FAFSA Simplification

UPDATE - April 16, 2024

The ability to make FAFSA corrections is now broadly available at studentaid.gov. Many students need corrections such as: providing a signature for a student or parent, granting consent to access IRS tax data, adding a school to your FAFSA, or correcting questions previously answered incorrectly such as seeking Unsub loans only.

Federal Student Aid has helpful guidance on how to complete the most common corrections.

George Fox should receive the corrections within 1-4 days and provide an updated Financial Aid package in the following days. 

If a FAFSA has missing information, it will be rejected. The student will receive information on what information is required before the Department of Education can process their FAFSA. Follow their guidance to update your FAFSA.

UPDATE - March 13, 2024

The Department of Education identified two scenarios where students may have missing information:

• Missing Asset Information - In some circumstances, the FAFSA did not ask for contributor asset information because an individual contributor did not meet asset reporting thresholds on their own, however, assets should be reported for a student/spouse or parent/parent spouse meeting asset reporting requirements. There is a small batch of submitted FAFSAs that may result in a rejected FAFSA at processing as the system identifies applicants (and their contributors) who should have been required to report assets but were not presented with the requirement to do so when completing their form. In these cases, the student, and/or their contributor(s) should submit a correction when corrections are available to report those assets.
• Missing Family Size - If a student has missing family size information, their SAI is not calculated. Currently, the FAFSA Submission Summary does not show why the SAI has not been calculated (i.e., due to missing family size information). A potential workaround is that a contributor returns to the form to provide the family size. There is currently no firm timeline for resolution.

If you have a rejected FAFSA or did not receive a Student Aid Index (SAI) number, contact your Financial Aid Counselor to help provide the right information. 

If you included our school code on your FAFSA (003194), then we should receive a copy of your 2024-2025 FAFSA. We will send students a FAFSA confirmation email when we receive their FAFSA. 

Only select yes if your parent is unwilling to contribute information on your FAFSA. If you select yes, then you will only be eligible for unsubsidized loans. 

It is important to select No so that the FAFSA gathers parent information to determine eligibility for Federal Pell and FSEOG grants, Student Employment, State grants, and George Fox need-based grants. 

Some families experience trouble submitting their FAFSA when the parent tries to complete the FAFSA first, or the student tries to submit the FAFSA before the parent completes their part. While Federal Student Aid works to resolve this issue, here is the best way for dependent students to complete the FAFSA:

• Student starts the FAFSA form and work through all sections up to the parent invite
• Invite parents to complete their section.
• Save and stop (do not submit)
• Parent completes their portion of the FAFSA including signature
• Student returns to their FAFSA to sign and submit their section

Yes, visit the Federal Student Aid’s Issue Tracker. This provides info on known issues, resolution status, and potential workarounds.

We highly encourage students and parents to create an FSA ID if you have not done so already. You can start this process at studentaid.gov. It takes one to three days for an FSA ID to go through the verification process, so we recommend getting it done now.

At the very least, each student will be a contributor. Depending on the student’s family situation, you may need other contributors, such as a parent, spouse, or step-parent. 

The FAFSA form will guide you through questions to determine who needs to contribute information to your FAFSA. As part of your application, you will invite contributors to create an account and supply the required information.

Yes. FSA is in the process of enhancing the FSA ID process so that individuals without SSNs will be able to establish an FSA ID to access and sign the FAFSA. There will be alternative steps for verifying one’s identity within the process.

FSA will use TransUnion services to ask knowledge-based questions to help with identity verification. Examples of these questions may include current or former addresses, a previous phone number, an employer, or a home/auto loan. Answers will be multiple choice (including “none of the above”). The signature page process has been eliminated with the new form.

Financial Student Aid also has FSA ID FAQs.

Students who can answer no to every question below are considered a dependent student on the 2024-2025 FAFSA. This means that a student can be a dependent student even if they live away from home and/or contribute most or all of their own financial support.

• Were you born before Jan. 1, 2001?
• As of today, are you married? (Answer “no” if you are separated but not divorced.)
• At the beginning of the 2024–25 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?)
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?
• Do you have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were you an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were you a ward of the court?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were you in foster care?
• Are you or were you a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in your state of residence?
• Are you or were you in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state of residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2023, were you unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?