2024-25 FAFSA Changes
How the FAFSA Simplification Act Impacts You
Last updated: April 4, 2024
The FAFSA Simplification Act was passed by Congress in 2020 and overhauls the process of awarding federal student aid. It streamlines the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, which is the need analysis that determines federal aid eligibility. It also changes some terminology and revises policies and procedures for participating schools.
The benefits of the FAFSA Simplification Act include a more streamlined application process and a better user experience, expanded eligibility for federal student aid, and reduced barriers for certain student populations.
The U.S. Department of Education recently announced they are expecting delays in processing the FAFSA, getting FAFSA information to schools, correcting calculation errors, and opening the FAFSA correction process to allow applicants and schools to correct or update their FAFSA information. These delays mean we will not begin sending financial aid offer notifications until May.
What's changing with the FAFSA?
The FAFSA is shorter and more user-friendly.
The 2024-25 FAFSA will reduce the maximum number of questions from 108 to 46. Since FAFSA on the web is dynamic, many students won’t be presented all 46 questions.
The FAFSA is available in more languages.
The 2024-25 FAFSA will be expanded to include the 11 most common languages spoken by English learner students and their parents.
Applicants will be required to use the IRS Direct Data Exchange.
Previously, FAFSA filers had the option to enter tax information manually or use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. For 2024-25, all contributors on the FAFSA must provide consent for the Department of Education to receive tax information or confirmation of non-filing status directly from the IRS.
All contributors must provide financial information.
- A contributor — a new term being introduced on the 2024-25 FAFSA — refers to anyone who is required to provide information on the FAFSA. A student or parent’s answers on the FAFSA determine which contributors will need to provide information.
- Contributors receive an email informing them that they’ve been identified as such and will need to log in using their own FSA ID to provide the required information on the student’s FAFSA.
- A FAFSA contributor is not necessarily financially responsible for the student’s education but must provide information to complete the application or the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.
The Student Aid Index (SAI) replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
A notable terminology update for the 2024-25 FAFSA is the replacement of the term Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI more accurately describes the number used to determine aid eligibility. Unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number as low as -1500.
The number of household members attending college are not used to calculate the SAI.
Previously, the FAFSA calculated the number of household members attending college into the EFC, dividing it proportionally to determine federal aid eligibility. Beginning in 2024-25, the application will still ask how many household members are in college, but the answer will not be calculated into the SAI. Therefore, undergraduate students with siblings in college may see a change in their financial aid eligibility.
The parent responsible for submitting the FAFSA in cases of divorce or separation has changed.
For dependent students, financial information was previously needed from the parent(s) the student had lived with the most in the last 12 months. On the 2024-25 FAFSA, financial information will instead be required from the parent(s) who provide the most financial support to the student (even if the student does not live with them)
Family farms and small businesses must be reported as assets.
When required, families must now report the value of their small business or family farm. If the family farm includes the principal place of residence, applicants should determine the total net value of all farm assets and subtract the net value of the principal residence to determine the final value of their farm assets.
What hasn't changed?
While the FAFSA is receiving an update and the aid eligibility calculation has been revised, many aid-related factors will not change.
- The general types of aid available to UToledo students and federal student loan limits will not change.
- The FAFSA will still be required for consideration of federal and state financial aid every year.
- Dependency status questions that determine if your parent(s) must complete the FAFSA will remain the same.
- The FAFSA will still request tax information from the prior-prior year, which means you'll report 2022 income on your 2024-25 application. Families with significant reductions in income can consider submitting a 2024-25 Special Circumstances Application
- UToledo admission application deadlines will not change.
- The 2024-25 FAFSA questions regarding an applicant's gender, race, and ethnicity will continue to have no effect on federal student aid eligibility and are included for statistical purposes and data collection only. In fact, UToledo won't even receive this data from the FAFSA.
When should I submit the 2024-25 FAFSA?
If you’ve already submitted your FAFSA, you will receive a communication from Federal Student Aid (FSA) when your FAFSA has been processed and if corrections are needed. If you need to make corrections or update your FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education recently announced the corrections process will be available by the middle of April.
If you have not submitted your FAFSA, complete it as soon as possible to maximize your eligibility for need-based federal, state and UToledo aid.
Disclaimer
UToledo’s Office of Student Financial Aid is dedicated to providing timely updates to students, families and our community. Due to the changes that are occurring, portions of our website may not yet be 100% accurate for the 2024-25 academic year. We will continue to update this page as we receive more information from the Department of Education. We appreciate your patience as we work to implement the changes brought about by the FAFSA Simplification Act.
PRIORITY DEPOSIT DEADLINE - INCOMING FALL 2024 FRESHMEN
Due to recent U.S. Department of Education FAFSA processing delays, The University of Toledo is extending our Priority Deposit Deadline from May 1, 2024 to June 1, 2024.