Another delay, means more delays…
The rollout of the 2024-2025 FAFSA continues to be bumpy. Unfortunately, since the last newsletter, very little has changed.
Many of the same issues that existed in early January continue to be unresolved. Parents who don’t have a Social Security Number are still unable to contribute to or electronically sign their students’ FAFSA. Federal Student Aid (FSA) has stated that this issue is one of their top priorities and it will be resolved in the first half of March.
Even though millions of FAFSAs have been completed, schools have not yet received FAFSA records. This means that most schools, including UW–Madison, are unable to review FAFSA records and students haven’t begun to receive their financial aid offers. Federal Student Aid plans to start sending FAFSA records, in batches, to schools in the first half of March.
While FSA and UW–Madison’s OSFA team continue to work through these bumps, it’s important to note some of the positives we’ve noted during the launch of the new simplified FAFSA. For students able to complete their submission, we’re seeing an average completion time of roughly 8 minutes, and we expect to see less errors in the process for students and their families.
UW–Madison has made efforts to support students who depend on their aid offers to make enrollment decisions, including extending the deadlines to accept an admission offer and submit an on-campus housing contract to May 15. OSFA continues to prepare for the smaller window to review applications, create aid offers, and answer questions for students and their families.
And, we still have 4 FAFSA® Frenzy Friday dates coming up.
Many of the same issues that existed in early January continue to be unresolved. Parents who don’t have a Social Security Number are still unable to contribute to or electronically sign their students’ FAFSA. Federal Student Aid (FSA) has stated that this issue is one of their top priorities and it will be resolved in the first half of March.
Even though millions of FAFSAs have been completed, schools have not yet received FAFSA records. This means that most schools, including UW–Madison, are unable to review FAFSA records and students haven’t begun to receive their financial aid offers. Federal Student Aid plans to start sending FAFSA records, in batches, to schools in the first half of March.
While FSA and UW–Madison’s OSFA team continue to work through these bumps, it’s important to note some of the positives we’ve noted during the launch of the new simplified FAFSA. For students able to complete their submission, we’re seeing an average completion time of roughly 8 minutes, and we expect to see less errors in the process for students and their families.
UW–Madison has made efforts to support students who depend on their aid offers to make enrollment decisions, including extending the deadlines to accept an admission offer and submit an on-campus housing contract to May 15. OSFA continues to prepare for the smaller window to review applications, create aid offers, and answer questions for students and their families.
And, we still have 4 FAFSA® Frenzy Friday dates coming up.
- February 19. Symphony Room at Gordon Dining & Event Center.
- March 1. Room B47 (CAE) in Bascom Hall.
- March 8. MSC Lounge in the Red Gym.
- March 15. Wisconsin Idea Room at the School of Education.