How to Apply for Aid with the FAFSA

The FAFSA Simplification Act represents a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid starting with the 2024–25 award year. This includes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, need calculation, and many policies and procedures for schools that participate in federal student aid programs.One positive change from the FAFSA simplification is it will link eligibility to family size and the federal poverty level, expanding the Federal Pell Grant to more students.

Important Updates:

The FAFSA was delayed this year to allow the federal government more time to finish simplifying the application for students. The changes slated for the FAFSA will streamline the process of applying for aid, including a more user-friendly format and enhanced data sharing with the IRS to make adding information easier.

- The 2024-2025 FAFSA opened on December 31, 2023. This is a temporary change. In future years, the FAFSA will open on October 1. 

- The Department of Education has begun transmitting batches of FAFSA information to institutions starting in the first half of March 2024. Once Rollins receives your FAFSA information, you should receive your financial aid offer within one week if you have been admitted.

Learn more about the financial aid process and how to apply for financial aid at Rollins. We encourage both new and returning students to submit the FAFSA for consideration for financial aid as soon as you can. You can get started on completing the application here.

Important Reminders:

- Create login credentials for both parents and students. You can set up your credentials on the FAFSA website.

- Both parents will need to submit their financial information through the FAFSA website. Be sure to add Rollins' school code when you submit: 001515

Although the process for applying for financial aid can seem complicated, it can easily be broken down into three critical steps:

• Step 1: Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Step 2: Respond to any requests from the Financial Aid Office concerning additional information that may be required.
• Step 3: If admitted, receive your aid offer 1-2 weeks later. This will help you determine what your out-of-pocket expenses will be.

The release of the new FAFSA for Fall 2024-Spring 2025 has revised the process for individuals without Social Security Numbers (SSN) to create a Federal Student Aid account and be able to access a student’s FAFSA. All individuals who have no SSN or fail the TransUnion® verification process should follow the below steps:

• Step 1: Visit StudentAid.gov, select “Create Account” and complete all steps, including answering 1-4 knowledge-based verification questions via TransUnion®.
• Step 2: Upon completing the Create Account process, a confirmation page will be shown with the results of the identity verification. If you fail the TransUnion® process, FSA will automatically assign a case number.
• Step 3: Once the case number is created, FSA will send a verification email in your preferred language (English or Spanish), which will include the case number, along with guidance on how to submit copies of unexpired acceptable documentation to verify your identity.
• Step 4: Submit the signed attestation form provided on the e-mail from FSA along with a copy of the listed acceptable documentation to: IDVerification@ed.gov.
• Step 5: FSA will review the submitted documentation to ensure it matches the information provided during the “Create Account” step. If there is a successful match, the Department of Education will finalize the account creation. You will receive an email indicating you may now use your account username and password (FSA ID) to log in at StudentAid.gov and complete applications for student financial assistance programs.

If you need financial aid for Fall 2023 through Summer 2024, submit the 2023-2024 FAFSA.

• Available between October 1, 2022 and June 30, 2024.
• Use income and tax data from 2021.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens in December. In order to streamline the FAFSA process, we recommend you take the following steps:

• 1. Gather Your Tax Return(s): Gather your prior-prior year federal tax returns and any other income or asset information.
• 2. Start Your FAFSA: Start the FAFSA at studentaid.gov
• 3. Invite Contributors: Invite contributors to link their tax information to your FASFA.
• 4. Use Direct Data Exchange: Utilize the Direct Data Exchange to allow the Department of Education to transfer your data from the IRS to your FASFA.
• 5. Enter Your School Code: Enter Rollins school code of 001515.
• 6. Sign: Electronically sign the FAFSA with your FSA ID.