We know this is a very busy time for you, so we’ll keep this short. We’re writing to make sure you’re aware that there will be some major changes to the FAFSA beginning with the 2024-25 form that your rising seniors will be submitting. We’ve attached a flyer listing the changes that we know of so far, but until the comment period is over and the new FAFSA is finalized, some things may change. Here are four major takeaways we’d like to give you.
- The 2024-25 FAFSA will not be available until December 2023. We do not know the exact release date at this point.
- Students and parents will no longer be able to create an FSA ID (username and password) the same day they are submitting their FAFSAs. Personal identifying information (PII) must go through a match with other government agencies, and the matching process can take two to three days. It’s imperative that students and parents create their FSA IDs at least two to three days before they submit their FAFSAs.
- Depending on the parents’ marital status, both parents may have to create their own FSA ID in order to electronically sign a dependent student’s FAFSA. Example: If parents filed their tax return in 2022 as ‘married, filing jointly’ and they are still married, only one parent will need to create an FSA ID. But in any situation where two-parent tax returns will be required (‘married, filing separately’, divorced/remarried since 2022, etc.), both parents will need to create an FSA ID.
- Parents with no social security number will now be able to create an FSA ID. We haven’t seen what this will look like yet, but it should all be announced before the release of the new FAFSA. A signature page will no longer be available.
We strongly urge you to push for students and parents to create their FSA IDs early this fall, allowing plenty of time for the FSA ID matches to go through. The attached flyer contains more information. Please let us know if you have any questions.
The UCanGo2 Outreach Team
Kelli Kelnar, Letha Huddleston, Kay Walck, Robbie Leftwich
Oklahoma College Assistance Program
405.234.4239 or 866.443.7420 (toll free)