2024 FAFSA CHANGES
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a crucial tool in securing financial assistance for higher education. This year, students are facing unexpected hurdles after the federal government announced delays in the process. Most recently, the government announced there will be delays in the transmission of final Student Aid Index (SAI) data. These delays pose challenges for those relying on financial assistance to pursue higher education, including local students who have applied for scholarships through the Community Foundation as SAI data is part of our application process.
CFHZ SCHOLARSHIPS
UPDATED MARCH 28
As of March 25, 4.4 million of the 6.3 million FAFSAs submitted to the Department of Education have been processed. Because the Department of Education reports being on track to process roughly 6 million FAFSAs by the end of the month, CFHZ’s new deadline for submitting documentation of final Student Aid Index (SAI) amounts is April 10.
To find your SAI, login to your studentaid.gov account and navigate to your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). Do not send your entire FSS; send only the page with the SAI amount on it. Be sure to black out the Data Release Number (DRN) and any other sensitive personal information.
The Department of Education announced there were errors on FAFSAs processed before March 21 for students who reported assets. If your FAFSA was processed before March 21 and you reported assets, you must submit documentation of your final SAI to us again after it is corrected.
Use this form to submit your documentation: CFHZ Final SAI Documentation Form.
If there is an error with your FAFSA, please correct it as soon as the Department of Education allows. If your FAFSA still is not processed by our April 10 deadline, you must complete this form on April 10: FAFSA/SAI Issue Form.
We understand the FAFSA situation has been stressful for students and families. Rest assured; we remain committed to fairly evaluating all scholarship applications.
We request that you not email or call the Foundation with updates on your FAFSA status, and use the forms linked above. Our extended deadline and the avenue for communicating FAFSA issues to us are designed to keep our process moving while being sensitive to FAFSA issues beyond students’ control.