With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
A New Version of FAFSA Comes Out This Year. Here's What You Need To Know
Changes are coming to how you apply for federal student aid.
(
Andrii Dodonov/Getty Images
/
iStockphoto
)
The U.S Department of Education is getting ready to release a new version of the financial aid application later this year and you have until May 23 to submit comments on a current draft of the new version.
Why it matters
Many families preparing to send their kids off to college are in the midst of filling out the Free Application for Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA. It's a lengthy and tedious process that many find frustrating and confusing, but that could soon change with the department's efforts to streamline the process.
Why now
Back in 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act to make the process easier. Under that act, changes to the FAFSA application would go into effect for the 2024-2025 school year.
Support for LAist comes from
FAFSA applications also open later — December 1.
What are the changes
FAFSA will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). The EFC typically measured how much your family would be able to pay for college. That number then determined how much financial aid you qualified for.
Now, the new formula using the SAI removes the number of family members in college from the calculation and implements separate eligibility requirements for Federal Pell Grants.
You can access a breakdown of the how the SAI calculations will work in determining your eligibility for a Pell Grant here.
Access to Pell Grants are also expanding. As of the 2023-2024 school year, incarcerated students attending an approved education program were able to regain their eligibility for a Pell Grant. And, the Federal Pell Grant lifetime eligibility was restored to students whose school closed during the school year.
The FAFSA already removed questions on drug-related convictions and the Selective Service registration, which is part of a federal law to require all 18 to 25 year old Americans assigned male at birth to register for military service.
Support for LAist comes from
The new application also makes it easier to input your federal tax information from the IRS. No more having to search frantically for those tax returns
How to share your thoughts
The Department of Education wants people to submit public comments on the current draft by May 23. You can submit your comments here.
More resources
Read Our Whole Guide To Going To College
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist