2024-25 FAFSA Delayed Opening Date
On Tuesday, March 21, the U.S. Department of Education hosted a briefing and shared an electronic announcement that the 2024-25 Better FAFSA (the new simplified FAFSA) will be delayed and not open until December 2023.
The simplification of the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) requires a significant redesign of Federal Student Aid systems, leading to the delay in the opening, which is anticipated for only this unique year. Federal Student Aid created a Roadmap to give students’ parents, institutions, and all stakeholders in FAFSA completion an outline of the timeline for the resources and tools available over the upcoming months in preparation for these major changes. The key details are listed below in chronological order:
- May 2023: Pell Grant look-up tables will be released. These tables will be used by educators, students, and parents to see the eligibility income/household size thresholds for the new minimum and maximum Pell Grant. This will help individuals know what possible Federal Aid is available early in their college planning process.
- July 2023: Better FAFSA preview details will be available. Training materials such as screenshots will help educators plan for the new FAFSA format and understand all the significant changes.
- August 2023: The new process for creating an FSA ID will include individuals without a Social Security Number. The Better FAFSA requires every individual to have an FSA ID. This new process will expand confirming identity to include other electronic ways such as through TransUnion Credit Bureau.
- Early Fall 2023: The FAFSA estimator will be available to help students more thoroughly determine their Federal Aid eligibility than the Pell Look-Up Tables.
- Late Fall 2023: FAFSA Demo Site available for educators and applicants to walk through the application in a practice environment.
- 24-25 FAFSA will open in December 2023, with no exact release date yet, but it will be provided well before December.