What does FAFSA delay mean?

Last week, The Department of Education announced another delay in the rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, telling colleges that they will not begin receiving applicants' federal aid information until March at the earliest.

Why is FAFSA being delayed?

The delay is the latest hiccup in the rollout of the new FAFSA form, which was overhauled last year by congressional mandate in order to “simplify” the process and expand Pell eligibility—and which has been plagued by delays and uncertainty since the launch date was pushed to the end of last year.

What causes delays in receiving financial aid?

The financial aid decisions that usually go out with acceptance letters are being delayed because of a later-than-expected rollout of a revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form commonly known as FAFSA that schools use to compute financial aid.

How long does it take FAFSA to confirm?

If you submitted your 2023–24 FAFSA form online, we'll process your form within three to five days. If you submitted a paper FAFSA form, your form will be processed within 7 to 10 days.

Why haven't I received my FAFSA money yet?

There are a number of reasons why a student's financial aid may not have been disbursed to their account. They include but are not limited to the following: The student failed to submit all requested documents. The student is not actively enrolled in at least one course (Federal Pell Grant disbursements).

2024-2025 FAFSA® Delivery Delayed Until March – What Does This Mean?

Did FAFSA get delayed?

The delays are a result of overhauls made to the aid application system that were mandated by laws passed by Congress in 2019 and 2020. The overhauls were intended to make the FAFSA simpler, easier to use, and to make more lower-income students eligible for more aid.

Why is 2024 FAFSA delayed?

Most recent update to the new FAFSA was a “factor” in delays

The Education Department stated last week that it needed to update its aid formula to reflect current inflation rates to increase aid for students.

How will I know if my FAFSA was approved?

At any time, students can check the status of their 2024–25 FAFSA form from the “My Activity” page after logging in to StudentAid.gov.

How do I make sure my FAFSA is approved?

Note: If you submitted a paper FAFSA form, you can check the status of your application online once it has been processed (roughly 7 to 10 days from the date mailed). You can also check the status of your FAFSA form by contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.

How do you know if your FAFSA has been verified?

How do I know if I've been selected for financial aid verification? If your FAFSA has been selected for verification, each college will reach out to you directly with instructions on how to complete the process. Check your mail, email, and college portal regularly for verification-related requests.

Why does FAFSA still say in review?

The “In Review” status indicates that the FAFSA will be processed later in January. The U.S. Department of Education has said submitted FAFSAs won't be processed immediately.

Does FAFSA check with IRS?

The law now allows IRS to provide the limited tax information necessary to verify income for these programs directly to ED. The automated process will happen in real-time for individuals after providing approval to ED during the online application process.

Why do so many students fail to file the FAFSA each year?

About a third of these students, for example, would have qualified for a Pell Grant and about a sixth for a full Pell Grant. At least 1.7 million students fail to file the FAFSA each year because they incorrectly believe themselves to be ineligible.

Is it hard to get approved for FAFSA?

Nearly all students who apply qualify for some form of federal financial aid. "It's very easy to qualify for aid based on the FAFSA," Barnett says. For years, filling out the FAFSA was a confusing, complex process for families. However, the FAFSA was streamlined for the 2024-2025 award year.

How do I know if my Pell Grant was approved?

Federal Pell Grants typically are awarded to undergraduate students with low or moderate income. You can log in to StudentAid.gov to see if you received a Pell Grant. We display information about the aid you received, including Pell Grants, on your account Dashboard and My Aid page.

Is the FAFSA delayed for 2024 2025?

As you might have heard by now, there have been some delays and technical challenges with the U.S. Department of Education's “soft-launch” of the 2024-2025 FAFSA which became available on December 31st, 2023.

Are FAFSA being processed?

For the 2023–24 FAFSA form, the status of your application will be one of the following: Processing: Your application is still processing. It typically takes three to five days, plus one additional business day to be made available to the schools you listed on the form.

Why colleges won t receive FAFSA until March?

The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it won't transmit information from students who filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to colleges until the first half of March, further shortening the timeline for institutions to make financial aid offers.

Is FAFSA first come first serve?

Each October, the FAFSA is available for the next school year. It is best to fill it out as early as you can because some aid is first come, first served. When you complete the FAFSA, you'll need to provide personal and tax information.

Why is 24 25 FAFSA delayed?

The FAFSA application and delivery system is changing for 2024-25. As a result, the application was made available later than usual in the end of December. To accommodate this later availability, we are extending our FAFSA/WASFA priority filing date to February 28th, 2024.

What is the most common mistake made on the FAFSA?

How much a year is too much for FAFSA?

Students often skip filling out the FAFSA because they think their families make too much money to qualify for aid. However, there are no FAFSA income limits, so you can submit it—and potentially get valuable financial aid—regardless of your family's earnings.

What are the top three FAFSA errors?

Can FAFSA see your bank account?

Students selected for verification of their FAFSA form may wonder, “Does FAFSA check your bank accounts?” FAFSA does not directly view the student's or parent's bank accounts.