FAFSA Simplification
Please note that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is changing for the 2024-2025 aid year due to recent federal legislation.
The 2024-2025 FAFSA and 2024-25 WASFA are now available. Please visit StudentAid.gov to learn more and find resources for completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA.
The following changes will take place:
- The FAFSA application process will be streamlined and easier for students to complete.
- New terminology will be added to the FAFSA.
- Eligibility for federal financial aid will be expanded.
The U.S. Department of Education was delayed in sending student financial aid data to college and universities until mid-March, four months later than usual. This has prevented our financial aid office from processing applications for the 2024-25 academic year until mid-June. Here’s what you need to know:
- If we need any additional information to determine your eligibility, we will contact you via the email address you have listed in ctcLink.
- Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.
- You will receive an email with your financial aid offer once your eligibility is determined.
- To estimate your potential eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant and WA College Grant, you can use the available calculators.
- To ensure timely processing of your financial aid for the Fall Quarter, please register for your Fall classes as soon as possible.
Here are a few answers to frequently asked questions about the status of the new FAFSA/WASFA:
Learn More About FAFSA
Here are a few steps you can take to prepare to complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA:
- Create an FSA ID on the Federal Student Aid website and assist contributors, such as your parent(s) or spouse, in creating an FSA ID.
- An FSA ID is an account and password that gives you access to the Federal Student Aid’s online system and serves as your electronic signature.
- With the FSA ID, you can fill out the FAFSA when it’s available, sign your Master Promissory Note (MPN), apply for repayment plans, complete loan counseling, and use the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Help Tool.
- See how the FAFSA Simplification changes impact what you may qualify for. Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to see what you may now be eligible for.
- New users to the WASFA can create a WASFA account on their website to prepare for the 2024-2025 application.
- FAFSA is introducing the new term ‘contributor’, which is anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s FAFSA form. This includes the student, the student’s spouse, a parent (biological or adopted), or the parent’s spouse. Being a contributor does not imply responsibility for a student’s college costs.
- Student’s will need the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security Number, and email address to send contributors an invitation to complete the required portion of the FAFSA
- Contributors will need to provide their personal and financial information on their section of the FAFSA.
- All Contributors must provide consent to have tax data transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. If consent is not provided by all parties, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. Transferring IRS data was optional previously. It is now required.
- The need analysis formula to determine financial aid, formerly known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), will now be referred to as the Student Aid Index (SAI). Unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number.
- Small businesses and family farms are now considered assets.
- The number of family members in college will still be asked on the FAFSA, but it will be excluded from the federal, state, and institutional financial aid calculation.
- The Student Aid Report (SAR) will now be referred to as the FAFSA Submission Summary. This is the summary submission document you receive after completing the FAFSA.