FAFSA Changes

Questions? Contact Us.

2025-2026 FAFSA 

The FAFSA form for 2025-2026 is now open to all students.  Once BridgeValley has received FAFSA information from the Department of Education, we will package and send out a Financial Aid offer as soon as possible to assist students and families in determining your path to BridgeValley.  

 

FAFSA 2024-2025

The significant improvements to the 2024–25 FAFSA form expand eligibility for federal student aid, helping an estimated 610,000 more students get Federal Pell Grants. Recipients will receive more aid, with nearly 1.5 million additional students receiving the maximum Pell Grant award. The new FAFSA form also provides a streamlined user experience for students and their families. Millions of students and families will benefit from the Department’s effort to streamline the FAFSA experience, so applicants only see relevant questions based on the answers they provide.

You may have questions regarding these changes. Our financial aid department is here to help answer any questions. Please feel free to contact  [email protected].

 

What's changed with the FAFSA?

There are a number of benefits of the FAFSA simplification act, including a more streamlined application process and a better user experience for the FAFSA, expanded eligibility for federal student aid, and reduced barriers for certain student populations.

The FAFSA will reduce the maximum number of questions from 108 to 46. Some students won't be presented with all 46 questions due to the dynamics of the FAFSA. 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.

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 selected 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.


What isn't changing?

While the FAFSA is receiving an update and the aid eligibility calculation has been revised, there are a number of aid-related matters that will not change.

  • The FAFSA will still be required for consideration of federal and state financial aid every year.
  • Dependency status questions that determine if your parent(s) must complete the FAFSA will remain the same.
  • The FAFSA will still request tax information from the prior-prior year, which means you'll report 2022 income and assets on your 2024-25 application. Families with significate reductions in income can consider submitting an special circumstances appeal.
  • The general types of aid available to BVCTC students and federal student loan limits will not change.
  • The questions regarding an applicant's gender, race, and ethnicity will have no effect on federal student aid eligibility and are included for statistical purposes and data collection only. BVCTC will not receive this data from the FAFSA.

 

Disclaimer:

The Financial Aid Office at BVCTC is dedicated to providing timely updates to students, families, and our community. Due to the significant amount of changes that are occuring, portions of our website may not yet be 100% accurate for the 2024-2025 academic year. We'll continue to update this page as we receive information from the Department of Education and Federal Student Aid, and appreciate your patience as we work to implement the changes brought by the FAFSA Simplification Act.