FAFSA Simplification Act | Worcester Polytechnic Institute

*NEW* 2024-2025 FAFSA Update (FAFSA Simplification Act)

The FAFSA Simplification Act was enacted by Congress as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This law reduces the number of questions students will have to answer on the form, makes crucial changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand Pell Grant eligibility and removes outdated restrictions to make federal student aid more accessible to all students.

For a full listing of changes for the 2023-2024 award year, please use this link.

Due to the major changes, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid has indicated they will be ready to offer the simplified application for the upcoming cycle. They are delaying the release until December 2023, two months after the usual October 1 release. Presently the department has stated that the 2024-2025 FAFSA will be ready mid-December 2023. However, they are not required by law to have it available until January 1, 2024.

The delay will have some clear implications that you should prepare for. This is the largest FAFSA overhaul in recent years, and it will require not only the federal government to implement changes to their processes, but states and schools need to prepare for the change as well.

The 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) includes unprecedented changes to how students and families apply for federal student aid and how we determine eligibility, giving students a better and simpler experience with the FAFSA form. Improvements include a direct data exchange with the IRS for income data elements, a new “Who’s My Parent?” wizard, and a single consolidated portal for all FAFSA help resources.

To help ensure that students and families—and the partners critical to getting student aid dollars into the hands of students—are best prepared for a successful 2024–25 FAFSA cycle, Federal Student Aid has launched the Better FAFSA Better Future Roadmap, which includes the timeline for students and families below.

Timeline for Students and Families