FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allie Arcese
Director of Communications
(202) 785-6954
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 21, 2023 — On Tuesday, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced a detailed road map for the release of the 2024-25 FAFSA and confirmed that the application will be launched in December 2023. FSA officials revealed during NASFAA’s Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo last month that the FAFSA would not be released on its usual October 1 launch date. 

Over the next several weeks, FSA plans to release a number of resources and trainings for financial aid practitioners, as well as Pell Grant lookup tables and financial aid estimator tools for students and families. Earlier this month, NASFAA joined a number of other higher education organizations in a letter urging FSA to consider several recommendations should the FAFSA be released later than usual, a number of which are reflected in the plan announced today. 

NASFAA President and CEO Justin Draeger issued the following statement:

“The higher education community is gearing up for once-in-a-lifetime changes to how students apply for and receive financial aid. While these myriad improvements may go unnoticed by those who don’t work directly with students, there are a number of behind the scenes updates to systems and processes that are absolutely critical to a smooth transition. We know Federal Student Aid understands the importance of this process and we are pleased they are providing the resources and training necessary for the student aid and college access professionals to fully implement these changes. 

We applaud FSA for committing to a FAFSA release date in December 2023. While this is later than usual, knowing when the FAFSA will be released will help institutions, states, and college-access organizations prepare and plan appropriately. Along with the Department, our top priority is to have the FAFSA released securely, stably, and accurately. 

FSA is to be commended for developing a robust training plan for the financial aid community that will include specific opportunities for live Q&As from practicing financial aid administrators. We are also glad to see a single portal for all FAFSA-related questions that will include both a single email for road map questions and a single email for training questions, which will hopefully streamline incoming questions from the community. Timely answers from FSA will be critical. 

Just as important are FSA’s plans to conduct outreach and provide resources to students and families, including the Pell Grant lookup tables, which FSA will release later this spring that will allow students to prepare for these upcoming changes. 

Kudos to the Department for this road map and we look forward to continuing to work with our federal partners in the coming weeks and months, because when we work together, students succeed.”

To set up an interview with a NASFAA spokesperson to discuss the rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA, please email NASFAA Director of Communications Allie Arcese or call (202) 785-6954.

About NASFAA 

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 29,000 financial aid professionals at approximately 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. NASFAA member institutions serve nine out of every 10 undergraduates in the U.S. Based in Washington, D.C., NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators.