SUBMIT YOUR FAFSA NOW!

Dear Seahawk,

I’m sure you’ve heard the news regarding delays processing the 2024/2025 FAFSA.  What you have heard is mainly true.  Several major changes were made this year and these changes are causing delays in processing FAFSAs.  We at Broward College know how important your financial aid is to you, and we are doing everything we can to make sure you have the money you need to achieve your goals.  To keep you  informed, I will send an update on the progress we have made in processing FAFSAs for Fall every 2 weeks until Fall Classes begin on  August 16, 2024.  For now, this is what you need to know:

• If you plan to enroll in classes this Fall (2024), and need financial aid, you need to complete the 24/25 FAFSA as soon as possible at  www.fafsa.gov.  The Broward College FAFSA priority deadline is July 1. 
• If you already filed the 2024-25 FAFSA & received an email confirmation from the Department of Education / FAFSA, we have your information. We are processing your FAFSA!  You will receive another notification once your financial aid is available on the BC student portal - myBC.
• Go here to check your FAFSA status: https://studentaid.gov/help/check-fafsa-status
• Go here to correct your FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/review-and-correct/sar-student-aid-report
• Go here to view their FAFSA summary: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/review-and-correct/fafsa-submission-summary

If you need help completing your FAFSA, we’re here to help!  Visit  www.broward.edu/fafsafever and choose the most convenient way for us to help you.

Enjoy your Summer!

Dr. Tara Jones

AVP Financial Aid

• Check the status of my FAFSA form
• Get Your FAFSA Submission Summary
• Register for Fall classes
• Clear Red Flags and Monitoring Your BC Financial Aid Award Status
• View Tuition Payment Deadlines
• Complete the BC Scholarship Application

The FAFSA will reduce the maximum number of questions from 108 to 46. And because the FAFSA on the Web is dynamic, some students won't even be presented with all 46 questions. This streamlined format will simplify the application process and make it less daunting for students and their families.

Previously, the FAFSA only allowed students to list up to 10 colleges and universities.

Currently, the FAFSA is only available in English and Spanish. The 2024-25 application will be expanded to include the 11 most common languages spoken by English learner students and their parents.

Previously, users had the option to enter their tax information manually or use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Beginning with 2024-25, all persons on the FAFSA must provide consent for the Department of Education to receive tax information or confirmation of non-filing status directly from the IRS. In a very small number of cases, students and families will have to enter their tax data manually, but for most, that data will be automatically transferred into the application. This change makes it easier to complete the FAFSA and reduces the number of questions to be answered.

A contributor—a new term being introduced on the 2024-25 FAFSA—refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student's form (such as a parent/stepparent or spouse). A student's or parent's answers on the FAFSA will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information.

Contributors will receive an email informing them that they've been identified as such, and will need to log in using their own FSA ID (if they don't already have one) to provide the required information on the student's FAFSA.

Being a contributor does not mean they are financially responsible for the student's education costs, but it does mean the contributor must provide information on the FAFSA or the application will be incomplete and the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.

A notable terminology update within the new FAFSA is the replacement of the term Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). This name more accurately describes the number used to determine aid eligibility and, unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number down to -1500.

Previously, the FAFSA calculated the number of household members attending college into the EFC, dividing it proportionately to determine federal aid eligibility. Beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA, the application will still ask how many household members are in college, but your answer will not be calculated into the SAI. As such, undergraduate Broward College students with siblings in college may see a change in their federal aid eligibility.

Broward College will continue to use the number in college for undergraduate students when determining eligibility for need-based institutional financial aid.

For dependent students, financial information was previously needed from the parent(s) the student had lived with the most in the last 12 months. With the new FAFSA, financial information will be required from the parent(s) who provided the most financial support to the student.

When required, families must now report the value of their small business or family farm. If the family farm includes the principal place of residence, applicants should determine the total net value of all farm assets and subtract the net value of their principal residence to determine the final value of their farm assets.