Home 2024-2025 FAFSA Application Updates

2024-2025 FAFSA Application Updates

Beginning with the 2024–2025 academic year, there will be changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is based on the passing of new federal law passed by Congress called the FAFSA Simplification Act. The goal of these changes is to expand access to federal student aid and provide a new FAFSA experience for students and families. Learn more about the FAFSA soft launch. 

The 2024-2025 FAFSA is now available to complete.  

Due to the FAFSA changes this year, the U.S. Department of Education has announced some delays in processing FAFSA applications. Hopkins will not receive FAFSA information until mid-April, even if you submitted earlier. Once the Office of Student Financial Support receives your official FAFSA from the Department of Education, we will work diligently to process your FAFSA and share updates on your financial aid (if applicable).   

Have questions? We invite you to join us for a FAFSA Drive on Tuesday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET in Levering, Suite 115 to meet with our financial aid advisors for guidance. We will also be hosting virtual drop-in Zoom hours for the FAFSA Drive on the following dates/times:

  • May –  Tuesday, May 7th from 3pm – 5pm and Thursday, May 16th from 3pm-5pm
  • June –  Tuesday, June 11th from 3pm – 5pm and Thursday June 20th from 3pm-5pm
  • July – Tuesday, July 9th from 3pm -5pm and Thursday, July 18th from 3pm – 5pm
  • Aug – Tuesday, Aug. 6th from 3pm – 5pm and Thursday, Aug. 8th from 3-5pm

Common FAFSA Questions

How will the FAFSA Simplification impact my financial aid offer from Hopkins?

As an institution that meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students, the FAFSA Simplification will not affect the amount of need-based scholarships we offer to a student, regardless of which decision plan you are applying (Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision).  

How will this impact me as an international applicant?

International applicants do not submit the FAFSA and will not be affected by the changes. You will still have to submit the CSS Profile and Certification of Finances (COF) by the required deadlines.

If I’m applying Early Decision I, will I still get my financial aid offer at the same time as my admissions decision?

Yes. If you’re admitted through Early Decision I, you will still receive a financial aid offer with your admissions decision in December as long as you have completed the CSS Profile.

After we receive your FAFSA, your total amount of financial aid offered will remain the same and still come from need-based scholarships that don’t need to be paid back. However, the amount of money that comes from the federal government (as determined by the FAFSA) or directly from Hopkins (as determined by the CSS Profile) may change, but both amounts will still add up to the total financial aid offered.

For example, if the FAFSA determines you are eligible for a federal grant, we will reduce the Hopkins scholarship by the same amount to remain at the total financial aid offered.

Does the Net Price Calculator still work?

Yes. We encourage you to use our financial aid estimators—MyinTuition and the Net Price Calculator—to get a ballpark estimate of your college costs and estimated financial aid offer before applying.  

These tools will still work to give you a general idea of college costs. Keep in mind that the official financial aid review is more comprehensive than the estimator tools, so your financial aid offer may look different from the estimates.

I’m a returning student – when will the FAFSA be available to complete?

We have extended the deadline to submit the FAFSA application to February 15, 2024.

There will be a delay between the date you submit the FAFSA and when we receive it. Even though the FAFSA was available to be submitted in late December, Hopkins will not be able to confirm receipt until mid-April. If you have submitted the FAFSA, please check the To-Do List on the Financial Aid tab in SIS in April for confirmation of receipt.

What should I do to avoid any further delays?

Student and parents can sign up for an FSA ID prior to the FAFSA application’s release on December 31. We highly encourage you to complete this step ahead of time to avoid any processing delays.

Who should be reported as the parent of record on the FAFSA in situations of divorce?

Starting with 2024-25, a dependent student’s parent of record (if the parents are divorced or separated) is the parent who provided the most financial support during the 12-month period prior to filing the FAFSA. If both parents provide equal support, the parent of record is the parent with the higher income or assets. Which parent the student lived with the most does not determine the parent of record.

How can my parent(s) obtain an FSA ID to sign my FAFSA if they don’t have an SSN or ITIN?

The Department of Education is currently developing a process for contributors without Social Security Numbers or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to create FSA IDs. The process will include identity confirmation with an outside agency such as one of the three major credit bureaus. More information on the process to create a FSA ID, visit the Federal Student Aid Website.

What if my parents are unwilling to provide their information on my FAFSA form?

Parent information is required on the FAFSA for dependent students. Parent’s refusal to help complete the FAFSA form will not make a student independent. Still, we do understand that in some cases, the parents are not supporting the dependent student at all and refuse to provide their information on the student’s application. If you’re in that situation, here’s the process for filling out the FAFSA form online:

  1. When the FAFSA form asks you to provide information about your parents, select the “I am unable to provide information about my parent(s)” option.

  2. You will then be provided with an explanation of what’s considered a special circumstance. After reading through the options, select the one that says you don’t have a special circumstance, but you still can’t provide parent information.

  3. The application explains that if your parents don’t support you and refuse to provide their information on the application, you may submit your FAFSA form without their information.

  4. Contact Student Financial Support once you’ve submitted your FAFSA form.

What does a negative Student Aid Index (SAI) mean?

Students with a negative or $0 SAI are eligible for the maximum Federal Pell Grant. A student with a negative SAI has higher demonstrated need than a student with $0 SAI. The negative SAI helps our office prioritize students with high need for any limited funding that we may offer.