Uncle Sam just opened up the application for college student aid.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, gives millions of families access to support like loans, grants and work study.
The form is a key step to qualify for federal financial aid and find out what is available to help pay for college.
The FAFSA has been known to be complicated and time-consuming in the past. But it should be easier this year, because the Department of Education has given it a little makeover.
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Back when her oldest was in high school, mom Kristin Roan remembers spending hours on the FAFSA application.
"It was very tedious and it took a long time," said Roan. "And I finally got it back. And then we got no money."
For the 2024-2025 academic year, the Department of Education says students will see a streamlined FAFSA form with fewer questions.
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It says some applicants may only have to spend 10 minutes on it.
"For many students, it will be significantly easier to complete and that's thanks to the elimination of a number of questions," said Nalia Medina of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. "Depending on a student's individual circumstance or the information that they provide, also the opportunity to directly transfer your financial information from the IRS to the FAFSA form."
Medina says there is another big change to this year's FAFSA process. Each person considered a "contributor" on a student's FAFSA form will need their own login credentials, called an "FSA ID," to complete the application.
A "contributor" may include the student, a parent or a spouse.
A student can't finish the online FAFSA until each contributor logs in and completes their portion.
You can get started by setting up an FSA ID.
"These FSA IDs will still be taking about three days to be created and verified, so we're really urging folks to kind of get a head start on this process," said Medina. "But if a student and a parent has an FSA ID from a prior year, they will still be able to use that for the new 24-25 FAFSA."
Be sure to talk to your family. Be prepared to fill in each FAFSA form contributor's name, date of birth, Social Security number and email address. And let each contributor know to be on the lookout for a link to fill out their part of the FAFSA form.
FAFSA deadlines vary by state and school, but some student aid is first come, first serve, so you might want to fill out the form ASAP.
You may find the new online FAFSA is down from time to time for technical tweaks. And you may see a waiting room feature to help manage website volume.
