Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, has never been a walk in the park, but this year, the 2024-2025 FAFSA is more complicated than ever before. This comes as unwelcome news for the droves of students around the country in need of financial assistance for college.
Typically, FAFSA applications can be submitted on the first day of October ahead of the new school year, but this year is anything but typical. Because of the many changes made to the new FAFSA in recent months, low-income students have now fallen victim to numerous glitches and delays. This includes last month’s massive data error that affected more than 200,000 students. The problem? The new FAFSA failed to adjust income for inflation, kicking many deserving students out of the running for financial aid awards.
As a result of these technical snafus, many students are being forced to choose a college before finding out how much financial aid they’ll be receiving. Meanwhile, the American Council on Education has submitted a letter to Congress arguing that colleges will not have enough time to make accurate and timely financial offers due to the delay with FAFSA applications.
Ironically, changes to the original FAFSA application were intended to simplify the process of applying for financial aid. Many students and college leaders feel the opposite has occurred.
Perhaps the only silver lining to be found in this debacle is one for the procrastinators among us: You may be able to wait longer to submit an application this year. While the deadline can vary by state and even school, the official FAFSA website lists a deadline of June 30, 2025.
Still, you’ll want to submit your application as early as possible since many scholarships and grants are awarded before the deadline.
Related: FAFSA and Financial Aid for Online College