As the end of 2023 arrives, the Department of Education (DOE) has not confirmed an official filing date for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the year of 2024-25.
The as-yet-to-be-published new FAFSA is set to include several changes announced by the DOE.
The change in terminology from parent or spouse to a “contributor” will take place in this upcoming application. The new definition includes a student, spouse, biological or adoptive parent or step parent who will be required to provide consent and approval to have FTI from IRS to FAFSA form.
“I think it’s a necessary change because of inclusion, really, because you want everybody, to feel — or people that are contributing somehow to their household- to feel like, they are accepted in that too,” says second-year Delta College student Sarah Maimone.
The basic changes listed in the FAFSA website are the transferring of the federal tax information (FTI) to the FAFSA form via FA-DDX; the need for consent of both applicants and contributors to transfer FTI; the need for a studentaid.gov account; the viewing of completion status; and the ability to send the completed FAFSA form to 20 institutions including different colleges, career schools or trade schools.
The new application will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI) to measure how much financial aid a student will receive.
The SAI will be calculated in accordance with calculations that will be implemented. Any alternate EFC for enrollment for a period other than 9 months will also be eliminated.
Additionally, the ‘Estimated Financial Assistance’ will be changed to ‘Other Financial Assistance,’ such as scholarships, grants or other assistance.
Many of these changes give options to students whose circumstances are vastly different than those of their peers. For students who cannot obtain parental information due to safety concerns, an immediate objection will not be delivered to the student but rather be processed with an “provisional independent status.”
Yet, there are concerns over the new application, specifically for those who have relatives or those who make 60,000 or more, as written in a USA Today article published May of 2023.
A change that may cause concern is the elimination of the use of adding family members in college to the family size section of the application. This will allow for schools to use other data tools to determine how much students can receive, including information on how many students are being supported under the same household. For example, siblings whose parents pay tuition out of pocket may receive less aid.
The late deadline is also a cause for concern in higher or continuing education institutions as it may cause setbacks for schools.
“…this might affect processing and disbursements as we received them later than normal.” Stated Nidia Ambrizzarco, an Outreach Support Specialist at Delta. “However, we will work on disbursement schedules to be completed prior to the beginning of the term.”
This year, FAFSA estimates to include 5.2 million eligible applicants for the Pell Grant and other federal aid.
Although there is no date confirmed by the Department of Education as to when the application will open, it is the most “ambitious and significant redesign” project since it was introduced by the Reagan administration, according to a mid November news release from the department, which is the last communication mentioning FAFSA as of press time
“It is the vision and commitment of the Biden-Harris Administration to deliver a better FAFSA form and experience for students and families,” according to the Nov. 15 release from the department, which notes that Pell Eligibility will increase with changes. “The better FAFSA form will be available for students and parents by Dec. 31, 2023. Because the better FAFSA form is a major transition for students, families, schools, and other partners, the Department looks forward to working with schools, states, and college access organizations to support students and their families.”