Financial Aid

What Is FAFSA Simplification?

The FAFSA Simplification Act represents a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to offer federal student aid starting with the 2024–25 academic year. This includes changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, the need analysis formula, and many policies and procedures for schools that participate in federal student aid programs. These changes alter how the FAFSA form appears to students and parents and the methodology for determining what aid students may be eligible for.

• Students and their contributors should create their Federal Student Aid (FSA) IDs now if they do not already have one. Students can use this form to keep track of their FSA ID information.
• Apply for 2024-25 financial aid online using the FAFSA form. The sooner students complete their 2024-25 FAFSA, the sooner our office will receive their information from the Department of Education. This is especially important to students who plan to enroll for the summer quarter.
  • The U.S. Department of Education has informed institutions that students will not be able to update a submitted FAFSA or fix any errors until mid-March.
• Students that are ineligible to use the FAFSA (for example, due to citizenship or immigration status), can submit a Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) financial aid application instead.
• Students should beware of phishing attempts to capture their and their contributors’ financial aid login information.
• Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to see what you may now be eligible for.
• Students can attend a Financial Aid Workshop, schedule a One-On-One Support Session with our community partner, FuturesNW or contact the Financial Aid Office during our operating hours if they require assistance.

• 2024-25 FAFSA Release Date: The 2024-25 FAFSA is available as of Dec. 31, 2023.
• “Expected Family Contribution” (EFC) is now the “Student Aid Index” (SAI): This number measures a student and/or family’s ability to pay for college. The new need analysis formula allows for a potential SAI as low as -1500 and implements a separate eligibility criterion for determining Federal Pell Grant amounts.
• Expanded Access to Federal Pell Grants: More people are eligible to receive federal Pell Grants, and the average grant is expected to be larger.
• Fewer Questions asked on the 2024-25 FAFSA: Fewer questions are asked, and federal tax data is automatically transferred from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
• New Terminology:  With the 2024-25 FAFSA you can expect to see and hear words such as contributor (anyone who is asked to provide information on the FAFSA like a parent or spouse) and consent (each required contributor is required to consent to their information being included on the FAFSA)
  • Due to significant delays in FAFSA processing, our financial aid office will not be able to provide students with their 2024-25 financial aid information until mid-May at the earliest. Please see our updated Priority Deadlines.

• The types of aid available to Skagit Valley College students.
• The FAFSA is still required to be submitted every year.
• Dependency status questions that determine if your parent(s) must complete the FAFSA remain the same.
• Tax information from the prior-prior year is still collected.  This means students and parents should report 2022 income and assets on the 2024-25 application.
• The questions regarding an applicant’s gender, race and ethnicity have no effect on federal student aid eligibility and are collected for statistical purposes only by the Department of Education. Skagit Valley College will not receive this information from the FAFSA.

• Colleges will not receive 2024-25 FAFSA data from the U.S. Department of Education until mid-March, much later than usual. These delays will cause additional delays at the state level as college and university financial aid offices work overtime to process applications in a more condensed period.
• All colleges and universities across the nation will need to reconfigure software for the new FAFSA data, this includes implementation of FAFSA data with ctcLink.
• All higher education institutions are facing this predicament, regardless of which software they use to deliver and process financial aid.

The Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) is for people who are undocumented or who do not qualify for federal financial aid but may qualify for state financial aid (Washington College Grant). It can also be used by others in certain limited situations. The 2024-25 WASFA is open now and, like the FAFSA, it will have fewer questions and a simpler form. However, the FAFSA delays are also causing WASFA delays.

How has this impacted WASFA?

• The WASFA for 2024-25 became available January 5, 2024.
• Students should create an WASFA Account if they do not already have one. They can use this WASFA worksheet to keep track of their WASFA account information.
• Check back here for any changes to the WASFA and state aid.
• Follow Washington Student Achievement Council’s WASFA website as well for additional resources.

• Colleges will not receive 2024-25 FAFSA data from the U.S. Department of Education until mid-March, much later than usual. These delays will cause additional delays at the state level as college and university financial aid offices work overtime to process applications in a more condensed period.
• All colleges and universities across the nation will need to reconfigure software for the new FAFSA data, this includes implementation of FAFSA data with ctcLink.
• All higher education institutions are facing this predicament, regardless of which software they use to deliver and process financial aid.

Skagit Valley College’s Financial Aid Office is working diligently to provide timely updates to students, families, and our community.  Due to the substantial number of changes and delays, portions of our website and written communications may not be 100% accurate for the 2024-25 academic year.  Information will be updated as soon as it becomes available. We appreciate your patience as we work to implement these changes. Please contact our office if you have questions or concerns.