FAFSA: Easier than Ever

You’ve heard rumors.

Hours spent on the FAFSA, checking and double-checking against your tax documents, only to be selected for verification and asked to fill out even more paperwork.

Not anymore.

What Exactly Is the FAFSA?

The FAFSA—or Free Application for Federal Student Aid—is an online government form that helps students and families apply for financial aid. It assesses a student’s financial need and calculates a Student Aid Index (SAI), a number colleges use when determining a student’s eligibility for need-based financial aid.

Completing the FAFSA can open the door to federal grants, work-study and student loans, as well as state and institutional grants. 

The FAFSA Has Changed

In 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, launching a series of changes designed to make applying for financial aid easier. Those changes were implemented in phases, culminating in a substantially redesigned FAFSA for the 2024–25 school year.

And though the rollout made for a tricky season or two, families are now able to benefit from those changes.

So what’s different?

• Fewer questions. The FAFSA has been significantly shortened. 
• Less tax-data entry. Federal tax information can now be transferred directly from the IRS rather than requiring families to hunt through tax documents and manually enter numbers themselves.
• Less verification. Tax information successfully transferred directly from the IRS is already considered verified for federal student-aid purposes.
• A shorter process. Federal Student Aid reports that most people complete the FAFSA in less than 30 minutes, including the time needed to gather their personal documents and financial information.

In other words, if your impression of the FAFSA comes from your own college experience, an older sibling’s application, or even the difficult rollout of the redesigned FAFSA a few years ago, it may be time to give the form another chance.

Ready to Start?

The FAFSA generally becomes available by October 1 for the following academic year. For students planning to attend college during the 2027–28 school year, Federal Student Aid has also made the FAFSA available early through its nationwide early-access program ahead of the full public launch. 

And while no family is required to submit it, we do recommend doing so for your first year. This gives you a baseline Student Aid Index, and sometimes families are surprised at the results. 

The FAFSA may still be a government form.

But these days, it doesn’t have to feel like one.

The FAFSA is available at www.fafsa.gov. UNW’s FAFSA code is 002371. Reach out to the Office of Admissions with any questions.