The school year has begun and it’s officially time to start learning about the new FAFSA!
It will be opening late — in December — so there’s plenty of time to learn about the new form and get your students and families prepared.
Many school districts and nonprofits are offering training, but it’s also a good idea to keep up with the latest information provided by Federal Student Aid (FSA), the government agency in charge of launching and promoting the FAFSA.
See below for webinars and resources we recommend at this point. Be sure to sign up at FSA’s training center to get their latest emails and notifications.
Sign Up for Training at Federal Student Aid
Create an account with FSA’s Training Center to get free access to a wealth information that FSA has been publishing on the new form and the FAFSA Simplification Act.
Once you have login credentials, start the FSA’s FAFSA Simplification Training Module to get access to videos, transcripts, and other training information.
Watch FSA’s FAFSA Demo Webinar
FAFSA Demo Webinar (aired on Aug. 17):
This webinar explained the revamped FAFSA that features new roles that family members play as contributors as well as a new question order, and a much shorter financial reporting section. It also highlights that families will need to provide consent to share their tax information if they want to receive federal student aid.
Take a look at the new parent wizard feature that guides families on which parent (or parents) must fill out the FAFSA. And be sure to look over the much improved FAFSA Submission Summary that replaces the Student Aid Report (SAR).
NOTE: You’ll need to be logged in to the FSA Training Center to watch this video.
FSA signup and login
Link to watch
Subscribe to the FSA Outreach YouTube Channel
Federal Student Aid has launched a new YouTube channel, featuring in-depth webinars on important aspects of the new FAFSA and on student loan repayment.
Check it out here: FSA Outreach YouTube Channel
Other Helpful Links
NOTE: You’ll need to be logged in to the FSA Training Center for some of these links to work.
- FSA upcoming webinars: This page will keep you up to date on on future webinars.
- 2024-25 FAFSA Form Preview Presentation: Download this 246-page PDF to look over the new FAFSA form and screenshots galore.
- Past webinars and training videos: FSA hosted 10 webinars on various topics associated with the new FAFSA over the summer. Scan the list to see which topics would be most interesting to you.
- FAFSA Simplification Act Changes for Implementation in 2024-25: This is the latest in a series of comprehensive “Dear Colleague” letters, federal documents explaining how exactly the new FAFSA will work. This letter, published on Aug. 4, brings readers up to date thus far on the changes coming to the new FAFSA. Watch for more to come.
- Get notified: Most of the information to date has been designed for professionals, but Federal Student Aid has begun releasing and promoting information for families. Sign up for FSA emails to get this material as soon as it’s available.
Kim Nauer is the founder of UnderstandingFAFSA.org and a higher education expert at The New School. Her latest questions: How does anyone read a financial aid letter? And will this all-new FAFSA in the fall really be simpler?
