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FAFSA Simplification: Updates & Information

The FAFSA Simplification Act brings major changes to the FAFSA, which is expected to streamline the process for students and families. The new FAFSA will feature fewer questions, fewer requirements and retrieve tax information using a direct data exchange from the IRS. Please continue to check this page for updates.

Latest Updates

April 17, 2024: The Department of Education has announced that FAFSA corrections and updates are now available to students and families. Students may log in to their Federal Student Aid account to view if changes are required and follow these instructions to make any corrections to their FAFSA. Students will also need to invite their "contributers" to complete their portion of the FAFSA. Lastly, a list of ongoing known FAFSA issues are being continually updated and monitored by the Department of Education.

March 25, 2024: The Department of Education announced that students and families will be able to make updates and corrections to their FAFSA forms during the first half of April; details about how to make corrections is forthcoming. Additionally, Carnegie Mellon has started to receive FAFSA files from the Department of Education. However, any issues - including miscalculations due to identified FAFSA technical issues - will need to be addressed by the Department of Education before CMU is able to provide an official financial aid offer. FAFSA applications that were impacted by the technical issues will be reprocessed after student corrections are made available.

PREVIOUS Updates

Need Help?

Students and families who have questions about completing the FAFSA or who are experiencing issues with the FAFSA should reach out to Federal Student Aid directly.

Newly admitted students with general financial aid questions may email admission@andrew.cmu.edu for assistance. Returning/enrolled undergraduate and graduate students can reach out to thehub@andrew.cmu.edu. 

FAFSA Changes for 2024-2025

  1. Contributor: The FAFSA is introducing the new term "contributor," which refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s FAFSA form, including the student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, and the parent’s spouse (if the student's biological parents are married, this is the other parent). Being a contributor does not imply responsibility for the student's college costs. Please see Federal Student Aid's infographic to help determine which parent(s) to include on your FAFSA.
    1. Students will need the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address to invite them to complete the required portion of the FAFSA.
    2. Contributors will need to provide personal and financial information on their section of the FAFSA. Please note dependency status also determines which contributors are needed on the FAFSA.
    3. If your parents are divorced or separated, the contributing parent is the parent (and their spouse, if remarried) who provided the greater portion of your financial support during the 12 months immediately prior to filing the FAFSA. It is not automatically the parent you primarily lived with during the past 12 months.
    4. All contributors - student, student's spouse (if married), and student's parents (if a dependent student) - must provide consent to have tax data transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. Consent is required regardless of tax filing status; if consent is not provided by all parties, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. In previous years, transferring IRS data was optional. It is now required.
    5. While the FAFSA does not use non-custodial parental information for federal aid purposes, Carnegie Mellon requests the non-custodial parent profile in situations of divorce/separation (for undergraduates only).
    6. Students who indicate that they have an unusual circumstance that prevents them from having a parent or guardian contribute to their FAFSA will automatically be granted provisional independent status, a provisional Student Aid Index (SAI), and an estimate of federal student aid, which will be reviewed by Carnegie Mellon. More details are available on on the Department of Education website. Students pursuing unusual circumstances will be directed to complete Carnegie Mellon's Unusual Circumstances process.
  2. Student Aid Index: The need analysis formula to determine financial aid, formerly known as the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), will now be referred to as the Student Aid Index (SAI). Unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number.
  3. FAFSA Submission Summary: The Student Aid Report (SAR) will now be referred to as the FAFSA Submission Summary. This is the summary document you and Carnegie Mellon receive after you complete the FAFSA. Please note that Carnegie Mellon will not begin receiving FAFSA records until sometime in February, and thus, FAFSA Submission Summaries will not be available until February.
The adjustments to the new Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation will expand Federal Pell Grant eligibility to more students.

Instead of entering financial and tax information manually or using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, all contributors must consent to the IRS Direct Data Exchange (DDX). This allows financial data to be transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. Please note that there is no opt-out for this requirement; if a contributor does not consent, the student will be ineligible for federal aid. Consent is required regardless of tax filing status.

The new FAFSA also brings changes to what is considered an asset:

Child Support Received
The annual amount of child support received should be included in the assets reported.

Small Business and Farm Assets
The net worth of any small business and/or farms (if residing on a family farm, exclude principal residence) should be included in the assets reported.

Education Savings Accounts (529 Plans)
For dependent students, these accounts are only considered assets if the account is designated for the student.

While the FAFSA will still request the number of family members currently enrolled in college, it will be excluded from federal and state financial aid calculations. Carnegie Mellon is currently investigating how to best approach institutional aid policies for families with more than one student enrolled in college.

Timeline

November 1, 2023 Admission application deadline.
November 15, 2023 CSS Profile preferred deadline.
January 1, 2024 FAFSA "soft-launches" for the 2024-25 academic year.
Mid to late January 2024 Preferred deadline to submit the FAFSA; however, submitting after this date will not impact aid eligibility.
February to April 2024 Estimated financial aid offers are available if a student’s CSS Profile has been received. This estimate is not an official financial aid offer. Students will still need to submit their FAFSA and any supporting documents requested before an official financial aid offer can be finalized.
March 2024 Carnegie Mellon begins receiving FAFSA files from Federal Student Aid (FSA) for those who have submitted their FAFSA.
April 2024 and ongoing Tentative release of official financial aid offers (depending on the delivery of FAFSA records from FSA to CMU, timely submission of the FAFSA, and any supporting documents that may be requested). If necessary to finalize an aid offer, Carnegie Mellon may request supporting documentation.

View DETAILED financial aid application instructions

January 1, 2024 FAFSA "soft-launches" for the 2024-25 academic year.
January 3, 2024 Regular Decision admission application deadline.
February 15, 2024 CSS Profile & FAFSA preferred deadline; however, students may submit after this date and aid eligibility will not be impacted.
March to April 2024 Estimated financial aid offers are available if a student’s CSS Profile has been received. This estimate is not an official financial aid offer. Students will still need to submit their FAFSA and any supporting documents requested before an official financial aid offer can be finalized.
March 2024 Carnegie Mellon begins receiving FAFSA files from Federal Student Aid (FSA) for those who have submitted their FAFSA.

April 2024 and ongoing

 Tentative release of official financial aid offers (depending on the delivery of FAFSA records from FSA to CMU, timely submission of the FAFSA, and any supporting documents that may be requested). If necessary to finalize an aid offer, Carnegie Mellon may request supporting documentation.

View DETAILED financial aid application instructions

January 1, 2024 FAFSA "soft-launches" for the 2024-25 academic year.
February 15, 2024 CSS Profile & FAFSA preferred deadline; however, students may submit after this date and aid eligibility will not be impacted.
March 2024 Carnegie Mellon begins receiving FAFSA info from Federal Student Aid for those who have submitted their FAFSA.
March - June 2024 If necessary to finalize an aid offer, Carnegie Mellon may request supporting documentation.

June/July 2024

 Tentative release of official financial aid offer.

View DETAILED financial aid application instructions

January 1, 2024 FAFSA "soft-launches" for the 2024-25 academic year.
February 15, 2024 Typically, this is the preferred deadline to submit the FAFSA; however, students may submit after this date and aid eligiblity will not be impacted.
March 2024 Carnegie Mellon begins receiving FAFSA info from Federal Student Aid for those who have submitted their FAFSA.
March - June 2024 If necessary to finalize aid offer, Carnegie Mellon may request supporting documentation.

June/July 2024

 Tentative release of official financial aid award letters for graduate students.

June 1, 2024

 Earliest date to apply for a Federal Graduate PLUS Loan (if desired).

View DETAILED financial aid application instructions

What's Staying the Same for 2024-2025

  • Eligibility for Aid: The FAFSA is still the required application for all federal student aid eligibility. Submitting the FAFSA after Carnegie Mellon's typical "preferred" deadline of February 15 will not impact your financial aid eligibility.
  • Information You'll Provide: Applicants will still need to provide income, asset, and family information on the FAFSA form.
  • Dependency Status: As in prior years, answers on the FAFSA will determine if a student is a dependent or an independent student. Dependency status determines whether or not other contributors will need to provide information on the FAFSA. Dependent students will report their information and their parents' information. Independent students will only report their own information, and if applicable, their spouse's information. Graduate students are considered independent. Learn more.

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