As early decision applicants prepare their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a delay caused by Congress’ overhaul of the form interrupted the normal application timeline. Now, the FAFSA is due Jan. 31, 2024 for all Emory applicants to accommodate the changes, according to Office of Financial Aid Assistant Director Mindy Filien.
Last application cycle, the FAFSA was due on Dec. 1, 2022 for Early Decision I applicants and Jan. 12 for Early Decision II applicants. The FAFSA submission deadline was not changed for this year’s regular decision applicants.
Typically released on Oct. 1, the FAFSA allows colleges and universities to determine if students are eligible for financial aid. The new FAFSA form, which is part of the FAFSA Simplification Act, is set to be released in December and has caused controversy as higher education institutions nationwide work through its changes. The updated FAFSA includes fewer questions, requires less student and family information and a different measure for the federal government to look at when determining financial need.
The simplified FAFSA now contains 36 questions, a decrease from the 108 questions in previous years. Students will no longer need to manually add tax information to the form or answer questions about Selective Service registration and drug convictions.
Additionally, the federal government will use the Student Aid Index rather than the Expected Family Contribution measure to determine how much financial aid a student should receive. Students will be eligible for more financial aid under the Student Aid Index. Unlike the lowest possible Expected Family Contribution value of $0, the Student Aid Index can result in a value as low as negative $1,500. The Student Aid Index may also help more students qualify for federal Pell Grants.
Despite FAFSA’s new financial aid calculation measure, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment and University Financial Aid John Leach wrote in an email to the Wheel that Emory will send out aid notifications to both incoming and returning students on time. Emory is not concerned with its ability to send out timely aid packages because the University uses the College Scholarship Service Profile to determine eligibility for institutional need-based aid for incoming students, which is not being altered this year, Leach added.
While first-year students are still required to fill out the FAFSA, Emory only uses it to determine federal financial aid and to adjust aid for returning students, Leach wrote. The FAFSA application deadline was also not extended for returning students, who have until Feb. 15, 2024 to complete the form. Leach wrote that aid notifications for sophomores, juniors and seniors are typically released during the summer, so Emory anticipates that it will have enough time to review and release these aid notifications, even with the extended FAFSA deadline.
Filien favors the new FAFSA, noting that students and parents were frequently confused about how to complete the former application correctly.
“If they’re simplifying it to make it easier, I’m all for it,” Filien said.
In the wake of the incoming changes, Filien said the Office of Financial Aid will have to create more reports to ensure students get the best financial aid offer possible. She also recounted personal struggles when filling out the FAFSA and feels students and their families will benefit from the simplified form.
“Back when I was a student, I don’t want to say it was difficult, but it was for someone who’s only 18 years old,” Filien said.
Although Federal Student Aid, which is a U.S. Department of Education office, announced the FAFSA overhaul in March, Filien said Emory will not know the exact changes to the FAFSA until the application is released. However, Filien said she will continue to advise students the same regardless of the FAFSA changes, stressing her typical advice: Do not miss out on potential aid by letting deadlines fly by.
Nicole Paula (24Ox), who is low-income and a first-generation college student, said she is concerned about how the new measure for financial need would affect her financial aid package. Even though she receives an external scholarship coupled with institutional aid, Paula said her family is responsible for covering some remaining attendance costs, making finances a near-constant thought. Exposed to only limited information about the FAFSA change, Paula said she still has anxieties concerning her financial aid package for the 2024-25 academic year, especially because she plans to pursue dentistry school.
“As of now I’m not in any debt, but I’m very scared of the debt I will be in,” Paula said.
