After numerous delays, the U.S. Department of Education made the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available for students and families on Dec. 31, 2023. With this, they were able to just barely meet the requirement that the forms be open in 2023. The first few days it was available were considered a “soft launch,” with the form experiencing technical difficulties and only being available periodically for an unspecified amount of time.

   The FAFSA is the document that students are required to fill out in order to receive federal, state or institutional aid, and is crucial to many students looking to afford a higher education.

   In 2020, the FAFSA Simplification Act was passed, and was intended to expand the Federal Pell Grant to more students. The new FAFSA was designed to be more efficient, cutting the number of questions in half by forcing students and their parents to consent to the transfer of IRS data. 

   New changes have been criticized for trying to inflate the wealth of middle class families, barring them from aid. For example, the scope of asset calculations has been expanded to families with farms or small businesses and as a result, they may no longer qualify for aid. The FAFSA also now calculates the expected family contribution, now called the student aid index, without considering the number of students in a family. This could result in a family going from paying one contribution for their three kids to paying this same out of pocket cost for each student.

  The delay has left some students in a rush, especially those who applied for spring semesters. However, for most students, savings or merit based scholarships will be enough to get their desired education. Jodi Furman, an independent admissions advisor for both college and graduate schools, said that the FAFSA is “one of the ‘better to have it and not need it- than to need it and not have it’ situations.”

   Alongside the opening of the FAFSA, many schools have begun to request updated SSAR and SPARK forms now that students have received their second semester grades and any schedule changes. While the process may be frustrating, college applicants’ efforts are finally paying off as many schools have released their decisions.