A Major Change for the FAFSA

A major change to the application for student financial aid goes into effect for the 2024-2025 award year: The parent required to provide financial information on the FAFSA will become the parent who has provided the most financial support to the dependent student, instead of the parent the student lived with more frequently, in case of divorce or separation. If the parent who provided the most financial support remarries, the stepparent’s information will still be collected for the FAFSA. The Department of Education is implementing this under the FAFSA Simplification Act.

How students determine household size will also be different in 2024-2025. The siblings or children of an independent student will only be counted in family size if they're living at home. However, for a dependent student, siblings can count if they’re not in the home because of enrollment in college.

By Rick Cox

Family size includes:
Dependent Students

• The student
• The student’s parents, even if the student is not living with them. Exclude a parent who has died or is not living in the household because of separation or divorce. Include a parent who is apart from the family on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
• The student’s siblings if the following are true:
  ۰ They live with the student’s parents, or live apart because of college enrollment
  ۰ They receive more than half their support from the student’s parents
  ۰ They will continue to receive more than half their support from the student’s parents during the award year
• Other persons if the following are true:
  ۰ They live with the student’s parents
  ۰ They receive more than half their support from the student’s parents
  ۰ They will continue to receive more than half their support from the student’s parents during the award year.

Independent Students

• The student
• The student’s spouse, if applicable
• The student’s dependent children if the following are true:
  ۰ They live with the student
  ۰ They receive more than half their support from the student
  ۰ They will continue to receive more than half their support from the student during the award year.
• Other persons if the following are true:
  ۰ They live with the student
  ۰ They receive more than half their support from the student
  ۰ They will continue to receive more than half their support from the student during the award year.

Rick Cox is Global’s Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance