​

• ​Consent is required to retrieve and disclose federal tax information (FTI)
• Student FAFSA will not be considered for federal aid without consent
• Consent is still required​​ all contributors​
  

 

• ​Will be available on December 31, 2023​​
  

 

• ​​Allow at least 3 days for the FSA ID process for Social Security Administration Verification
• All Contributors (student, parent, student spouse (if married), and parent spouse (if married), including undocumented parents) must have FSA ID to complete FAFSA​
  
• FSA ID will be used to match parent accounts to their student's FAFSA​​
  

 

• No longer the custodial parent, but the parent with the greater income or assets​​
  
• A legal parent includes a biological parent, an adoptive parent, or a person that the state has determined to be your parent (for example, when a state allows another person’s name to be listed as a parent on a birth certificate).​
  
• Grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, older brothers or sisters, widowed stepparents, and aunts and uncles aren’t considered parents unless they’ve legally adopted you.​

 

• ​Any individual required to provide signature and consent on the FAFSA form. Everyone who provides information on the FAFSA is a contributor
• A student’s or Parent’s answers on the FAFSA form will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information
• Everyone who provides information on the FAFSA is a contributor​
  
• Students or parents invite contributors to complete their portion of the FAFSA form by entering the contributor’s name, date of birth, social security number, and email address
• Contributors must provide personal and financial information in their won sections of the FAFSA form, but they are not financially responsible for the students’ education
• Each contributor must create their own FSA ID
• Can only see the information in their section
• Student invites parent(s) to contribute​

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• Family size is determined by deductions on the tax return, can be edited on the FAFSA
• Number in college is no longer considered for financial aid
• Net worth of family farms and small businesses will now be required as part of the application​

 

• Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is now Student Aid Index (SAI)
• Student Aid Report (SAR) becomes FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)
• Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) becomes Direct Data Exchange (DDE)​

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• Automatically reported on the FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) Now reporting requirement in COD**​

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  ​

• March 1,2024​​
  

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• ​​​June 1, 2024
  ​ The final date extension is only for the 24-25 academic year.

 

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must submit the FAFSA in order to be considered for federal and state (for certain programs) financial aid by going to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Students who submit a FAFSA are immediately​ reviewed to determine eligibility for the Guaranteed Access (GA), Educational Assistance (EA),and Maryland Community College Promise scholarship (i.e. student must list a Maryland community college on FAFSA to be considered for Promise).

The MHEC One-App REPLACES the Maryland State Financial Aid Application (MSFAA) by including a section for undocumented applicants and all other applicants ineligible to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for MHEC State aid programs.

Although students who are eligible to complete the FAFSA are not required to complete the MHEC One-App to be considered for the Guaranteed Access (GA), Educational Assistance (EA), and Maryland Community College Promise scholarship, applicants may complete the One-App to apply for any of the numerous other grants, scholarships, and loan assistance repayment programs offered through MHEC. For a list of all financial assistance programs offered through MHEC, click here!​

 

Unaccompanied students in unstable housing and foster youth can complete the FAFSA or MHEC One-App as independent students, without parental signatures or income information. 

The 2024-2025 FAFSA has new checkboxes for these students:

Section 5: Student Personal Circumstances

“At any time since the student turned 13, they were in foster care"

Section 6: Student Other Circumstances

 “At any time on or after July 1, 2023, was the student unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?"

Homeless status can be verified by any of the following:

• Director or a designee of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center, or other program serving those experiencing homelessness;
• The student's high school or school district homeless liaisons or designee (every school district has a homeless liaison, and you can find their information here);
• Director or ​a designee of a project supported by a federal TRIO or GEAR UP program grant; or
• Financial aid administrator

Students with questions about whether they qualify as unaccompanied, homeless, or self-supporting and how to verify their eligibility should talk with their school district homeless liaison or a financial aid administrator at the college or university of their choice for verification.


For more information about your rights as a student in unstable housing, visit:

https://marylandpublicschools.org/about/Pages/DSFSS/Homeless/index.aspx

For additional information regarding the Homeless Previsions in the New FAFSA go to:

New FAFSA Provisions for Homeless and Foster Youth
Financial Aid for Youth Who are Homeless (or At Risk of Homelessness) and On Their Own

Does My Living Situation Meet the Definition of Homelessness?​​