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The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today announced that it has received over one million applications from students using the redesigned 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form and that the form is now available for students and families to access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Students and their families can use the 2024–25 FAFSA form to apply for federal financial aid to attend college between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.
“Over one million students and families and counting have successfully filled out the ‘Better FAFSA,’ which is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said U.S. Secretary of Miguel Cardona. “The fact that over a million students were able to complete the Better FAFSA during its brief soft launch period underscores our commitment to making applying for college financial aid simpler and easier than ever before. With the Better FAFSA now live 24/7, we are moving the federal financial aid application into the 21st century and in the process, putting affordable higher education within the reach of 610,000 students from families with low incomes who will now be eligible for Pell Grants for the very first time.”
The Department began the soft launch of the 2024–25 FAFSA form on December 30, 2023, when the form was available to students and families periodically while the Department monitored website performance and form functionality in real time. The Department initiated pauses for site maintenance and to make technical updates as needed to provide a better experience for students and their families. Now, the form will be continuously available except for routine maintenance, typical of any FAFSA cycle.
“We have heard from students and families that the new FAFSA form is a better experience that’s easier to complete,” said Federal Student Aid Chief Richard Cordray. “We recognize how important it is for students and families to get the information they need on StudentAid.gov to plan for the upcoming school year. We will continue to communicate directly with students, families, and schools about how they can access the maximum support available to them to pursue their higher education dreams.”
Expanded Aid Eligibility and Streamlined Experience
The significant improvements to the 2024–25 FAFSA form expand eligibility for federal student aid, helping an estimated 610,000 more students get Federal Pell Grants. Recipients will receive more aid, with nearly 1.5 million additional students receiving the maximum Pell Grant award. The new FAFSA form also provides a streamlined user experience for students and their families. Millions of students and families will benefit from the Department’s effort to streamline the FAFSA experience, so applicants only see relevant questions based on the answers they provide. For example, applicants will be able to skip as many as 26 questions, depending on their individual circumstances. While the form is expected to take around an hour on average for applicants, some applicants could answer as few as 18 questions in less than 10 minutes.
The 2024–25 FAFSA form also notably includes the ability to securely retrieve tax information directly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), improving the user experience and reducing time to complete. Students and their contributors (e.g., parents and spouses) must provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred directly into the 2024–25 FAFSA form via a secure, direct data exchange with the IRS. This greatly simplifies the process of accessing tax information for as many as 4 million additional students and families, particularly for families with low incomes who are not required to file tax returns to confirm such status.
These updates are part of the Department’s implementation of the bipartisan FUTURE Act and FAFSA Simplification Act. The Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to delivering a better FAFSA form and experience accessing federal student aid for students and families.
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