Working on the 2024-2025 FAFSA? We’ll update this page frequently to help you stay up to date on what’s happening with the Better FAFSA. Have any questions about the FAFSA or financial aid? Text #FAFSA to 33-55-77 to chat with one of our advisors. If you're using a mobile device, click here to have the text message set up for you!

Searching for more FAFSA resources? Check out our free Better FAFSA Student & Family Engagement Toolkit!

Sources: NCAN and FSA 

Newest Updates - 5/13/2024

Update on Processing Paper Forms

Last week, Federal Student Aid released important information for students who may have submitted a paper FAFSA. The latest updates:

• FSA encourages students to complete the FAFSA online, even if they’ve already submitted a paper form. However, a student should NOT complete the FAFSA online if they already submitted a paper form to meet a scholarship or aid eligibility deadline. Completing the FAFSA again online will negate the paper submission date.  
• FSA will begin processing 2024-2025 paper FAFSAs by the end of June. Students will receive an email once their form is successfully processed and will be able to view their FAFSA Submission Summary. 

In general, if students are able to complete the FAFSA online without impacting their paper financial aid submission dates, they should do so ASAP for a quicker processing time (1-3 days).

Updates - 4/30/2024

FSA announced that contributors without SSNs are now able to immediately access the FAFSA once they’ve created their StudentAid.gov Account.

Here are the latest updates:

• Contributors without an SSN will be able to access the form and will need to manually input all of their tax information. 
• Contributors who are unable to use the knowledge-based identity verification questions to create an account must still complete the manual process to verify their identity. Contributors can still access and complete the FAFSA during this process.
• Contributors currently waiting for results of the identity verification process can access and complete the FAFSA by logging into their StudentAid.gov Account.
• If a contributor has a “No-SSN” with a green check icon on the “Personal Information” section of their account, they are able to complete the FAFSA.  

For any account-related issues, reach out to the Federal Student Aid Information Center for support.

Updates - 4/16/24

Great news! Federal Student Aid announced that students and contributors can now make corrections to their FAFSA. Students can check the status of their FAFSA by logging into their StudentAid.gov account and going to the “My Activity” tab.

Here’s a refresher on what each status means: 

• In Progress: Application has been started but not submitted.
• In Review: Application has been submitted but has not been processed.
• Action Required: There is an error with the application that needs to be fixed. Errors can include missing a signature on the application or not consenting for tax information to be transferred from the IRS.
• Processed: Application was successfully processed and information is being sent to the colleges listed on it. Colleges will now create financial aid award letters for admitted/enrolled students. Financial aid award letters may be delayed due to FAFSA delays. 

Updates - 3/26/24

Big news: FSA has announced that students will be able to make updates and corrections to their FAFSA in the first half of April. Students with “Action Required” on their application status will be able to make corrections then. FSA is expected to finish processing FAFSAs submitted since its December 31 launch by the end of March. Students can check the status of their FAFSA by logging into their StudentAid.gov account and visiting the “My Activity” tab. 

Additionally, FSA announced last week that due to an internal calculation error, ISIRs for dependent students with assets will need to be reprocessed. This issue particularly affects student ISIRs that were delivered to colleges prior to March 21. FSA estimates that less than 10% of all submitted 2024-2025 FAFSAs are affected by this issue.

While FSA reprocesses affected ISIRs, schools and states can “recalculate the SAI to develop a tentative aid package for an affected student without waiting to receive a reprocessed ISIR.” Click here for instructions on calculating a student’s SAI.

Updates - 3/21/24

Federal Student Aid announced it has begun processing applications. Applications are being processed in batches, so it may take some time before students see their application status update. Students can check the status of their FAFSA by logging into their StudentAid.gov account and selecting the “My Activity” tab. Here’s what each status means:

• In Progress: Application has been started but not submitted.
• In Review: Application has been submitted but has not been processed.
• Action Required: There is an error with the application that needs to be fixed. Errors can include missing a signature on the application or not consenting for tax information to be transferred from the IRS.
• Processed: Application was successfully processed and information is being sent to the colleges listed on it. Colleges will now create financial aid award letters for admitted/enrolled students. 

Updates - 3/13/24

Contributors without SSNs Can Now Complete the FAFSA

FSA announced yesterday that students whose contributors don’t have SSNs can now successfully complete and submit the FAFSA. While this issue should be resolved for most, they did leave room for the possibility that some may still encounter troubles, and are actively working on finding solutions. If a student has already started their FAFSA without their contributors, they can now invite them to complete their portion of the application. 

Two Remaining Issues for Contributors without SSNs

When completing the FAFSA, contributors without SSNs will need to manually enter their financial information onto the form. If a contributor has an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), it is recommended they enter it. Once this issue is fixed, FSA will reprocess FAFSAs after receiving contributors’ federal tax information via the direct data exchange with the IRS. There is no timeline for when this issue will be fixed. 

Additionally, some applicants are receiving error messages when attempting to invite their contributors without SSNs. This issue occurs when there’s a mismatch of personally identifiable information (PII) on a contributor’s StudentAid.gov account and on a student’s invitation. If you are affected by this issue, FSA recommends waiting to invite any additional contributors without an SSN until it is resolved. 

Updates - 3/5/24

California, Texas, and Maryland push state financial aid deadlines 

To accommodate delays and challenges in completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA, California, Texas, and Maryland have pushed their deadlines. The following are each state’s newest FAFSA deadlines:

• California: April 2, 2024
• Texas: April 15, 2024
• Maryland: June 1, 2024

Check deadlines for other states here. 

Timeline for submission: students with contributors without Social Security Numbers

On March 4, the U.S. Department of Education announced that students whose contributor(s) don’t have a Social Security Number will be able to submit their FAFSA the first half of March. If you do not have a pressing priority financial aid deadline, it is recommended that you wait to submit your FAFSA until then, and not use FSA’s workaround (see more under 2/21/24). 

Students whose required contributor(s) don’t have a Social Security Number can receive regular update emails from the U.S. Department of Education by clicking here or emailing [email protected].

Updates - 2/21/24

Workaround for contributors without SSNs

Yesterday, FSA announced that online access for contributors without an SSN will be fixed by mid-March. Until then, they released a new workaround for students in this situation. This workaround should only be used if:

• A student has a submission date to meet critical state, institutional, or scholarship deadlines, AND
• They have required contributors who do not have an SSN. 

If you do not have a pressing deadline to submit your FAFSA, wait to submit until mid-March, when FSA has fixed online access issues for contributors without SSNs. 

Find full instructions for the nine-step workaround process here. Keep in mind that taking this route will result in an incomplete FAFSA that you will need to make corrections to once the corrections feature is live. This workaround is a temporary solution to allow students to meet critical deadlines.

Paper FAFSAs

Many students sent in paper FAFSAs to work around the StudentAid.gov account creation issue. Paper FAFSA submissions are being discouraged, as they will not be processed until all online FAFSAs are. This can delay your ability to make any necessary corrections to your FAFSA and delay when you receive financial aid award letters from colleges. If you already submitted a paper FAFSA, do not fill out the form online. 

Processing paper applications will include identity verification, so keep an eye out for any follow-up communications or a request to make corrections to your form once you receive your FAFSA Submission Summary. 

For more updates, head to FSA’s FAFSA Issue Alerts page.

Updates - 2/15/24

Contributors (parents) without SSNs

Parents without SSNs are still unable to create StudentAid.gov accounts (FSA IDs) to access the FAFSA. Do NOT use an ITIN number or any other inaccurate information to make an account. Some students and contributors have been able to get around this by manually filling out the attestation form. However, you MUST have a case number to submit this. Some students and families have been able to reach a service representative over email or chat to request a case number. Find FSA’s contact information here.

Making corrections to a FAFSA

Students and contributors who have submitted their application and need to make corrections (such as adding a missing signature or adding/removing a college) will not be able to do so until mid-March after they receive their FAFSA Submission Summary. 

Financial aid award letters

FAFSA information will be sent to colleges starting in March. Colleges will need time to process information and create aid packages. Students are expected to start receiving award letters mid-April. 

College Decision Day

The delay in students receiving offer letters will likely impact their timeline to decide where they will attend. Some colleges (such as the UC system in California) are beginning to make commitment deadline extensions to accommodate this delay. Be on the lookout for any communications from your colleges regarding their deadlines. 

Paper FAFSAs

Paper FAFSAs will be processed after digital applications. If you submitted a paper application, expect a delay in it being processed. 

Deadline concerns

If your inability to access the FAFSA is causing you to potentially not meet deadlines at a college or for a scholarship, reach out to let them know your situation. 

For more updates, head to FSA’s FAFSA Issue Alerts page.

Updates - 2/1/24

On January 30, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it was changing its Student Aid Index (SAI) formula, which will provide an additional $1.8 billion in aid for students nationwide. Additionally, it announced that colleges and universities will not receive a student’s FAFSA data until “the first half of March.” This delay in receiving a student’s FAFSA data guarantees a delay in students receiving their financial aid award letters from colleges. According to NCAN, students can expect to receive their award letters in early to mid-April. While the traditional deadline to commit to colleges and universities is May 1, some may push it back this year to accommodate the delays that the FAFSA has brought. Be sure to check in frequently with your college(s) to learn if any deadlines have been adjusted. 

What to Know About The 2024-2025 FAFSA 

What is The FAFSA? Why Does it Matter?

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a financial aid application that can help you receive multiple different types of aid to pay for college. Completing the FAFSA is completely free. It must be renewed each year a student is in college. 

Completing the FAFSA is significant because eligibility to receive most forms of financial aid for college, such as scholarships, grants, and loans, is determined only once a student has completed the FAFSA. 

Completing the FAFSA is non-binding, meaning you don’t have to accept any forms of aid offered to you through it. The FAFSA only opens up more opportunities to receive financial aid for college. If you’re an incoming or current college student, we strongly recommend you complete and renew the FAFSA each year.

How Do I Complete The FAFSA? 

Read our step-by-step guide to completing the FAFSA here.

How Do I Make a StudentAid.gov Account (FSA ID)? 

Read our step-by-step guide for making a StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) here. If you’re renewing the FAFSA, you will use the same StudentAid.gov account you used to initially complete it.

All of your contributors to your FAFSA (your parents) will need to create their own StudentAid.gov accounts to complete their portion of the FAFSA. We strongly recommend creating your StudentAid.gov account 1-3 days before sitting down to complete the FAFSA, so that your accounts will be verified and you will not need to enter your personal information into the application manually. 

How is The 2024-2025 FAFSA Different From Previous Versions? 

The 2024-2025 FAFSA is intended to be a more efficient and streamlined version compared to previous iterations of the FAFSA. The form is now role-based, which means both students and their contributor(s) will need StudentAid.gov accounts to access their portion of the FAFSA. The amount of questions have been significantly reduced, making the process a lot faster for students and families. Students and contributor(s) must also consent for IRS tax information to be pulled in order to be eligible aid. 

Whose Income Should I Report on The FAFSA?

Click here for a helpful flowchart about whose income you should report on your FAFSA.

Dependent students:

Are your parents married to each other?

• If yes, both parents will report income.
• If they filed taxes jointly, only one parent will need to create a StudentAid.gov account and report financial information.

If your parents are NOT married, do they live together?

• If yes, both parents will report income. 
• If they did not file taxes jointly, both parents will need to create a StudentAid.gov account and report financial information.

If your parents are not married and do NOT live together, which parent provided more financial support in the last year?

• The parent who provided more financial support will report their income. 
• If your parent is remarried, you will also need to include the income of your stepparent. 
• If your parents are separated and they both provided equal financial support, report the income of the parent who earns more annually. 

How Do I Make a Correction to My FAFSA?

Once your application has been processed, you can log into your StudentAid.gov account to make any corrections. Visit FSA’s corrections page to learn more.

How Much Financial Aid Will I Receive? 

It’s important to know that how much financial aid you will receive depends on a variety of factors, such as your contributors’ income, significant changes to your family’s financial situation, or any assets your family owns. There is no one-size-fits-all estimate to how much aid a student will receive. The amount of financial aid you can expect to receive each year in college will vary.

What Happens After I Submit My FAFSA? 

You can check the status of your FAFSA at the beginning of March. Just log into your StudentAid.gov account and find your FAFSA Submission Summary in the “My Activity” section of your account dashboard. Be sure to double-check that the information on your FAFSA Submission Summary is accurate and correct any information that needs to be updated. 

Read more about what happens after completing the FAFSA here.

What’s The Deadline to Submit The FAFSA? 

The federal deadline to submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA is June 30, 2025. However, many states and colleges will have their own FAFSA deadlines to consider students for state-based aid. Learn your state’s FAFSA deadline here.

My FAFSA Was Selected for Verification. What Should I Do? 

There are many reasons a student’s FAFSA might get selected for verification, so if it happens to you, don’t panic! FSA and your college(s) will provide instructions on how to submit supplemental documentation if you’ve been selected for verification. Be sure to follow their instructions and any relevant deadlines so that your FAFSA can be processed and you can be offered aid for the school year. Read more about what to do if your FAFSA is selected for verification here.

Have any questions about the FAFSA or financial aid? Text #FAFSA to 33-55-77 to chat with one of our advisors. If you're using a mobile device, click here to have the text message set up for you!