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FAFSA Updates 2024

In 2020, U.S. Congress passed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act to simplify the process for students and their families to apply for federal financial aid. It is set to take effect for the 2024-2025 academic year. However, implementing the changes has resulted in a significant delay for colleges and universities to receive a student’s FAFSA information.

On January 30, 2024, the Department of Education announced that it will update the tables used to protect a portion of a family’s income and assets from being considered in the Student Aid Index (SAI) by inflation-adjusted amounts. Endicott College fully supports this decision by the Department of Education. It is a decision that is in the best interests of families and will increase the financial aid eligibility of many of those families applying for Federal Student Aid (FSA).

However, this has resulted in further delaying the release of FAFSA information to colleges and universities, which in turn delays our ability to determine and send out final financial aid awards. At this time, the Department of Education has shared that we should expect to receive FAFSA data “the first half of March” at the earliest. Once the update to the FAFSA formulas are completed your 2024–25 FAFSA results will be transmitted to Endicott.

As soon as we begin receiving FAFSA information, we will make every effort to get out student awards as quickly as possible, but families should expect at least a two-week delay once FAFSA data is released in order to allow for system testing that schools will not be able to do until the data is received.

This website has been created to ensure you have the information you need from Endicott. We will continue to update this site as information becomes available. Please know that we are eager to help and support you through this process and are working on contingency plans, should further delays occur.

New Students

(this includes newly deposited and admitted students for Fall 2024)

Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

  • Complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA
  • Students and parents can create a StudentAid.gov account to access & complete the 24-25 FAFSA form.
  • You will receive a confirmation email after submitting the FAFSA form. Your email will contain your submission date, estimated Student Aid Index (SAI), and your estimated Federal Pell Grant eligibility.
  • Your FAFSA Submission Summary (formerly the Student Aid Report) will be available after processing begins, at which point schools will start to receive FAFSA eligibility information.
  • You can check FAFSA form status on StudentAid.gov.
  • You should receive an email notification when your FAFSA Submission Summary is available for review.

Submit the Financial Aid Estimator Tool

  • If you haven’t already done so, you can submit the Financial Aid Estimator Tool (link also provided to you via email). To access the form, please use your login information used to apply for admission and receive your admission decision.
  • This tool simulates the information collected by the FAFSA. By submitting the tool, we will be able to provide the student with a Financial Aid Estimate in 7–10 days.
  • If you have already submitted this tool and received your estimate, we do expect the Department of Education to provide updated revisions to their formulas soon. If these updates result in a change to your estimate, you will automatically receive a revised financial aid estimate.

Submit Information regarding Special Circumstances

  • Submit only if the 2022 Tax Information on your FAFSA does not reflect your family’s current financial situation. Request a Review of Special Circumstances. To access the form, please use your login information used to apply for admission and receive your admission decision.
  • Use the link provided to complete the form and upload information required. Please note, we recommend you complete your 2023 taxes (if possible) prior to submitting this request.
  • We will not be able to review these requests until FAFSA information is received, however if you submit the necessary information now, we should be able to evaluate these requests prior to releasing your final award.

Returning Students

Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

  • Complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA
  • Students and parents can create a StudentAid.gov account to access & complete the 24-25 FAFSA form.
  • Students and parents who have existing FSA accounts can use their previous username and password for access.
  • You will receive a confirmation email after submitting the FAFSA form. Your email will contain your submission date, estimated Student Aid Index (SAI), and your estimated Federal Pell Grant eligibility.
  • Your FAFSA Submission Summary (formerly the Student Aid Report) will be available after processing begins and when schools will start to receive FAFSA eligibility information.
  • You can check FAFSA form status on StudentAid.gov.
  • You should receive an email notification when your FAFSA Submission Summary is available for review.

Submit Information regarding Special Circumstances

  • Submit only if the 2022 Tax Information on your FAFSA does not reflect your family’s current financial situation. Request a Review of Special Circumstances.
  • Use the link provided to access the 2024-2025 form and include the supporting documentation required. Please note, we recommend you complete your 2023 taxes (if possible) prior to submitting this request.
  • We will not be able to review these requests until the FAFSA information is received, however if you submit the necessary information now, we should be able to evaluate these requests prior to releasing your official award.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What are the changes that have been made to the FAFSA?
    Every contributor (student, student's spouse, biological or adoptive parent, or the parent's spouse) who is required to provide information on the FAFSA form needs a StudentAid.gov account to access and complete their section of the online form.

    All contributors must provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred directly into the student's FAFSA form via direct data exchange with the IRS.

    If any contributor doesn't provide consent and approval, submission of the FAFSA form will still be allowed. However, a Student Aid Index, which replaces the Expected Family Contribution, will not be calculated and the student won't be eligible for federal student aid.

    Students are able to list up to 20 colleges on their online FAFSA form.

    Users can start, or access, the FAFSA form by visiting StudentAid.gov, logging in, and clicking on the link to their account Dashboard.
  • Who is my parent according to the 2024–25 FAFSA® form?
    If your parents are married (not separated), both of your parents’ information must be included on the FAFSA form, regardless of whether your parents are of the same or opposite sex.

    If your parents didn’t file taxes jointly, then both of your parents are contributors and will need their own FSA ID.

    If your parents filed taxes jointly, only one parent is required to be a contributor and will report information for both parents.

    If your parents are not married to each other and live together, both of your parents are contributors and their information must be included on the FAFSA form, regardless of whether your parents are of the same or opposite sex. Both of your parents will need their own FSA ID.

    If your parents are divorced, separated, or never married, and don’t live together, the parent who provided more financial support during the last 12 months is the contributor and must provide their information.

    If both parents provided an exact equal amount of financial support or if they don’t support you financially, the parent with the greater income and assets is the contributor and must provide their information.

    If your parent is widowed, that parent is the contributor and must provide their information.
  • What if I have a stepparent?
    Your stepparent will be identified as a parent spouse contributor on your FAFSA form. They will need their own FSA ID.
  • What if I live with someone other than my parents?
    It doesn’t matter if you don’t live with your parent/parents; you still must report information about them if you are considered a dependent student for FAFSA purposes.
  • The following people are not your parents unless they have legally adopted you:
    grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, older brothers or sisters, uncles or aunts, and widowed stepparents.
  • What kind of information must my parents provide for the 2024–25 FAFSA® form?
    Each parent will report similar information to what you reported for yourself: basic information about your parent’s identity (e.g., name, date of birth, and Social Security number—if your parent has one); living situation (e.g., marital status, state of residence, family size); and financial circumstances (e.g., tax information and certain assets).

    They’ll also have to provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into the FAFSA form.

    If your parents refuse to provide their consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred into your FAFSA form, you won’t be eligible for federal student aid.
  • What if I'm unable to provide parent information due to an unusual circumstance?

    Unusual circumstances may include the following situations:

    • Your parents are incarcerated.
    • You have left home due to an abusive family environment.
    • You are a victim of human trafficking.
    • You have been granted refugee or asylee status.
    • You were abandoned by or estranged from your parents and have not been adopted.

    If you have an unusual circumstance, select “Yes” to the “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?” question on the 2024–25 FAFSA form.

    You’ll be considered provisionally independent. You will be able to skip questions about your parents on the FAFSA form and submit it without a parent signature.

    To complete your application, contact the financial aid office to find out what supporting documentation you will need to submit in order to document your situation.

  • What if my parents have special financial circumstances?
    If your parents have experienced special financial circumstances, submit a completed 2024–25 FAFSA form as instructed. The financial aid office will review your situation and request the information necessary to document your circumstances.
  • What if my parents are unwilling to provide their information on my 2024–25 FAFSA® form?

    You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with the FAFSA form. If your parents are not supporting you and refuse to provide their information or their consent and approval to transfer their federal tax information on your FAFSA form, and you do not have a Special Circumstance (see above for explanation of possible special circumstances) that would allow you to be provisionally independent, select “Yes” to question #8:

    “Are the student’s parents unwilling to provide their information, but the student doesn’t have an unusual circumstance that prevents them from contacting or obtaining their parents’ information”.

    The FAFSA form will be submitted without parent information. Students in this situation will only be able to borrow Direct Unsubsidized Loans and will not be eligible for any other type of Federal Student Aid.


  • What if my parents are concerned about providing their information because of their citizenship status?

    Your parents’ citizenship status does not affect your eligibility for federal student aid.

    The FAFSA form doesn’t ask about your parents’ citizenship status.


  • How should we report information about my noncitizen parents on my 2024–25 FAFSA® form?
    Parents who don’t have a Social Security number (SSN) will be able to create a StudentAid.gov account to access and complete their portion of your 2024–25 FAFSA form.

    The SSN will be blank and disabled on the FAFSA form if the parent doesn’t have a SSN.
    If the parent has an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), they should add it to the FAFSA.

    If they don’t have an ITIN, they should leave that question blank.

    If your parent doesn't live in the U.S., they will select their country from the dropdown menu.
  • If your parent files taxes in a foreign country, and doesn’t file U.S. taxes, they will still need to provide consent and approval.
    They will need to convert the amounts on the foreign tax return into U.S. dollars using the published exchange rate and manually enter their financial information from their most recent foreign tax return into the FAFSA form.
  • What if my parents don’t file taxes?
    If your parent(s) don’t file taxes they will be asked for information about how much they earned from work, rather than being asked for information about specific items on the tax form.