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Launch of the 2024–25 FAFSA® Form

Kathryn Bubrig

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by Kathryn Bubrig

The application period for the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form will open in December 2023 instead of Oct. 1.

Students and their families will encounter key changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2024-25 academic year due to legislation passed by Congress (FUTURE Act, Consolidation Appropriations Act of 2021 & 2022).

  • Federal Student Aid (FSA) must use data directly from the Internal Revenue Service.
  • Changes to the financial aid eligibility calculation.
  • Changes to the cost of attendance and dependency status under unusual circumstances.

Dependency Status and Roles

New Contributor roles for signing the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) are required. Those roles are Student, Parent(s) (if the student is a dependent) and Spouse (if the student is independent and files a separate tax return.)

Parent(s) or Spouse (if applicable) need to fill out the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) separately from the student.

Tax Income and Data

Anyone who is listing tax information on the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is required to give the U.S. Department of Education consent to use their tax information. A student will be ineligible for financial aid if consent to use tax information is not given.

Student Aid Index

The 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is switching from the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) to the Student Aid Index (SAI). This change in name and calculation more accurately reflects the number used to determine a student’s aid eligibility.

Aid Eligibility

The number of household members in college will be collected but not included in the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation.

There will be three different ways to calculate the Federal Pell Grant. Poverty Guidelines and SAI will be used to determine Federal Pell Grant eligibility for undergraduate students.

Stay Informed

Stay informed about the changes and receive up-to-date notifications and information:

  • Did you fill out a FAFSA form for 2023–24? Log in to your StudentAid.gov account and be sure FSA has your current email address. Once the exact FAFSA launch date is announced, FSA expects to send out an email to students (and parents of dependent students) who applied on the 2023–24 form, reminding them to apply for 2024–25.
  • Didn’t submit a 2023–24 FAFSA form? Make sure to create your StudentAid.gov account—and remember your username and password so you can access and submit the 2024–25 FAFSA form when it is available.
  • Follow Federal Student Aid on social media for announcements and resources.

Mercy College of Ohio
Financial Aid Office
(419) 251-1219
financialaid@mercycollege.edu

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