Important Registration, Payment and Financial Aid Updates. Learn more
FAFSA Simplification represents big changes to the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA®) form and how financial aid is determined for the 2024-25 aid year. The FAFSA Simplification Act was passed on December 27, 2020, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
The FAFSA Simplification Act represents a significant overhaul of the processes and
systems used to award federal student aid starting with the 2024-25 award year. This
includes the FAFSA form, need analysis, new terminology, and many policies and procedures
for schools that participate in federal student aid programs.
FAFSA Launch Date
The 2024-25 FAFSA was delayed and became available December 31, 2023. Complete the
application at 2024-25 FAFSA form.
Learn more about the launch.
Pro Tips for the 2024-25 FAFSA Form
Tips from the U.S. Department of Education to help you successfully complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form.
2024-25 FAFSA FAQs Videos
View the U.S. Department of Education's playlist of short topical videos to get the answers you need to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA.
What is a Contributor?
A contributor is a new term on the 2024-25 FAFSA. A contributor is anyone who is required to provide
consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred directly from
the IRS into the FAFSA form and provide a signature on the form. A contributor is:
Watch this video to learn about contributors. Each contributor will need to create a StudentAid.gov account (see below) to enter their information and complete their section of the FAFSA.
Create a StudentAid.gov Account
If you have not done so already, you will need to create a StudentAid.gov account to apply for, receive and manage your federal student aid. This will create
an FSA ID (username and password) that is used to electronically sign your FAFSA. Watch this video on creating a StudentAid.gov account. If you have an FSA ID from a prior year, you
will continue to use it.
Creating a StudentAid.gov Account without a Social Security Number
Contributors who do not have a social security number must also create a StudentAid.gov
account. Follow the instructions in the link below. Some individuals are experiencing
issues starting or accessing the 2024-25 FAFSA. The U.S. Department of Education is aware of these issues and is working on resolutions.
What Information Will You Need?
You will need specific information on hand to complete the FAFSA such as demographic
information, social security number, an email address, and 2022 federal tax information.
See the list of information.
Why Do I Need to Provide Consent and Approval?
Consent and approval are needed to retrieve and disclose federal tax information from
each participant on the 2024-25 FAFSA. With consent and approval, ED obtains your
federal tax information automatically from the IRS to help complete the FAFSA form.
If consent and approval are not provided by the student and all contributors on the
FAFSA form, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid, including grants
and loans. All participants must provide consent and approval even if they didn’t
file a U.S. federal tax return or any tax return at all.
Communications with FAFSA Contributors
The U.S. Department of Education will issue emails to contributors when they must
complete their sections of the FAFSA and/or provide consent to for the transfer of
their tax information. Be sure to open these official emails and follow the instructions.
An Incomplete FAFSA Will Be Deleted After 45 Days
An incomplete 2024-25 FAFSA will be deleted after 45 days of inactivity. A FAFSA cannot
be considered submitted until all required contributors have completed, signed, and
submitted their sections.
Watch for Your Confirmation Email and FAFSA Submission Summary
After all sections of the online FAFSA form are completed and submitted, you will
receive a confirmation email noting your submission date, your estimated Student Aid
Index – SAI (formerly called the Expected Family Contribution) and estimated Federal
Pell Grant eligibility. You will also receive a FAFSA Submission Summary (formerly
called the Student Aid Report) after ED processes the FAFSA information.
What is the Student Aid Index?
The Student Aid Index (SAI) is new to the 2024-25 FAFSA and replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) when
calculating financial need. The SAI is a result of the information provided by the
student and their contributors on the FAFSA. SAI is an eligibility index that college
financial aid staff use to determine how much financial aid you would receive if you
were to attend their school. See more information about how aid is awarded.
Pell Grant Eligibility Changes for 2024-25
Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, the amount of Federal Pell Grant is determined using factors such as the Student Aid Index (SAI) adjusted gross income, tax filing status, and the U.S. annual poverty level guidelines for family size and state of residence.
The amount of Federal Pell Grant a student can be eligible to receive falls into three categories with the maximum and minimum Federal Pell Grant awards for 2024-25 noted below.
Federal Student Aid Estimator is a tool available for students to get an early estimate of how much federal student aid they may be eligible for in the 2024-25 award year. This will also help identify which parent to include on the FAFSA form. Reminder, this is an estimate and the amount of your federal student aid may be different when the FAFSA is completed. Learn more and complete the Federal Student Aid Estimator.
Enrollment Intensity
For 2024-25, the enrollment statuses used to award the Pell Grant will be replaced
with a new term called “enrollment intensity.” Previously, Pell Grants were awarded
based on full-time (12 or more hours), three-quarter-time (9-11 credit hours), half-time
(6-8 credit hours) or less-than-half-time (1-5 credit hours) enrollment statuses.
Enrollment intensity is the percentage of full-time enrollment at which a student
is enrolled, rounded to the nearest whole percent.
Example:
Full-time enrollment is 12 or more credit hours and the student is enrolled in 7 credit
hours. The enrollment intensity would be (7/12) x 100% = 58%. The student’s scheduled
Pell Grant award is then multiplied by the student’s enrollment intensity percentage
to determine the Annual Pell Grant Award.
2024-25 Financial Aid Notifications
Due to U.S. Department of Education system issues and delays, colleges are working
dilligently to provide 2024-25 financial aid financial aid packaging and award notifications
to students. Currently, financial aid awards are estimated to be available to Harper
College students in late May or early June. Harper will send additional updates as
more information becomes available.
Stay Informed about 2024-25 FAFSA Changes and Receive Up-to-date Notifications and
Information
To ensure you receive future updates, log in to your StudentAid.gov account and confirm ED has your current email address.
2024-25 FAFSA Issue Alerts
The U.S. Department of Education has a 2024-25 FAFSA Issue Alerts webpage that lists open and resolved issues they have identified related to the 2024-25
FAFSA form.
We Are Here to Help!
Harper College offers FAFSA/Alternative Application Workshops, assistance in the One Stop and via an appointment.
