FAFSA

Are you a student in a mixed-status family having trouble completing the 2024-25 FAFSA?

A new version of the FAFSA was launched and opened to the public on December 31, 2023. It was delayed and presented issues for many students, specifically U.S. citizen students who are part of mixed-status families. As of March 12th, mixed-status families are now able to submit the FAFSA application.

Below, you will find the steps necessary to complete the FAFSA application for mixed-status families:

 
  1. Creation of FSA ID for student and contributor/parent
    1. If additional verification is necessary, Financial Aid will email you with a case number and additional information on how to verify your FSA ID. After completing the verification steps, your account should be verified within a week. The contributor will not be able to complete their portion of the application until their account is verified.
    2. Please note the personal information entered by the parent. When the student invites the contributor, the information has to be exact (name, address, email, etc.). Even small differences, like using “Drive” or “Dr,” can cause errors.
  2. Student logs in and completes their portion of the application
    1. Gather any documents you may need in advance. They can include: 2022 tax return (if any), current cash balances, savings, and checking accounts.
    2. When adding a contributor, make sure the information you are adding and the information from their account is exact (name, address, email, etc.)
  3. Contributor/Parent accepts the invitation to student application
    1. After the student invites the contributor, an email will be sent to the contributor to accept and join the student application.
  4. Contributor/Parent completes their portion of the application
    1. Contributors will need to manually enter their income and tax information, including their adjusted gross income and income taxes paid. They will need a copy of their 2022 tax return to complete this section.
    2. All contributors without an SSN, including those with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), must manually enter their financial information. We still encourage all contributors to enter an ITIN if they have one.
  5. After student and contributor/parent sign, application is submitted
  6. Confirmation email will be sent to the student
 

Although the application process has been updated, there are still issues that someone may come across before submitting:

  1. All contributors without an SSN will need to manually enter their financial information. If the contributor has an ITIN, we encourage them to include it. There is no timeline for the resolution of this issue.
  2. Contributors without an SSN may experience an error message during the contributor invitation process as the system may have difficulty matching the applicant and contributor FSA ID accounts. This is happening if there is a mismatch of information between the invitation and the contributor’s FSA ID account (mailing address does not exactly match, for example).

By the end of March, families will be able to go back into the FAFA application to make edits if changes need to be made to their already submitted application. 

If you are a student in a mixed-status family still experiencing issues with the FAFSA application, please fill out this form, and we will contact you with assistance.