2024-2025 FAFSA and Applying Early The 2024-2025 FAFSA is here! So, what does that mean for your early applications ? Submitting the FAFSA earlier means you’ll have more time to make an informed college choice.
The government uses the information on the FAFSA to determine your Student Aid Index—or SAI. This number is shared with your schools to put together your financial aid packages. The bottom line is the sooner you submit your FAFSA, the sooner schools can begin putting together your award package.
While you won’t necessarily receive financial aid packages earlier from your early application schools, you WILL have a clearer picture of what your estimated federal student aid might be. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) after submitting the form to see what federal grants and loans you may be eligible for.
Visit studentaid.gov to start filling out your FAFSA online. You’ll need your parent(s) or guardian(s) most recently completed federal income tax returns and W-2s, so let them know that you are starting the application. To prepare, you and your parent(s) or guardian(s) should also create Federal Student Aid IDs , which you’ll use to sign your online application.
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