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***THE NEW 2024-2025 FAFSA is OPENING on 12/31/23!!!***
JHS FAFSA Completion Night on 2/6 was a SUCCESS!!!
Thank you to all of the families that joined us to complete your FAFSA!
Please remember that you can contact ANY local college and they will be happy to talk or meet with you to help you complete the FAFSA, no matter where you plan on attending college in the future.
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JHS FAFSA Information Night!
was held on December 19th @ 5:30pm
Folders with information from the presentation are available in Student services.
How do you create an FSA ID?
To create an FSA ID, each person contributing information to the FAFSA needs to go to studentaid.gov and click “create account” in the upper right-hand corner. The application is available in English and Spanish.
Each person will need the following:-
Full name and social security number as they appear on social security card (if applicable)
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Date of birth
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Valid email address and phone number
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Immediate access to your email account
- Your residential address
Please note: Parents or guardians of students who have a sibling who has already attended college may already have an FSA ID.
Who needs to create an FSA ID?
Every person contributing information to the 2024-25 FAFSA will need an FSA ID - including parents who do not have a social security number.
Independent students will not need to have a parent/guardian create an FSA ID. Students can review the FAFSA dependency status to determine if they qualify as an independent student.Preparation for Completing the FAFSA
Accessing the online FAFSA will require each person -student, parent, spouse-to have an FSA ID. It is strongly encouraged that everyone has their FSA ID set up several days prior to completing the FAFSA. Data matching is required for FSA IDs and can take up to three days before they are usable.
When the FAFSA opens, FSA will be modifying the FSA ID system to allow those people without Social Security numbers to set up an FSA ID. Signature pages will no longer be available for next year. If a person cannot verify their FSA ID with this new process, they will be required to work with FSA to submit copies of identity documents and complete an attestation form (currently not available but will be posted on www.studentaid.gov).
People inputting their information on the FAFSA this year will be referred to as contributors. Contributors will each need their own FSA ID and can use this link to set up the FSA ID (username and password). Persons previously issued an FSA ID can continue to use it. Persons who will be a contributor on multiple FAFSAs can use their same FSA ID on those applications.
If someone attempts to complete a FAFSA online and has not set up an FSA ID, they will not have access to the form until the ID is established. If someone sets up an FSA ID and immediately moves to completing a FAFSA, they will be unable to transfer any financial information from the IRS and will have to manually enter the answers to all the questions.
For dependent students with separated or divorced parents, the definition of which parent’s information belongs on the form has changed. Starting with 2024-2025, the parent who provided the most financial support to the student in the previous 12 months should place their information on the form. If that parent has remarried, they will be required to report their spouse’s information as well. Knowing this new definition is critical to identifying which parent/stepparent(s) will need an FSA ID. Also, students will be presented with an online parent wizard when completing the FAFSA to identify what parent(s) will be contributors.
Delayed Processing of the FAFSA
The November announcement regarding the FAFSA date also shared delays in processing of submitted FAFSAs. These delays include:
- Colleges will not receive data on any submitted FAFSAs until late January regardless of when the student completed it prior to that. Therefore, students and families will not be able to have any detailed discussion with a financial aid office about the submitted FAFSA until after the college receives the data.
- After a FAFSA is submitted, students will receive a confirmation email and access to a confirmation page with their estimated SAI (replacement for EFC) and estimated federal aid eligibility. We strongly recommend that you encourage students to print a copy of the confirmation screen for their records and to have some sense of their financial need. Please note that parents will not be able to log in and access the confirmation page. The FAFSA has become very strictly role-based and only logging in with the student FSA ID will provide access to the confirmation page.
- Students will not receive their FAFSA Submission Summary (new name for the Student Aid Report) until the end of January regardless of when they submitted prior to that. As such, students will not be able to go in and add colleges or make any corrections until they receive that document. We know that many community scholarship applications may request the FAFSA Submission Summary as part of the application. You may wish to reach out to local scholarship organizations who have early deadlines (February 1 or earlier) and let them know students will not have access to that document by the deadline.
- State agencies will also not receive information on processed FAFSAs until the end of January. The state will therefore be delayed in providing student level data reports for which students have completed the FAFSA. These reports will likely not become available until mid-to-late February.
- With colleges not receiving FAFSA data until late January, they will need time to fully test their systems. This process may take weeks. Therefore, it is expected that students will not begin to receive aid offers until very late February or March at the earliest. All colleges are in the same situation and will be working to get students financial aid offers as soon as it is possible.
Students with Unusual/Special Circumstances
If you are working with students who are in unusual circumstances that would cause harm for them to communicate with parents, you know they will need to provide documentation to their colleges. You may wish to assist students gather documentation or letters for these unusual circumstances. Students can be proactive and reach out to their colleges after filing their FAFSA but should wait until they receive their FAFSA Submission Summary so they know that the college has their information. With concentrated processing timelines, students will want to be able to provide materials to colleges as quickly as they are requested.
Students with special circumstances (referring to changes in family income or extraordinary expenses) should also reach out to the colleges once they have their FAFSA Submission Summary to help understand the process for a financial aid review.
Return to Regular Processing
FSA has indicated that once they move beyond the initial backlog of FAFSA processing, things should return to normal processing timelines. Processing submitted FAFSAs and providing the information to the colleges, state agencies and students should happen within a matter of a few days of being submitted.
This year is going to have challenges for students and families as well as those who work to support them in the financial aid process. OASFAA provides resources for counselors and families on the OASFAA website(www.oasfaa.org). If you have questions about this new process, please send them to outreach@oasfaa.org.
We appreciate all your efforts to support students. Your good work results in students who can pursue their postsecondary plans next year.
The OASFAA Outreach Committee
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