FAFSA Simplification

You can check the status of your FAFSA by doing the following:

1. Log into the Federal Student Aid website using your account username and password (FSAID).
2. Navigate to your account dashboard.
3. Select "2024-25 FAFSA Form" from the "My Activity" page. 

The application status will be one of the following:

• Draft: Your section of the FAFSA form is incomplete.
• In Progress: You provided your consent, approval, and signature to your section of the FAFSA form, but the FAFSA form has not been submitted yet.
• In Review: You have submitted your form and your application is still processing.
• Processed: Your application was processed successfully. No further action is needed.
• Action Required: Your application requires further action from you or your contributor(s). In some cases, you may need to contact your college or career/trade school to resolve the issue.
• Closed: Your FAFSA form was never submitted and can no longer be submitted because the federal FAFSA deadline passed.

Instead of opening in October, the 2024-2025 FAFSA went live on December, 31 2023. This is only temporary for 2024. After the 2024-2025 aid year, the FAFSA will be available in October as usual.

The FAFSA will feature fewer questions, fewer requirements, and retrieve tax information using a direct data exchange from the IRS instead of the previous IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

• The FAFSA is introducing the new term contributor, which refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s FAFSA form, including the student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adopted parent, or the parent’s spouse. Being a contributor does not imply responsibility for the student's college costs. 
  • Students will need the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address to invite them to complete the required portion of the FAFSA. 
  • Contributors will need to provide personal and financial information on their section of the FAFSA. 
• If your parents are divorced or separated, the contributing parent(s) is the parent (and their spouse, if remarried) who provided the greater portion of your financial support during the 12 months immediately prior to filing the FAFSA. It is not automatically the parent you primarily lived with during the past 12 months.
• All Contributors–student, student's spouse (if married), and student's parents(s) (if a dependent student)–must provide consent to have tax data transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. If consent is not provided by all parties, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. In previous years, transferring IRS data was optional. It is now required.
• The need analysis formula to determine financial aid, formerly known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), will now be referred to as the Student Aid Index (SAI). Unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number.
• Small businesses and family farms are now considered assets*.
  • *The Department of Education will provide more details in the coming months. 
• The number of family members in college will still be asked on the FAFSA, but it will be excluded from the federal, state, and institutional financial aid calculation.
• The Student Aid Report (SAR) will now be referred to as the FAFSA Submission Summary. This is the summary submission document you receive after completing the FAFSA.

The adjustments to the new Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation will expand Federal Pell Grant eligibility to more students.

You can prepare for the FAFSA by doing the following:

• Check out Pro Tips for the 2024–25 FAFSA Form on the Federal Student Aid website.
• Create an FSA ID on the Federal Student Aid website and assist contributors, such as your parent(s) or spouse, in creating an FSA ID.
  • An FSA ID is an account and password that gives you access to the Federal Student Aid’s online system and serves as your electronic signature.
  • With the FSA ID, you can fill out the FAFSA, sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN), apply for repayment plans, complete loan counseling, and use the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Help Tool.
  • Students from Freely Associated States, and students' spouses, parents, and stepparents who do not have a Social Security Number (SSN) can now obtain an FSA ID. To learn how, see the How to Get an FSAID for Individuals Without a Social Security Number:
    • English version
    • Spanish version
• See the How to Submit the 2024-25 FAFSA Form if your contributor doesn’t have a Social Security number (SSN).
• Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to find out how much federal student aid you may be eligible for starting with the 2024–25 award year.
  • This tool estimates the Student Aid Index (SAI) for 2024–25 award year, not the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for 2023–24 award year.
• Opt into SMS message alerts to receive up to date notifications and learn about upcoming changes to the FAFSA.