2024-2025 FAFSA Processing Delay & Support Resources

February 5, 2024

Please see a message below from WCCC Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Services, Tyler Stoldt:

Dear Students and Families,

On Tuesday, January 30th, Federal Student Aid announced that 2024-2025 FAFSA processing will be delayed until the first half of March. Previously, FAFSA processing was to begin by the end of January. Our partners at FAME have provided this information to let you know the reason behind and impact of the delay so that you know what to expect in the coming months.

The delay in FAFSA processing is due to an update Federal Student Aid is making to the supporting data tables used in the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation which determines financial aid eligibility. The good news is that these updated tables will account for inflation and result in many students being eligible for more need-based federal aid.

With the good news, though, comes a delay to the:

ability for students to make corrections or add schools to their FAFSA;
sending of FAFSA records to all colleges and state organizations, like FAME; and
release of financial aid offers, likely until sometime in April.

Here’s a summary of what to expect:

When students submit a FAFSA, they should receive a “We’ve Received Your FAFSA Form” confirmation email from the U.S. Department of Education. If a Student Aid Index or SAI (formerly EFC) can be calculated, the email will include an estimated SAI. This email is only being sent to students, not parents.
The status for all submitted FAFSAs will show as “In Review” until FAFSAs are processed in March.
Colleges won’t receive any FAFSAs until the first half of March.
Students won’t be able to make corrections or add schools to their FAFSA until sometime in March.
FAFSA Submission Summaries (FSS) (formerly the Student Aid Report or SAR), which include the SAI and allow a student to make corrections, will not be available until sometime in March. If the FSS or SAI is needed for a scholarship, check with the scholarship organization to see what documentation is acceptable and the date by which it is needed.
Once we receive FAFSA data at WCCC, we will need time to load student records, test our systems, and generate financial aid offers. It is unlikely that we will be able to send financial aid offer letters for 2024-2025 until sometime in April.

Other important information:

Students who have not yet filed a FAFSA should file at studentaid.gov as soon as possible. Many students and their parents have successfully filed the FAFSA and found the FAFSA easy to complete.
Students whose parents do not have a Social Security number are not currently able to file the FAFSA. Federal Student Aid announced this issue on 1/4/24 and is working to resolve it.
If there are other scenarios where you have attempted to file a FAFSA but have been unable to because of system or technical issues, please reach out to FAME so they can provide guidance to resolve the issue or gather the necessary information to report the issue to Federal Student Aid.
If an estimated Student Aid Index (SAI) was calculated and listed in the confirmation email from the U.S. Department of Education, the SAI will automatically be recalculated and updated once FAFSAs are processed in March.

FAFSA Support and Resources:

Video: What’s Changed for the 2024-25 FAFSA Form?

Video: 2024-25 FAFSA Walkthrough and Demo

In-Person and Virtual Support: FAME FAFSA Help Sessions

FAME FAFSA Expert Support (M-F, 8am-4:30pm): Phone: 1-800-228-3734, Email: Education@FAMEmaine.com

WCCC Office of Financial Aid: Linda Fitzsimmons, Director – Email: fa@wccc.me.edu Phone: 207-454-1033

JOIN US THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING TO GET IN-PERSON FAFSA EXPERT SUPPORT!