The priority deadline to file the 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid form closes April 15 for Indiana residents. All students wishing to receive aid must file a FAFSA form each year.
The FAFSA is an application for federal student aid, according to Federal Student Aid’s website. It is required to receive aid like federal grants, work-study funds and loans.
“The FAFSA is really the key, and I would say the only way, for Indiana students to access any of Indiana’s more than $400 million available in state financial aid as well as federal financial aid,” Allison Kuehr, Indiana Commission for Higher Education associate commissioner for marketing and communications said.
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education was created in 1971. It exists to define the educational missions of public colleges and universities and distribute state financial aid, according to its website.
The April 15 deadline only applies for Indiana residents, and non-Indiana residents can find their respective application deadline on FSA’s website.
“Last year, Hoosier students left over $76 million in federal financial aid on the table just by not filing the FAFSA,” Kuehr said. “That’s money available that people are missing out on.”
According to Indiana University Admissions, IU has awarded over $600 million in financial aid and has reduced student borrowing by $158.2 million in the last 10 years.
“The earlier you file, the more likely you are to receive the maximum amount of aid available to you,” Kuehr said.
She said following the April 15 deadline, financial aid is distributed on a first-come first-serve basis.
“Get it in as soon as possible, but if something does pop up, we still want you to file,” Kuehr said.
The U.S. Department of Education redesigned the FAFSA form this year, expanded eligibility for aid and provided 610,000 new students eligibility.
The form experienced technical difficulties following its launch, however. A list of issues and real-time updates are available on FSA’s website.
“The good thing is that when students are actually able to sit down and complete the FAFSA, it takes significantly a lot less time than what it has taken in years prior,” Kuehr said.
Kuehr said outreach coordinators are available to help students and provide one-on-one assistance. A list of coordinators can be found on Learn More Indiana’s website.
INvestEd is another resource students can use when filing the FAFSA and paying for college. Its website features a FAFSA checklist.
The federal deadline to file the FAFSA is June 30. The form cannot be filed after that date. Any corrections or updates must be made by Sept. 14.
