GREENSBORO, N.C. — The 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open for students and parents. The application period opened in December 2023. Students must have their application submitted by 11:59 p.m. central time (CT) on June 30, 2025. Any corrections or updates must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on Sept. 14, 2025.
There are some changes that you need to know about. Cathy Mueller, from Mapping Your Future, has provided information for students and parents regarding the new form.
What has changed about the FAFSA?
- The 2024-25 FAFSA has several improvements that make it easier to complete. There are fewer questions on the FAFSA and other changes to make the process go faster, for both students and parents.
- More students should qualify for need-based aid with the new FAFSA. An increase in the Income Protection Allowance will make more students eligible for need-based aid, such as Pell Grants. However, there's a mistake identified that didn’t adjust that allowance for inflation – so that could impact some students. https://www.npr.org/2024/01/09/1222664638/fafsa-student-financial-aid-college
- The 2024-25 is available now, and although students don’t have to rush to complete it, they should be aware of any college financial aid priority deadlines. Students and parents may want to give some time for the glitches to be worked out with the new FAFSA, but don’t delay too long as states and colleges may have deadlines for their aid programs.
What are some important tips for students and parents as they get ready to complete the new FAFSA?
- You need to have an FSA ID for the 2024-25 FAFSA. The way to get the FSA ID is to create an account at StudentAid.gov. Your FSA ID is your username and password for your account. The account must be verified before you can complete a FAFSA. Plan on setting up your account at least a week before you plan to complete the FAFSA.
- The new FAFSA will require students and parents to give approval and consent for the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to retrieve tax information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Because ED is pulling your information directly from the IRS, completing the FAFSA will be a lot easier. However, you must give that approval and consent for your FAFSA to be processed. If you don’t file taxes, ED will still need your approval and consent to verify that you don’t file taxes.
- Although most income information will be retrieved from the IRS, students and parents will still be asked some financial questions. In some situations, students may have to complete the financial information manually if it can’t be pulled from the IRS. Therefore, it’s a good idea to gather financial documents that will help you prepare for the FAFSA if needed. That includes income tax returns (2022 return for the 2024-25 FAFSA); records of child support received; balances in your cash, savings, and checking accounts; and net worth of businesses, investments, and farms.
Do all students need to provide information about their parent or parents on the FAFSA?
- The student and parent(s) will each complete their portions of the FASFA separately. The 2024-25 FAFSA will be roles-based, and the student will need to invite their parent(s) to the FAFSA by providing the parent(s)’s name, date of birth, social security number, and email address.
- Students who are considered dependent will need to “invite” a parent contributor to their FAFSA. Students will be asked questions about their personal circumstances to determine whether they need to invite a parent or parents to the FAFSA. Most high school seniors are considered dependent on their FAFSA but there are some exceptions, such as students who are in legal guardianship. In some cases, students may have certain unusual circumstances that prevent them from contacting parents or would pose a risk to the student. For those students, they can indicate those unusual circumstances and they can complete the FAFSA. The college will contact them to verify their circumstances.
- In cases of divorce or separation, the parent providing the most financial support to the student will contribute to the FAFSA. If the parents contribute equally to the student’s support, then the student will invite the parent who has the most income. The 2024-25 FAFSA features a parent wizard, which asks a series of questions to determine which parent(s) the student should invite to contribute to the FAFSA.
The 2024-25 FAFSA will determine financial aid eligibility based on 2022 income, what if a family’s income has decreased?
- If a family has had a loss of income or other changes, such as increased expenses that impact their ability to pay for a student’s college, then they should contact the college financial aid office. The student may be able to file a financial aid appeal to have their eligibility for need-based aid reconsidered by the financial aid office.
Do students need to complete the FAFSA if they don’t want student loans?
- All students should complete the FAFSA, even if they think they won’t qualify for federal need-based aid and even if they don’t want to borrow federal student loans. Although the FAFSA is a federal form, it is used by states for state aid programs, by colleges for institutional aid, and in some cases by foundations for their scholarship programs. So, even if a student thinks they won’t qualify or don’t want federal financial aid, they may need to complete the form for those other types of financial aid. In addition, a student may not know for sure whether or not they qualify for federal need-based aid until they complete the form.
- If a student wants to borrow federal student loans, they’ll need to complete the FAFSA to determine their basic eligibility. Students should only borrow what they need to pay for their education. Students are also encouraged to consider borrowing federal or state student loans first because they have the best benefits and repayment options.