Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Information
Updated September 25, 2023
General Information
Every year students and families must complete the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) for the appropriate aid year in order to be considered for federal (and
some state) financial aid, including student loans.
2023-2024 - The 2023-2024 FAFSA is currently available. This is used for students attending fall 2023, spring 2024,
and summer 2024.
2024-2025 - Big changes are coming to the FAFSA in the 2024-2025 aid year. The FAFSA will not
be available until sometime in December 2023. The FAFSA Simplification Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2020 and represents
a significant overhaul of the process and systems. More information can be found below.
Priority Deadline - Most need-based aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so the sooner
you file your FAFSA after it opens, the better. However, we anticipate the 24/25 FAFSA
to have some technical glitches when it first opens so we recommend waiting until
January to file the FAFSA. All students who file the FAFSA in January will be considered
for awarding need-based aid. After January, the sooner you file the FAFSA the better
as it can make a difference to any need-based awards.
What You Can Do Now to Prepare for 24/25 FAFSA
FSA ID - Student
If you already completed the 23/24 FAFSA you already have a FSA ID. Make sure you
know the ID and password and nothing further needed.
FSA ID - Contributor
Make sure anyone who will be listed on FAFSA (parent, parent’s spouse, your spouse
if married) has a FSA ID and password. If they don't, have them apply now so they will be ready.
Normally the FAFSA becomes available October 1st each year, but the 24/25 FAFSA will
be available sometime in December 2023. The 25/26 FAFSA will be open on October 1, 2025.
The FAFSA will reduce the maximum number of questions from 108 to 36. And because
the FAFSA on the Web is dynamic, some students won’t even be presented with all questions.
The streamlined format will simplify the application process and make it less daunting
for students and their families.
Beginning with 24/25 FAFSA, all persons on the FAFSA must provide consent for the
Department of Education to receive tax information or confirmation of non-filing status
directly from the IRS. In a very small number of cases, students/families will have
to enter their tax data manually. This change makes it easier to complete the FAFSA
and reduces the number of questions to be answered. Failure to provide consent will
result in inability to complete FAFSA.
A contributor will be a new term for the 24/25 FAFSA. This refers to anyone who is required to
provide information on a student’s FAFSA (such as a parent/stepparent or spouse).
A student’s or parent’s answers on the FAFSA will determine which contributors (if
any) will be required to provide information. Contributors will receive an email informing them that they’ve been identified as
such, and will need to log in using their own FSA ID to provide the required information
on the student’s FAFSA. Being a contributor does not mean they are financially responsible for the student’s
education costs, but it does mean the contributor must provide information on the FAFSA or the application will
be incomplete and the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.
A notable terminology update within the 24/25 FASFA and beyond is the replacement
of the term Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). This
new term more accurately describes the number used to determine aid eligibility and,
unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number down to -1500.
For dependent students, financial information was previously needed from the parent(s) the student had lived
with the most in the last 12 months. With the 24/25 FAFSA, financial information will
be required from the parent(s) who provided the most financial support to the student
in the last 12 months.
When required, families must now report the value of their small business or family
farm. If the family farm includes the principal place of residence, applicants should
determine the total net value of all farm assets and subtract the net value of their
principal residence to determine the final value of their farm assets.
Beginning with the 24/25 FAFSA, the application will still ask how many household
members are in college, but your answer will not be calculated into the SAI due to
the new regulations.
Families making less than 175% and single parents making less than 225% of the federal poverty level will see their students receive a maximum Federal Pell Grant award. Minimum Pell
Grants will be guaranteed to students from households below 275%, 325%, 350%, or 400%
of the poverty level, depending on household structure. Pell awards between the maximum
and minimum amounts will be determined by SAI.
These questions will have NO effect on financial aid eligibility and are asked for
statistical purposes only. The answers to these questions will not be shared with
any college.
What Isn't Changing With the FAFSA
The types of financial aid available are not changing.
The FAFSA will still be required to be completed every year.
Contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-433-3243 or online for assistance with filing the FAFSA (technical issues with FAFSA or FAFSA website,
making changes to your FAFSA, Signing your FAFSA, FSA ID and password).
The student must be a U.S. Citizen or documented, eligible non-citizen. Your parent
does not need to be a citizen. You must be admitted to Winthrop University as a regular
degree-seeking undergraduate student, a Winthrop Think College Student, or a graduate
student seeking a degree or a certificate in Dietetic Internship or Counseling.
Make sure you add Winthrop as a college to receive your FAFSA. If needed, our school
code is 003456.
What Happens Next
Submitting FAFSA to Winthrop University
The Office of Financial Aid will receive an electronic copy of your FAFSA approximately
2 weeks after you submit it.
Additional Information
Once we receive the FAFSA, you may be requested to provide additional documentation.
The Department of Education selects approximately 30 percent of all applicants for
a verification process. This means the Office of Financial Aid must collect certain
documents to confirm the accuracy of the information you provided on your FAFSA. You
will receive an e-mail from us if you need to provide any further information. Requests
for information for 24/25 FAFSA will be sent by late February 2024 for those who file
their FAFSA by February, and then on an ongoing basis as FAFSAs are received.
Financial Aid Offers
Once the FAFSA is complete and you are fully admitted to Winthrop, you will receive
an e-mail notification directing you to Wingspan to view your financial aid award
package (late March for incoming freshmen and transfer students and late June for
returning students and graduate students). Spring 2024 admits will start seeing aid
offers in Wingspan by early November. Summer 2024 admits will start seeing aid offers
in Wingspan by late April (the Summer Aid Application is required before an aid offer can be made).
Disclaimer
Due to the significant amount of changes that are occurring in real time to the 24/25
FAFSA, portions of our website may not yet be 100% accurate for the 24/25 academic
year. We’ll continue to update this page as we receive updated information from the
Department of Education. We appreciate your patience as we work to implement all the
changes brought by the FAFSA Simplification Act.
