FAFSA process becomes more user friendly, expands award eligibility

DELMARVA – “The students that have managed to sign in and complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA have indicated that it was a very smooth process for them,” Abreu said.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is officially open as of January 1st, after receiving quite the overhaul.  The move followed the passing of the FAFSA Simplification Act.

Wor-Wic Community College Director of Financial Aid Katie Abreu said the intent was to make the process user friendly. One of the biggest changes parents and students will see is more than of half of questions have been slashed. “Some students could answer as few as 18 questions is what they’re saying now,” Abreu said.

Abreu also told us that the formula used to determine Pell grant and needs-based aid eligibility has been expanded which increases the number of students who qualify. “We used to talk about a students expected family contribution, but with the 2024-2025 FAFSA we’ll be talking about a student’s aid index or the SAI,” she said.

In years past, the application typically opened in October and students would know their aid determination prior to the upcoming award year.

Now with the later rollout, Abreu said patience will be a virtue for parents and students. “I would guess that it would be February before we can even begin importing that information into our system and testing that are systems are set up for these changes,” she said.

“At Wor-Wic, that won’t have a negative impact on students other than they just won’t have that information as early as they typically would to help make decisions about what is the best for them financially.”

Another new thing for 2024–2025 applications is that students and parents will have to give consent for their tax information to be retrieved from the IRS.

Financial aid experts said it’s going to be crucial for parents and students to watch their emails and school portals for any updates from their schools on their awards.

Wednesday, The Maryland Higher Education Commission extended the Maryland financial aid deadline to submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA to June 1st. Students are still encouraged to submit their applications by the priority deadline of March 1st to receive notification of aid eligibility by April 15.