The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will look a little different this year. The first big change is that the FAFSA did NOT open on Oct. 1 like in years past. Instead, it will open sometime in December, on a date yet to be determined by the U.S. Department of Education. If you’re a college student, a high school senior or you have one in your life, this is important information. Here’s what you should know about the upcoming FAFSA changes and filling out your application this year.

What is the FAFSA?

The FAFSA is necessary to apply for any kind of federal student aid including federal grants, loans and work-study funds. It’s free to complete this application. Because the FAFSA applies to a single academic year, you must fill out the FAFSA every year you want to apply for federal student aid. The FAFSA that will open in December applies to the 2024-2025 academic year.

What are the FAFSA changes coming to the 2024-25 application?

The changes impacting the FAFSA this year are as a result of the FAFSA Simplification Act passed by Congress in 2021. The Department of Education has implemented the changes to the FAFSA gradually. The 2024-2025 FAFSA application marks the end of this process.

One of the biggest upcoming FAFSA changes is that the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) analysis formula will no longer be used to measure a family’s ability to pay for college. Instead, you’ll see the term Student Aid Index (SAI), which is a new need analysis formula that will be used when awarding need-based grants and scholarships. SAI removes the number of family members in college from the calculation and can calculate amounts as low as -$1,500. The negative number is helpful in showing what families are the most in need of aid, rather than grouping them all together at an SAI of $0. When SAI is subtracted from the cost of attendance, the result is a student’s financial need.

Another change is that most users will be allowed to have their tax information directly input into the FAFSA from the IRS. This should greatly reduce the overall number of questions on the FAFSA application.

“Once released, the FAFSA will be streamlined more than ever, allowing students and families a more user-friendly experience,” said Tim Bakula, director of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at UNI.

For more information about this year’s FAFSA changes and FAFSA Simplification, check out the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships’ dedicated web page.

How to prepare for the FAFSA

Even though the FAFSA isn’t live just yet, you can start getting ready by making sure you know your FSA ID. If you don’t know it, you can reset it on the FSA website. All FAFSA contributors must have an FSA ID to log into the online form. 

Once the FAFSA does become available, it’s important to complete it as early as possible. UNI's priority FAFSA filing date for students is Feb. 15, 2024. Students can still complete the FAFSA and be considered for all forms of aid after that date. However, some funds are limited and may not be available to award for applications received after Feb. 15. Financial aid offers for incoming students will be available in March as long as they have completed their FAFSA. Current students will have their 2024-2025 financial aid offers created following the spring 2024 semester.

If you have any more questions about completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships staff is happy to help. We have numerous ways to get in touch so your experience with financial aid is as stress-free as possible.