2024-25 FAFSA Resources

Navigating the 2024-25 FAFSA 

The 2024-25 FAFSA is the most significant revamping of the financial aid form since the 1980s. The U.S. Department of Education estimates the 2024-25 FAFSA will help 610,000 new students from low-income backgrounds receive federal Pell Grants and 1.5 million more students receive the maximum amount. However, significant delays with the U.S. Department of Education's rollout of the new FAFSA is affecting every college and university in the country, including all 34 Washington community and technical colleges.

This webpage contains resources to support college professionals as they navigate this historic turning point in federal financial aid.

Community and Technical College System Resources

Policy guidance

• Summer 1 (Header Colleges) Awarding for 2024-25 Academic Year, April 2, 2024
  (Letter from Washington Student Achievement Council to financial aid administrators regarding awarding options for colleges that operate Summer 2024 as the first term of their 2024-25 academic year)
• A Unified Approach to FAFSA Simplification for Washington Community and Technical Colleges (a guide for presidents and vice presidents)
• SBCTC financial aid dashboard (internal access only)
• Pivoted action plan (upcoming)

FAFSA and ctcLink news

• ctcLink Connect blog

Sample communications

These documents are resources for community and technical colleges to modify and use to communicate with students, employees, and high school principals and counselors.

• Sample FAQ for students
• Sample FAQ for faculty and staff
• Joint letter to high school principals and counselors from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Council of Presidents, and the Independent Colleges of Washington

FAFSA simplification Q&A center (for colleges)

• Submit questions and ideas about FAFSA simplification efforts to the SBCTC FAFSA Response Team 

General Resources

• Financial aid completion data - Tableau
• 12th Year Resources:
  • Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) 12th Year Campaign
  • 12th Year Campaign Key to Success Financial Aid Resources

U.S. Department of Education Resources

• 2024-25 FAFSA issue alerts 
• Financial Aid Toolkit
• Federal Student Aid Estimator
• Resources to communicate with students and families
  • The Better FAFSA: What Students and Their Families Need to Know
  • Eight short U.S. Department of Education videos sharing what FAFSA is and how to complete the form if a student's parents are divorced or separated, if a student doesn't have a social security number, and if a student's parent is a non-citizen.