By MorraLee Keller, Senior Director of Strategic Programming
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Note: This article has been updated to reflect the announcement by FSA that the release of the new Better FAFSA will be delayed until December 2023.
As most National College Attainment Network (NCAN) members probably know, this is the year that significant changes in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) passed into law in 2020 will go into effect. These are the biggest changes to the FAFSA since 1997, when the paper form went online, and they also require a total redevelopment of the technology platform on which FAFSA resides.
By reducing the number of questions students and parents must answer and other changes, the revised FAFSA promises to decrease application completion times, increase the number of applicants and the proportion of complete applications, increase the number
of students receiving Pell Grants, and increase available time that students, parents, school counselors, and college access and success advisors can spend on other important aspects of postsecondary planning and enrollment. The Office of Federal
Student Aid (FSA) is referring to the revised form as the Better FAFSA, a term NCAN will also use as we work to share information about
FAFSA’s transformation.
Here is the number-one thing NCAN members should know now to get ready: FSA announced on March 21 that the release date of the new Better FAFSA will be delayed until December 2023. An exact date will be provided long before December and communicated ASAP.
NCAN suggests that our members begin contingency planning now as a result. What will your FAFSA completions supports and services for students and families look like this fall now that FAFSA will not open until December? How quickly can programs/agencies/institutions modify their timelines and processes? What does a delayed opening mean for training staff to complete the significantly revised Better FAFSA?
NCAN is committed keep our members informed about the exact FAFSA opening date as well as all the changes you can expect in the Better FAFSA. As one of FSA’s key redevelopment stakeholders, NCAN meets biweekly with agency representatives
and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators to exchange information and feedback about the redesign process. Based on this information, NCAN is developing a suite of Better FAFSA training and awareness resources that we will
announce next month for rollout during 2023. You can also bookmark FSA’s Better FAFSA information page to see their resources
and most recent updates and sign up for FSA’s partner emails focused on informing school counselors, college access organization staff, and other student mentors.
Please stay tuned as we continue to report critical information to our members as quickly as we have it. No one likes big changes and short timelines, but we will get through this year together and as always do our best to support students.
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