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Financial Aid Important Updates: FAFSA and CADAA
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Updates
Last updated: 4/23/2024
Both financial aid applications, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the DREAM Act Application (CADAA), will undergo major changes in the coming year to increase the number of students who may be eligible for Federal Financial Aid and simplify the process for students and parents.
2024-2025 Application Now Available
Traditionally, the FAFSA and the CADAA are released on October 1 for students to complete and submit for the following academic year. However, due to the changes, there has been a delay in the opening date of the FAFSA and CADAA applications.
FAFSA Corrections are Now Available
If you completed your 2024-25 FAFSA but need to make corrections, the ability to make corrections is now available. You can log in with your FSA ID at www.studentaid.gov to make your corrections.
Priority Deadline Extension
The financial aid application priority deadline has been extended to May 2, 2024! We understand there have been changes to the FAFSA process, and sometimes, that can make the application process difficult or confusing. Regardless, we are here to help! Please look at the resources below to make the financial aid process as seamless as possible.
2024-2025 FAFSA Application Issues Update
Previously, we noted that if a parent contributor does not have a Social Security Number (SSN), they were unable to access the 2024-2025 FAFSA form. The Department of Education has now fixed this issue and contributors with no SSN’s can now access and submit the FAFSA.
Please ensure that when the student is inviting the contributor without an SSN to participate in their form, the SAME personally identifiable information is entered as the contributor used to obtain the FSA ID.
As a reminder, the Priority Filing Date for the FAFSA has been extended to May 2, 2024.
Video Tutorials & Information
Please navigate through the videos below to learn more about the application and other important resources and tutorials.
Resources
A big change for FAFSA filers is that ALL members providing information on the financial aid application i.e. student/student’s spouse or student’s parents MUST now have individual Federal Student Aid FSA ID’s.
The FSA ID is a username and password that is required to log in and access all Federal Student Aid websites, including the FAFSA. The FSA ID also serves as a legal signature when you submit your FAFSA.
You and one or both of your parents must create an FSA ID before starting the FAFSA. If you are an independent student, you will not need to have your parent create an FSA ID. If you have a sibling who attended college before you, your parent may already have an FSA ID.
For those that may not have an FSA ID as of yet, now is the time to get the FSA ID set up so that you are prepared to complete the FAFSA as soon as it comes out in December.
Once you create your FSA ID and password, be sure to SAVE the information in a safe place as you will need to use this information throughout the time you are in college.
How to Create Your FSA ID Guide
All students need to create an FSA ID. When you fill out the FAFSA, it will determine if you need to include your parent's information. Generally, unmarried students under the age of 24 are considered dependent upon their parents. Use the information below to determine who needs to create an FSA ID.
Contributors
- Student: All students must create an FSA ID
- One Parent:
- If you are a dependent student with two married parents who filed a joint federal tax return in 2022.
- If you are a dependent student with separated or divorced parents. The parent who provided you with the most financial support in the last year AND parent's current spouse if they married since January 1, 2023, OR if parent was remarried prior to this date but filed taxes separately from the current spouse.
- Both Parents:
- If you are a dependent student with two married parents who filed separate federal tax returns in 2022.
- If you are a dependent student with two parents who are unmarried but living together.
- One Parent:
- Married Student
- Spouse: If you are a married student who filed taxes separately in 2022 from your current spouse.
- Student Only: If you are over the age of 24, OR married, and filed joint federal tax returns in 2022.
The Department of Education has created this tool that families can use to estimate how much aid a student may be eligible for starting with the 2024-25 award year.
Application Assistance Sessions Available
Need help with the FAFSA or Dream Act application? We have planned several in-person and virtual Financial Aid application assistance sessions.
These sessions aim to have staff available to assist students in answering any questions about completing their financial aid applications. It would be helpful for the student to have their FSA ID available in order for the staff to help answer questions. Contributors are also welcome to participate in these sessions.
In-person Sessions
- 4/16 – 12 - 3 p.m. at Lassen 1000A
- Please bring your laptop.
- 4/24 – 12 - 3 p.m. at Lassen 1000A
- Please bring your laptop.
- 4/30 – 12 - 3 p.m. at Lassen 1000A
- Please bring your laptop.
- 5/1 – 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Lassen 1000A
- Please bring your laptop.
Virtual Sessions
- 4/10 Zoom session – 12 - 3 p.m.
- 4/29 Zoom session – 4 - 7 p.m.
Please note that these workshops are on a drop-in basis, so you don’t need to be there for the entire session!