New FAFSA form now available

As a current or prospective Charleston Southern University student or parent, you’ve no doubt heard of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA.

The U.S. Department of Education opened the soft launch of the new FAFSA form Dec. 31, 2023, for the 2024-2025 academic year. FAFSA is used to determine how much financial aid individual students are eligible to receive. According to the Department of Education, “The new FAFSA form will significantly improve, streamline, and redesign how students and their families use the form. More students will be able to access federal aid,
including helping 610,000 students receive Federal Pell Grants for the first time.”

Dr. Tony Turner, Charleston Southern vice president for enrollment, said, “The new changes to FAFSA are meant to streamline the process of completing the application and reduce the time to complete it. The changes are intended to understand better a student’s accurate financial picture to award more federal aid than before. The best advice is to take your time filling it out but do it soon since many state and institutional aid programs depend on the FAFSA information to maximize your opportunity for federal, state, and institutional aid.”

Incoming and current students must complete a FAFSA form each year of higher education attendance. It is estimated that more than 17 million students will be completing a FAFSA form, so be patient if there are delays in logging into the site. For access to the form and to find tips and additional information, go to studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Charleston Southern University’s school code is 003419.

For more information about financial aid, visit the Charleston Southern website at charlestonsouthern.edu/admissions/financial-aid/applying-for-aid/.

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