Tuesday Tips for December 2023

Five Important Facts About the 2024-25 FAFSA

Dear FAME,

Happy Holidays!

It’s December, and we know the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be released by December 31--but exactly what does that mean? Though we don’t have an exact launch date, we’ve recently learned more about the 2024-2025 FAFSA rollout from Federal Student Aid (FSA). Here’s what we want you to know:

1. There will be a soft launch of the FAFSA.

The FAFSA may be released before December 31, but according to Federal Student Aid (FSA), the period prior to and following Dec. 31 is being treated as a soft launch period, during which the FAFSA filing experience may be different than usual. 

2. Don't rush to file the day the FAFSA opens.

The delay of this year’s FAFSA has many people eager to file as soon as possible. Given the significant changes to the FAFSA and FSA’s announcement of a soft launch, we recommend waiting to file the FAFSA until a week or two after it’s been released. FSA has stated that people do not need to rush to fill out the form when the soft launch opens, as FSA will not process or send FAFSA files to schools until the end of January. 

3. What can filers expect during the soft launch?

Anyone who files during the soft launch should be prepared for periodic site unavailability due to maintenance and updates. During these pauses, those who are already online will be able to complete their work, but others will not be able to begin or resume work on their FAFSA until the maintenance is complete. Additionally, filers may experience a waiting room feature to control website volume. 

4. Making corrections and adding additional schools will be delayed until February.

As a result of FAFSA files not being processed until the end of January, students won’t receive a FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) until early February. No corrections can be made, nor can any additional schools be added to the FAFSA until the FSS is available. When initially filing their FAFSA, students should be sure to list all schools they are interested in, even if they haven’t yet applied for admission. Students can now list up to 20 schools on their FAFSA.

5. Get ready by creating required Federal Student Aid accounts (FSA ID).

Students and parent contributors (a new term defined as anyone who must provide consent and approval to have tax information transferred directly from the IRS into the FAFSA) who haven’t created a Federal Student Aid account (FSA ID) should create one now. Every student and contributor will need their own FSA ID (username and password) to log into their section of the FAFSA. For more information on which parents need an FSA ID, check out this infographic from FSA. 

Traditionally, only individuals with a Social Security number have been able to create a Federal Student Aid account. With the launch of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, those without a Social Security number will also be able to create an account. You can learn more about that process on the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) website.

Thank you for your patience. Please know that we are always here to support students and families throughout the FAFSA process. We'll be conducting both in-person and virtual FAFSA Help Sessions in mid-to-late January. For more information and tips on filling out the 2024-2025 FAFSA, and for a list of upcoming FAFSA Help Sessions (which will be added by the end of the month), please visit FAME's Filing the 2024-2025 FAFSA page.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!

We're Here to Help!

FAME's College Access and Financial Education Team

Connect with Us!

The Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) does not discriminate in the administration of any of its programs or in its employment practices on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, gender, religion, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation. FAME is an equal opportunity employer, provider and lender.

FAME provides links to other websites as a convenience and does not endorse or guarantee the content, accuracy or usability of such sites.