2024–25 FAFSA Form Available

The 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form is available at fafsa.gov.

What's New

The 2024–25 FAFSA form expands eligibility for federal student aid, including Pell Grants, and provides a streamlined user experience. An estimated 7.3 million new students from low-income backgrounds will be eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants due to updates to student aid calculations. Plus, applicants will be able to skip as many as 26 questions, depending on their individual circumstances. Some applicants could answer as few as 18 questions, which could take less than 10 minutes.

Tips For Students Preparing To Fill Out the FAFSA^® Form

Students should do the following to prepare for filling out the FAFSA form:

• Get a StudentAid.gov account before filling out the FAFSA form.
• Have their documents (e.g., 2022 tax returns; records of child support received; current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts; and net worth of investments, businesses, and farms) ready.
• Have their contributor information (e.g., first and last name, Social Security number [if they have one], date of birth, and email address or mailing address [if they don't have a Social Security number]) ready.

Tips For Students Filling Out the FAFSA^® Form

As students fill out the FAFSA form, they should do the following:

• Complete their section of the form first.
• Read questions and definitions carefully.
• Consult in-form resources if they need help.
• Review their answers prior to submitting the form.
• Monitor their form's status.
• Submit the FAFSA form after all their contributors have signed and all sections are completed.

Send students and parents to StudentAid.gov/fafsatips for detailed tips about preparing for and filling out the FAFSA form.

What Happens After a Student Submits Their FAFSA^® Forms

When a student submits their completed 2024–25 FAFSA form, they'll get an email confirming that we received their form. The email will provide preliminary information related to their eligibility for federal student aid. This will include their estimated Student Aid Index (SAI) and estimated eligibility for Federal Pell Grants.

In one to three days, the FAFSA form will be processed and made available to schools and states. Once schools receive students' FAFSA information, the ones students have been accepted to will begin sending students personalized aid information several weeks later. Until schools and states receive students' forms, they won't be able to answer questions about aid eligibility or status.

Students can check the status of their FAFSA form on StudentAid.gov. After their form is processed, they can access their FAFSA Submission Summary on StudentAid.gov. The FAFSA Submission Summary will provide an official SAI calculation and Federal Pell Grant eligibility.

If a student makes a mistake when submitting their FAFSA form—for instance, if they submit their form without required contributor information or without their signature—they'll be able to correct the error when the ability to make corrections to processed forms becomes available in the first half of April.

Detailed school-level data on FAFSA completions is available now.

Resources for Reference and Outreach

The resources below will be particularly useful as you prepare to help students with the FAFSA form. You also may wish to browse our full selection of 2024–25 FAFSA resources.

• StudentAid.gov/decemberfafsa—Announcement familiarizing students and parents with the FAFSA form's availability. Send your students to this StudentAid.gov page, not to this Financial Aid Toolkit site.
• StudentAid.gov/fafsatips—Announcement providing students with tips to successfully complete the 2024–25 FAFSA form. Send your students to this StudentAid.gov page, not to this Financial Aid Toolkit site.
• "FAFSA^® Updates"—Financial Aid Toolkit page that provides counselors and college access mentors with the latest forms and information associated with the FAFSA process.
• "A Better FAFSA Process Means a Better Future for Everyone"—Financial Aid Toolkit page providing counselors and college access mentors with informational and outreach tools designed to help navigate FAFSA simplification.
• "FAFSA Simplification"—Knowledge Center page serving as repository for all regulatory information, guidance, and training related to implementation of the FUTURE Act and the FAFSA Simplification Act. Note: This page is primarily written for college financial aid administrators.