4 Changes To the 2024-2025 FAFSA You Need To Know
Don’t miss these essential updates to the 2024-2025 FAFSA.
October 1 is known among all college students—the day the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application is live for the next school year. But the previous October 1, the FAFSA was nowhere to be found. Instead, the application didn’t go live until a few weeks ago, on December 31.
This was due to some much-needed updates and changes to the application. The goal was to hopefully make the process easier to understand and better on all fronts. Here are the major updates you need to know about.
1. More Federal Pell Grants
An additional 610,000 students will have access to the Federal Pell Grant, which is awarded to undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need. The update allows eligibility to also include family size and poverty level.
This helps 1.5 million students get the full Pell Grant, meaning 5.2 million students total are eligible.
2. A Streamlined Application Process
It’s no secret the old FAFSA was confusing, to say the least—25% of students abandoned their application completely partway through the process. Needless to say, the government realized the FAFSA needed to be easier to understand.
You can now directly import your federal tax information directly from the IRS. Once imported, the form will only show questions relevant to you. So much better than before.
3. New Tools & Information
Released back in March, FAFSA launched the 2024-2025 FAFSA Roadmap to help everyone with the new application process. It includes important resources and relevant dates to remember.
There’s also the Federal Student Aid Estimator, which does exactly what it says—estimate how much money you’re likely to receive in loans. All of these tools will simply make the application process more transparent than in years past.
4. Extra Support For Organizations & Educators
While you might be feeling overwhelmed by the FAFSA process, so do your teachers, parents, school counselors, and even the colleges you’re applying to.
The federal government now has virtual training sessions available for those who have to handle the FAFSA process, meaning you’re likely to get better answers to your questions (and more aid!).
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