divorced, the parent that lives with or contributes more than 50% of financial support will be deemed the contributor.

Can I create an account if I do not have a social security number?

According to FSA, “Undocumented students with a social security number can complete the FAFSA form. These students are ineligible for federal money but remain eligible for state, local and school-awarded aid.

Also, contributors without a social security number can create an FSA ID and complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form. However, this population will experience limited functionality.

For more information, please view the How do I Create a StudentAid.gov Account If I Don’t Have a Social Security Number video. Note that many users have acknowledged issues around this process such as being redirected to step one and the inability to select “I don’t have an SSN” box. If you need further information, please visit StudentAid.gov.

What are some issues I should be aware of?

Access to the 2024-25 Form will be occasionally paused to perform maintenance and improve user experience. As users encounter errors, FSA will continue to update the website. Users may not be able to access it, so the earlier you start and complete the process, the better.

Please ensure you read each question carefully. Students will not be able to edit forms after submission until mid-March.

**If you need support, reach out to the DISB Student Loan Ombudsman Office for one-on-one college counseling.

Since FASFA information will not be available until mid-March, how does this affect DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) application deadlines?

The DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) application requires eligibility information taken from the FAFSA form. However, the Department of Education recently announced they are fixing a calculation error on the FAFSA form to include inflation rates that were originally excluded. The calculation pertained to a formula for determining aid which contributed to $1.8 billion in undispersed free aid that negatively impacted students from lower-income families. Therefore, DCTAG has changed its opening date from February 1 to March 11 and will remain open until September 6. This shift is designed to provide time for colleges, grant programs, and scholarship programs to retrieve available FAFSA information scheduled to be released in mid-March. Contact the financial aid department for the college or university you are planning to attend to determine the possible readjusted deadlines.