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Costs & Financial Aid

FAFSA Changes

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) changes are coming this year!

The New FAFSA Form
With the passage of the FAFSA Simplification Act, the Department of Education has made the form shorter, from answering more than 100 questions to around 30, and easier to file for students applying for federal aid starting this year.

New Timeline for the 2024-25 Aid Year
Unlike previous years, the 2024-25 FAFSA form will be available in December 2023 to reflect these major changes. Next year, the form resumes opening on Oct. 1, 2024.

Because of this, the University has extended the priority deadline to March 15, 2024 to enable students to become or remain eligible for grants, scholarships, federal work-study and more.

We will continue to update you as we receive additional information from Federal Financial Aid and encourage you to file your FAFSA as soon as possible after it opens.

Below is information regarding changes to help you prepare ahead of December.  

What You Need to Know 

New Terminology

The form has a new term called contributors. It refers to anyone who can provide information for the applicant’s FAFSA form, which can be any of the following:

  • the student
  • the student's spouse (if applicable)
  • a biological or adopted parent
  • the spouse of the remarried parent who is on the FAFSA (the stepparent)

FSA ID

The form will require both students and contributors to have an FSA ID.

  • If you or your contributor have filed FAFSA before, you and your contributor(s) already have an FSA ID.
  • If not, you and/or your contributor(s) will need to create a StudentAid.gov account by following these steps. The process of acquiring an FSA ID can take up to three days.

Elimination of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will be replaced with the Student Aid Index (SAI) to determine how much money a student is eligible for. This new formula has three changes:

  1. It will no longer take into consideration how many students a family has enrolled in higher education.
  2. It allows for a negative contribution of up to 1,500.
  3. Eligibility for Federal Pell Grants will be calculated separately.

New Federal Aid Estimator

Before filling out the FAFSA form, students can use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to receive an estimate of how much federal student aid they may be eligible to receive based on the SAI.

Federal Pell Grant Expansion

Federal Pell Grant eligibility will be expanded, and the amount offered will depend on family size and the federal poverty level.

Federal Tax Information (FTI)

The Future Act requires that every contributor on the FAFSA provide consent to share their tax information in the application so that the IRS can share this information with Federal Student Aid (FSA). All parties whose Federal Tax Information (FTI) is included on a student's FAFSA form must consent annually.

Unusual Circumstances

Starting with the 2024-25 Award Year, both first-time and renewal applicants who indicate on their FAFSA form that they have an unusual circumstance will be granted provisional independent status. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid may request additional information from you to make a final determination.

Stay Informed
Stay informed about the changes and receive up-to-date notifications and information:

  • Did you fill out a FAFSA form for 2023-24? Log in to your StudentAid.gov account and be sure they’ve got your current email address. Once the exact FAFSA launch date is announced, the Department of Education is expected to send out an email to students (and parents of dependent students) who applied on the 2023-24 form, reminding them to apply for 2024-25. The University of Houston’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will also be communicating this information to you once it becomes available.
  • Didn’t submit a 2023–24 FAFSA form? Make sure to create your StudentAid.gov account — and remember your username and password so you can access and submit the 2024-25 FAFSA form when it is available.

Have Questions?
If you have any questions about the new FASFA form, please contact us.

Phone: 713-743-1010, option 5
Email: sfa@central.uh.edu
Virtual Advising :

Monday and Friday | 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday | 2 - 4 p.m.

In-Person Services at the Welcome Center

Monday - Thursday | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

We are here to help you through this new process and system.