Applying for Aid

Announcement: Updates to the 2024-25 FAFSA
 

April 12, 2024

Greetings from Fisher College,

We’re thrilled to announce that the Office of Financial Aid has begun releasing aid offers for the 2024-2025 academic year! Newly accepted and deposited students who have a valid* FAFSA on file can anticipate receiving their aid offers within the next few weeks and should check their Admissions portal for the most up-to-date information.

*A valid FAFSA denotes a record identified by the Department of Education as unaffected by known processing or data errors.

A few important details about this announcement:

·        If you realize you need to make updates or corrections to your FAFSA, you’ll be able to do so starting April 15^th.  The        Department of Education has stated they will provide information shortly on how to correct the most common FAFSA errors.

·        The Department of Education will start reprocessing FAFSA's impacted by a previously identified issue prior to May 1^st.  

·        If you have received an email that Fisher has received their FAFSA but is missing information, be sure to check your inbox for further instructions. Please be sure to submit any additional information being requested by the Financial Aid Office in a timely manner so we may be able to determine your eligibility for assistance.

·        If you are uncertain about the status of the FAFSA, please log onto your Admissions portal or contact the Office of Financial Aid for assistance.

·       Deposit Deadline is June 1, 2024 – Deposit Now!

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this period. For the most up-to-date information, please visit https://www.fisher.edu/admissions/financial-aid/applying-for-aid.  If you have immediate concerns or questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at financialaid@fisher.edu,  or 617-236-8821.

Thank you for entrusting us with your educational journey!

Jennifer Wilhelm

Director of Financial Aid

Fisher College

financialaid@fisher.edu

www.fisher.edu

March 13, 2024

Announcement: Updates to the 2024-25 FAFSA

Greetings from Fisher College,

Last week, the Department of Education released an update on what to expect regarding the financial aid timeline for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year. While our Office of Financial Aid is working hard to prepare, we wanted to share what we know, what to expect and what to do in the meantime.

What We Know:

• The U.S. Department of Education will begin processing batches of FAFSA information (also known as “ISIRs”) starting in the first half of March.
• ISIRs will be sent to the schools that FAFSA filers provided on the FAFSA form. We do not know an exact date for this delivery or an exact quantity; batches may vary in size and will probably be very small to start.
• It may take several weeks for institutions, including Fisher, to receive all the FAFSAs that have been submitted since January.

What To Expect:

• FAFSA filers will receive a “FAFSA Submission Summary” after their form has been processed. The Submission Summary can be used to review the information provided on the FAFSA and/or any action items you might need to complete at that time.
• FAFSA filers will also receive an email from the Department of Education notifying them that their form has been processed and their information has been sent to the schools on their list.
• If you need to make corrections to your FAFSA, or add Fisher College (002150), you’ll be able to do so at the end of March.
• We will begin processing FAFSAs as soon as we receive them from the Department of Education and aim to begin releasing financial aid offers in April. 

What To Do Now:

• Don’t wait to get your questions answered! Now is a great time to visit campus, talk to an admission counselor and determine if there is anything holding FAFSA filers up (besides financial aid!) to make a decision.
• Become familiar with types of aid, payment plans and more. Once FAFSA filers receives their financial aid package, you’ll be armed with all the information you need to make an informed decision.

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this period. For the most up-to-date information, please visit https://www.fisher.edu/admissions/financial-aid/applying-for-aid  If you have immediate concerns or questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at financialaid@fisher.edu,  or 617-236-8821.

Thank you for entrusting us with your educational journey.

Jennifer Wilhelm
Director of Financial Aid

 

Announcement: Updates to the 2024-25 FAFSA

Greetings from Fisher College,

We would like to inform you that there is a nationwide delay in processing the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This delay is impacting institutions across the country, including Fisher College. We understand the potential impact on your financial planning and want to reassure you that we are actively working to find the best ways to support our Fisher community during this challenging time.

We acknowledge that waiting for financial aid information can be stressful, and we want to assure you that our team is here to support you at every step. If you have any questions or concerns, our dedicated team is ready to assist. At this time, we would encourage all applicants to submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA before the priority deadline of March 1, 2024 in order to be eligible for institutional need-based aid.

Upon receiving your FAFSA, our Financial Aid Office will prioritize the processing of your award package. We recognize the importance of timely financial assistance and are committed to ensuring that your needs are met. Accepted students who submitted a valid FAFSA by the above deadline will receive their tentative Financial Aid Package in April.

If you and your contributor (parent that is filing the FAFSA with you, where applicable) have not already created an FSA ID, you may do so on the Student Aid website. Please keep this in mind it can take up to 3 days for an FSA ID to be verified so that it can be used to sign the FAFSA.

Additionally, we would encourage you to complete the Fisher College Net Price Calculator. This tool is designed to help you and your family estimate your financial aid options and provides an approximation of what an undergraduate student can expect to pay to attend Fisher College for the 2024-2025 academic year.

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this period. For the most up-to-date information, please visit https://www.fisher.edu/admissions/financial-aid/applying-for-aid.  If you have immediate concerns or questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at financialaid@fisher.edu,  or 617-236-8821.

Thank you for entrusting us with your educational journey.

 

Jennifer Wilhelm
Director of Financial Aid

FISHER COLLEGE

Yes, the 2024-25 FAFSA® was released as a soft launch on December 31, 2023.

During the soft launch period, the Department will be monitoring site performance, conducting planned pauses for maintenance, and making updates to improve the user experience for students and families. For the most current information and updates, please visit FSA's 2024-25 FAFSA Soft Launch Details and Timelines webpage.

Unfortunately due to delays from the Department of Education, Fisher will not be in receipt of your FAFSA until mid-March.  All college and universities are in the same situation.  Our office will be working to send out award letters as soon as possible once we are in receipt of FAFSA data in March.

Congress recently passed the FAFSA Simplification Act to streamline the financial aid process for students and families.

While in some cases FAFSA simplification could increase students’ financial aid eligibility, others may see a decrease in aid. 

• Easier FAFSA application process with a reduced number of questions.
• The Federal Pell Grant expands to more students and will link eligibility to family size and the federal poverty level.
• The Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) has been replaced by the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is a different way to determine aid eligibility.
• Schools will use the SAI to determine eligibility for federal financial aid programs
• Unlike the EFC calculation, the SAI will not include the number of family members in college. This may reduce need-based aid eligibility for current students with siblings in college. 
• The guidance on which parent income to report for students whose parents are separated or divorced has changed to the parent who provides the most financial support to the student, rather than the parent who lives at the student’s primary residence.
• To speed up processing time, parents without a Social Security Number will be able to apply for an FSA ID and submit their FAFSA application online. They will no longer have to print, sign and mail the form.
• Students who qualify for a dependency override due to homelessness, or not being able to access their parents’ financials, no longer need to recertify their dependency status each year (unless their situation changes).
• Male students under the age of 26 are no longer required to register with the Selective Service System to receive federal financial aid.

This list of key changes is not limited. Please check back often as information may be updated based on guidance from the Department of Education. you can also find additional information here: https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/fafsa-simplification-act

Stay informed about these transformative updates to the FAFSA form by watching this recent video released from FSA 

 

What are contributors on the FAFSA® 2024–25?
Contributor is a new term introduced on the 2024–25 FAFSA® form. It refers to the student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adopted parent, or the parent’s spouse (stepparent). A contributor is NOT a grandparent, foster parents, legal guardian, brother or sister, aunt, or uncle, even if they helped provide for or raise the student in some way. Please note, a contributor on the FAFSA® form doesn’t mean they are financially responsible for the student’s education costs.

What are the steps contributors must follow?

1. The contributors receive an email informing them that they’ve been identified as a contributor.
2. The contributor creates a StudentAid.gov account if they don’t already have one.
3. The contributor logs in to account using their FSA ID account username and password.
4. The contributor reviews information about completing their section of the FAFSA® form.
5. The contributor provides the required information on the student’s FAFSA® form.

What is consent, and why do I have to provide it when completing the FAFSA® 2024–25?
The Future Act requires that every contributor on the FAFSA® provide consent to share their taxes information in the application so that the IRS can share this information with Federal Student Aid (FSA). All parties whose Federal Tax Information (FTI) is included on a student’s FAFSA® form must consent annually.

The consent will be required when a student submits a FAFSA®, chooses Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) when starting loan repayment, or submits the Total and Permanent Disability discharge (TPD) within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for totally and permanently disabled students.

The consent is necessary not only for the Department of Education to request federal tax information from the IRS but also to use that FTI in the federal student aid application process, as well as do other things such as redisclose that information to certain eligible entities, such as higher education institutions.

 What is the main difference between the SAI (starting FAFSA® 2024–25) and EFC (used until FAFSA® 2023–24)?
The Student Aid Index (SAI) represents a change in the methodology used to determine aid:

• Child support received will now count as an asset instead of income.
• Family farms and small businesses will now count as assets.
• The number of family members in college is no longer considered in the needs analysis formula, but it is still a required question on the FAFSA® form.