If you’ve tried to complete the latest Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA, there’s a chance you’ve come across a website that’s sporadically available. Or, if you’ve managed to get in, you may have been asked to spend some time in a virtual waiting room.
On Dec. 31, the U.S. Department of Education debuted a new version of the application, which millions of students will complete to gain access to federal grants, loans, and work-study funds to pay for college.
While there have been issues, though, federal and state officials say that the financial aid system is poised to help more students this year.
The new “Better FAFSA” is meant to be less cumbersome. Student and family tax information will now be transferred directly onto the application. According to the department, some students will have to answer as few as 18 questions, down from 103 on the previous form.
The aid eligibility formulas have also been changed so that more students from low-income backgrounds qualify for the Federal Pell Grant. The department says more students will now receive the maximum award, currently set at $7,395.
“You're increasing access, and you're deepening that award amount for students that really need it,” said Shelveen Ratnam, a spokesperson for the California Student Aid Commission. “Overall, I think the changes to the FAFSA are great, and I'm excited to see how it helps students access more aid.”
Notwithstanding those changes, students and families have expressed deep frustration with the new website, calling the sporadic access “ridiculous” and “unacceptable.”
In an online update, the department said the website will be available for pockets of time during its initial “soft launch.” (It has not indicated when this period will end.) This, the department added, enables staff to monitor the website’s performance and fix any glitches. The waiting room feature helps “control website volumes to ensure optimal performance.”
In an email, a department spokesperson told LAist that: “A soft launch is a standard way of rolling out popular online tools and products—it means ramping up availability and volumes gradually to avoid spikes and to allow the team to adjust the technology to real world conditions.”
The spokesperson noted that “Many federal agencies have adopted this best practice; the Department of Education followed a similar approach for the Student Debt Relief and SAVE application launches over the last year.”
So far, over half a million students have completed their FAFSA applications.
Department staff is currently focused on making the website available for longer stretches of time. On Tuesday of last week, it was available from 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET. By Friday, the website was open from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET. Students and families can track the website’s availability on social media, including Instagram and X.
The new FAFSA allows applicants to automatically import information from the Internal Revenue Service. However, if the student or their contributors (biological or adoptive parents, stepparents, or spouses) don’t provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred, the student won’t be eligible for aid.
Returning students should also note that the new FAFSA replaces the “Expected Family Contribution” (EFC) with the “Student Aid Index” (SAI). Financial aid offices at each college will use that number to determine how much federal student aid a student would receive if they attended their campus.
Students can now send their FAFSA information to up to 20 colleges or trade schools.
To apply, students will need their Social Security numbers. If they are dependents, they will also need the full name, birthdate, Social Security number, address, and email address of their contributors.
Before sitting down to fill out the application, students and families should also have the following information at hand:
The student and each contributor will need their own StudentAid.gov account. A parent or spouse who does not have a social security number can still create their own account.
The Cal Grant is a California-specific form of financial aid that does not need to be paid back. These grants are for students attending a campus in the California State University or University of California systems. They are also available for students attending California Community Colleges or qualifying career colleges and technical schools.
By phone: Call the California Student Aid Commission at (888) 224-7268.
Email: Reach CSAC at studentsupport@csac.ca.gov.
Online workshops: CSAC is hosting more than a dozen "Cash for College" webinars between January and May 2024. Register here.
Students must apply using the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) and meet all eligibility, financial, and GPA requirements of either program.
Because the 2024-25 FAFSA wasn’t launched until December, the California Student Aid Commission has extended its deadline for students attending a 4-year institution to April 2, 2024. For community college, students must apply by Sept. 2, 2024.
Ratnam, the spokesperson for the California Student Aid Commission, said this was done to ensure that students and families have “adequate time to fill out their application.”
Undocumented students are not eligible for federal financial aid, but, in California, they can receive assistance by completing the CADAA.
Much like the Department of Education, the California Student Aid Commission has made changes to this application to make it less cumbersome.
Previously, undocumented students had to fill out an affidavit in addition to the CADAA to access state financial aid and an exemption from non-resident tuition rates. Many students completed one form but not the other, out of confusion or lack of awareness. As a result, thousands of eligible students have been missing out on financial aid. The affidavit is now embedded in the application, which also features clearer language and question prompts.
