Important FAFSA Update from FAME

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be released by December 31, 2023. This year’s FAFSA delay likely has you eager to file as soon as possible. Given the significant changes to the FAFSA and the move to a new platform, we recommend waiting to file the FAFSA until a week or so after it’s been released. Another reason not to feel pressured to file immediately is that there will also be a delay in the processing and sending of FAFSA files to schools. Schools won’t start receiving FAFSA records until late January.

In the meantime, get ready to file by creating any needed Federal Student Aid accounts (FSA ID). For more information on which parents need a Federal Student Aid account, check out this infographic from Federal Student Aid.

FAME is available to support you through this process and will begin holding both in-person and virtual FAFSA Help Sessions in mid-January. For additional information and tips on filling out the 2024-2025 FAFSA and for a list of upcoming FAFSA Help Sessions (which will be added by the end of the month), visit FAME’s Filing the 2024-2025 FAFSA page.