_{Tech students give a "Wings Up" gesture on Centennial Plaza.} 

Requirements are changing for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and Tennessee Tech University’s FAFSA Simplified team is here to help new and returning students alike navigate those changes being implemented thanks to new federal laws.

The changes are meant to simplify the application and renewal process, but successfully navigating any such transition can be challenging at first, said Mary McCaskey, director of Tech’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

That’s why the office’s FAFSA Simplified team is hosting a website and outreach campaign to keep both the campus and community informed as the timeline unfurls.

Timeline

“Normally, the FAFSA is released in October each year, and we can start offering aid packages to first time freshmen sometimes as early as November ­­– but with all the changes, the Department of Education has postponed this year’s release until sometime in December. We do not yet know the exact date of that release,” said Sara Hellman, assistant director of Financial Aid.

The usual October release allows students to update requirements, meet qualifications and receive funding for the following academic year. With the FAFSA release delayed this year, though, Tech will likely begin posting student requirements for fulfillment in February 2024 for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

“In February is when Tech students should begin checking their accounts for any missing requirements, like authorization forms, tax returns or other documents. We can’t finalize their application for financial aid until all those requirements are met, and the window for meeting those requirements will be shorter this year because of the changes,” Hellman said.

Cassandra Gronendyke, Tech’s assistant director of scholarships, said non-need-based scholarships will likely follow the traditional timeline, being awarded in the spring and applied to the following fall semester. 

“As for need-based scholarships and departmental freshman scholarships, we’re in a watch and wait period this year because of the timeline delay, but we will be ready to make need-based awards as quickly as possible beginning in February,” she said. 

ScholarWeb is the platform Tech uses for students to apply for university scholarships, and its application deadline will remain Dec. 15 each year, Hellman said. Students can apply for scholarships before completing the FAFSA.

Changes

In the past, the FAFSA calculated each student’s Expected Family Contribution, but the EFC is being replaced with the Student Aid Index, calculations for which are different and will offer different results.

“The EFC could be as low as zero, but because of the way the SAI will be calculated, a student’s SAI score could be as low as a negative 1,500. This change was made to give financial aid offices greater insight into the level of each student’s financial need,” Hellman added.

Any score in the negative will be eligible for the maximum amount of federal student aid, but the spectrum of scores will help colleges and universities when awarding scholarships based on need.

Another new term bringing change to the updated requirements is ‘contributor,’ according to Hellman.

“A contributor is any individual who is required to provide their consent and signature for their federal tax information to be included on the FAFSA form,” Hellman said.

In the past, each student and at least one parent needed a federal student aid identification.

“This year, especially if parents have filed separate tax returns for 2022, each parent must have a separate FSA ID to allow their tax information to be included on the FAFSA and to sign it,” she explained.

Hellman advises students and parents awaiting the release of this year’s FAFSA to log onto http://studentaid.gov to create their IDs.

Other changes include the way family farms and small businesses and received child support are classified.

Previously, the FAFSA also asked applicants to provide the number of people in the household currently enrolled in college, but going forward, it will require applicants to provide only the total number of people in the household.

More information

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships recently hosted a webinar to inform university faculty, staff and administrators, especially student advisors, about the changes, and the team will host two live online events in December for students, parents, and high school guidance counselors.

The first is set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, and the other is a week later, at 10 a.m. on Dec. 13. 

“During the live events, we will not only discuss significant changes to the FAFSA application and how it can potentially impact students, but we will devote time to address audience questions as well,” McCaskey said.

For more information about the changes or to sign up for one of the live sessions, go to https://www.tntech.edu/financialaid/fafsa-simplification.php. 

Return to News Room