Students in the graduating class of 2024 are off to a slow start in the college application process as they work through the most recent changes made to the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA application is one of the most widely used tools to access student aid, and opens up opportunities to receive everything from grants and scholarships to work-study funds and loans from federal, state, and school sources.
A new and updated version of the 2024-25 FAFSA launched in December, two months after it’s usual availability on October 1. The delayed launch also means that students will receive their financial aid offers later than anticipated.
The U.S. Department of Education announced on January 30 that it will not be transmitting FAFSA results to schools until early March, leaving students with only limited time to choose what college they want to go to before critical deadlines.
