Changes delay release of 2024-25 FAFSA form 

The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid office (FSA) announced that the 2024-25 FAFSA form release will be delayed until December 2023, two months later than the FAFSA is typically available. According to the Department, changes mandated by the FAFSA Simplification Act (2021) required more time to implement in a secure, stable, and accurate fashion. Prior to the new FAFSA’s release, FSA will offer: 

  • Communications to all stakeholders about the change and about resources available. 
  • The revised FAFSA preview tools (Summer 2023) 
  • Revised FAFSA Estimator (Fall 2023) 
  • Financial Aid Administrator and Counselor trainings (Summer-Fall 2023) 
  • FAFSA Fact Sheets and preparation materials (beginning Fall 2023) 

More information about FSA’s process leading up to the 2024-25 FAFSA release can be found at the FSA Partners Portal Knowledge Center and the FSA Financial Aid Toolkit for Counselors. In NACAC’s response to the announcement, CEO Angel B. Pérez noted that the association will work with FSA to ensure that college admission counseling professionals are well supported to cope with this disruption. 

Biden Proposes $10.8 Billion Increase in Federal Support for Education

President Biden’s fiscal 2024 budget proposal includes $90 billion for education programs, a $10.8 billion increase above the FY2023 appropriations that Congress passed last year. Biden proposes a $820 increase in the maximum Pell grant to $8,215 for the 2024-2025 award year, which NACAC considers an important step in the effort to double the Pell grant. The budget also includes a proposal for free community college tuition, a significant step toward re-envisioning higher education as a public good. Finally, the administration’s proposal would provide additional funding for NACAC priorities such as TRIO (+$100 million), GEAR UP (+$20 million), Title IV-A programs (+20 million), and a $578 million proposal to hire more school-based mental health providers, including school counselors. For more on federal funding for education, visit our Committee for Education Funding (CEF) coalition online and on Twitter.