2024-2025 FAFSA

The FAFSA Simplification Act represents a significant overhaul of the process and systems used to award federal student aid starting with the 2024-25 award year.

These changes are meant to create a better user experience by streamlining and simplifying the process for students and families to complete the FAFSA form.

The 2024-2025 FAFSA soft launched online December 31, 2023. During the soft launch period, the Department of Education will be monitoring site performance, conducting planned pauses for maintenance, and making updates to improve the user experience for students and families. Learn more about the 2024–25 FAFSA.

The 2024-2025 CASFA also released at this time. 

A Student Aid Account, formerly FSA ID, is your account username and password. Starting with the 2425 FAFSA all FAFSA Contributors (students, parents, student-spouses) will be required to have a Student Aid Account in order to electronically sign and submit the form. 

This includes eligible non-citizens without SSN. 

Student Aid Accounts can be created online at studentaid.gov. 

Once created it will take over 48 hours for a Student Aid Account to be validated by the government so it is a good idea to set them up early prior to completing the FAFSA. 

Contributors are individuals, such as a parent or spouse, that may be required to provide information on an applicant’s FAFSA depending on the applicant’s dependency or marital status.

Dependent students will have a built in "parent wizard tool"  to help identify which parents to include.

Information required to invite a contributor: 

• Contributor's legal name (first and last) 
• Date of Birth (month, date and year) 
• Social Security Number
  • For contributors without an SSN Check the box for "My contributor does not have an SSN"
• Email address

Once invited, Contributors will be sent an email from FAFSA asking them to log in and continue the FAFSA Application Process. 

All FAFSA Contributors will be required to create a StudentAid username and password.

The system has a 16-character limit. If your parent has a dual, hyphenated, or extremely long last name there may be only specific characters that are being recognized.

All Contributors to the FAFSA must consent to have their Federal Tax information shared between the IRS and the FAFSA and back to the colleges a student hopes to attend.

If any contributors refuse to give consent on the FAFSA form, the FAFSA will not be processed and the student won't be eligible for federal and state financial aid.

Being a contributor does NOT mean that the contributor will be financially responsible for the student's education. It is a consent to have their information includes in the FAFSA. 

For students who are in contact with their parents and not facing any unusual circumstances and their parent refuses to Consent to their information being used on the FAFSA will be given an option to complete the FAFSA with the understanding their financial aid eligibility will only include Direct Unsubsidized Loans. 

The Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) has been replaced by the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is a new way to determine aid eligibility.

The new formula to determine Student Aid Index removes the number of family members in college, and what's included for income and assets. 

Unlike EFC SAI can be a negative number as low as -1500. 

The CMU Financial Aid Office has started receiving FAFSA and CASFA data!

We are processing these records in the order they were received. 

Financial Aid Offers should begin releasing by the beginning of May. 

Continuing students will have their official financial aid offer emailed to their CMU Email account. 

First Time students will have their official financial aid offer emailed to their CMU Email account along with a physical letter mailed to their permanent address. 

When available, all students will be able to view their official financial aid offers by logging into MAVzone.  This is also where students will accept, modify, or decline their specific types of financial aid. 

Students and contributors are now able to make corrections to their 2425 FAFSA. 

The Department of Education has emailed applicants who have had their FAFSA in an "Action Required" status about common correction needs. For most applicants this process should only take a few minutes. 

1. Log in using your user name and password at studentaid.gov
2. Follow the guidance emailed on making the appropriate correction
   • You can also update any other information that needs corrected at this time

Corrected FAFSAs will be processed in the order they are received. 

Students and contributors are now able to make corrections to their 2425 FAFSA. 

1. Log in using your user name and password at studentaid.gov
2. Correct the any information that you incorrectly entered in the initial application. 
   • You can also update any other information that needs corrected at this time

Corrected FAFSAs will be processed in the order they are received.