FAFSA Simplification/News

The 2024-2025 FAFSA is now open for completion!

Before starting the FAFSA, please be sure all contributors have successfully setup their FSA ID. A short video on how to create an account and username can be found on the Federal Student Aid YouTube channel at the link below.

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Changes

The Department of Education has streamlined the federal aid application process. The calculations that determine eligibility are currently being finalized. The long-awaited unveiling is expected to result in an overall increase in federal aid awarded.

Most Significant 2024-2025 changes to the FAFSA form.

Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) will now be known as Student Aid Index (SAI)
The number of family members in college will no longer be a determining factor.
For divorced/separated parents, the parent on the FAFSA will be determined by financial support instead of which parent the student has resided with in the year leading up to filling out the FAFSA.
There will be a mandatory consent to share IRS data. Failing to consent = No aid processing.
Child support received will now be reported as an asset.
New questions will factor in the net worth of small businesses and family farms.
Married parents who file separate tax returns should both have an active FSA ID so they can both grant IRS consent and add their information to the FAFSA individually.

Updates & Tips

The FSU Office of Admissions has extended its deposit deadline to May 15. We know financial aid is an important part of your college decision. While we wait for the Department of Education and Maryland Higher Education Commission, please check out our Admitted Student Checklist or schedule a campus visit.
The latest FSA update states that schools will begin receiving batches of FAFSAs by, "the first half of March." The roll out will be a gradual increase of data transferred first-in, first-out over a period of "weeks."
Students should complete their portion of the FAFSA prior to other contributors if possible and then invite the parent(s)/contributor(s). The student should make sure they sign their portion prior to doing the invite.
Contributor parents who filed separate 2022 tax returns will both need an FSA account of their own for FAFSA submission.
"The Maryland Higher Education Commission has extended the Maryland financial aid application deadline to submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA to June 1, 2024 and the state priority deadline to May 15, 2024.
When completing the FAFSA, it can be beneficial to be prepared with possible verification requested items. (Helpful documents can include - signed/dated 1040, IRS tax return transcript, W-2s, 1098-T, recent marriage certificates, recent divorce/separation agreements, VA - DD214, previous university transcripts, citizenship documentation, eligible non-citizen documentation, etc.)
The Department of Education has been working to fix issues with the opening of the 2024-2025 FAFSA. One recent issue is in regards to students with 1 or 2 non-citizen parents, but they are actively working to remedy this.
Your data will save for 45 days after FAFSA processing begins. If you get stuck or locked out, be patient, continue to check back on your application, and watch your email closely. If you have issues with the form and fail to get answers from FAFSA, please email fsufinaid@elahomecollection.com your question. We will do our best to investigate and find any available solution.
Some known FAFSA issues can be found on the FSA partner site. Some of which have known workarounds and some do not. This page should only be used as a last resort reference if you or a contributor are trying to investigate an issue and cannot get through to the FAFSA help center. Please do not allow the reference material to increase your confusion or stress.

FAFSA Form

Which FAFSA form should you complete?

Applying for Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Spring 2025? Select the 24/25 version.

What is FSU's school code for the FAFSA?

002072

Use this link to start your FAFSA.

Once your form is submitted, you should receive an email from FSA giving you feedback on your FAFSA results.

Please do not expect an immediate notification from FSU or any other schools in reference to results or aid packages. The numerous issues during this year’s FAFSA launch will delay when FSU receives your information from the federal government. Once we receive that information, it must be processed to work with our software so it can be applied to your student account. This takes time and effort so we can ensure this transfer is accurate. FSU’s Financial Aid and IT offices are dedicated and eager to begin that process. We will continue doing everything we can to get packages out as quickly as possible. Watch your FSU student email and PAWS accounts for updates. While we are all eagerly awaiting federal and state eligibility data, we are currently working on adding Admissions and Athletic offers to prospective student accounts. It is important to watch your FSU email closely throughout the coming months to catch all offer updates.

Scholarship

Additional Scholarship Information

The FSU Foundation Scholarship application is now closed for the first review period. All students are encouraged to check back into the application after April 1 to update their information and to complete the application if they were not able to finish it prior to March 1. The application will be open from April 1 to June 1. It will close in June for a second round of reviews and then open for the final time from July 1 to August 1. Use your FSU credentials to log in, search scholarships, and begin the application. Complete the application on the FSU Scholarship web site.

FAFSA Success

Many students are seeing the early benefits of the FAFSA overhaul. If you are still working through issues, remain patient and forge ahead. Below are some FSU student quotes to show there is light at the end of the tunnel. We know we will being seeing and hearing many more sentiments like this in the months ahead. Go Bobcats!

“It was smooth. I was able to get mine done in a few minutes.” -Senior
“I still had some questions but was able to get those answered and didn’t have any problems. It was definitely shorter.” – Junior
“Minus the initial issues with the FAFSA site when it first opened, it was simple. It was much better. It used to be confusing, but now it is straight forward and simple.” -Junior
“For me it was mad fast. Because I am an independent student, there wasn’t as much information to fill out. I got it done quickly.” – Graduate Student