At a glance
“We seek every dollar to apply to our already very affordable cost of attendance. As soon as a student is accepted and we receive their FAFSA, our team goes to work to create a personalized financial aid plan to include federal, state, and local resources.”
Senior Director of Student Records and Financial Services Julie Rose.
The redesigned FAFSA has launched and the financial aid experts at Alfred State College (ASC) are offering increased support for families who have questions on the updated form.
An incredible 77 percent of newly enrolled Alfred State students are eligible for all SUNY tuition costs to be paid by federal or state funds through the Federal Pell, NYS TAP Grant, and the NYS Excelsior Scholarship. ASC counselors work as advocates for families to help find the most funds including up to $20,000 over four years in merit-based awards from the college.
“We seek every dollar to apply to our already very affordable cost of attendance,” said Senior Director of Student Records and Financial Services Julie Rose. “As soon as a student is accepted and we receive their FAFSA, our team goes to work to create a personalized financial aid plan to include federal, state, and local resources. With the new FAFSA Application Process rolling out, we’re here to answer any questions from parents, guardians, or students who may find the new changes confusing.”
For new students, the first step is to apply for enrollment at Alfred State. Rose says that all accepted and currently enrolled students will have access to ASC’s increased financial aid resources.
A student’s FAFSA information is then relayed to colleges approximately 30 days later. The delays are worrisome to families eager to secure financial help for the 2024-2025 academic year.
“This new FAFSA is intended to be simplified and we’re excited to see it streamlined,” said Vice President of Enrollment Management Kishan Zuber. “We know that there will be many questions due to changes in the form and a different timeline. Through it all, we intend to stay in constant contact to assist our students and families to answer questions and provide advice.”
One piece of advice from Alfred State is for parents to initiate the FAFSA form instead of the students. Parents can enter all their information as well as the student’s information. The student can then enter the form just to make any necessary corrections, provide consent, and sign it.
Primary FAFSA Application Changes:
- Parents, stepparents, and spouses may be recognized as contributors. Contributor is a new term for 2024-2025.
- Simplification includes direct data sharing with the IRS and consent is required from each contributor.
- Each contributor must have a StudentAid.gov account.
- Applicants may send FAFSA information to as many as 20 schools.
Primary Changes in the Calculation of Aid:
- A new Student Aid Index (SAI) replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
- The minimum SAI is -$1,500, unlike the EFC which previously was a $0 minimum.
- The new calculation promises to provide Pell Grant funds to more students.
- Single-parent households are predicted to see more aid with the new formulas.
Impacts from the new FAFSA will vary per family. For example, the new FAFSA will use the information for the parents who contributes the most financial support, not the one that a student spends the most time with as in the older FAFSA formula. The new SAI formula no longer considers the number of family members in college and child support received will be considered an asset. Small business owners with less than 100 employees that were previously exempt from including their business net worth as a reportable asset no longer have that exemption and the value of a family farm will now be considered.
For first-time FAFSA filers, parents may begin by creating a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID). Students and their contributor(s) must each have their own account. Verification of an ID may take one to three days, and it must be completed before applying for federal student aid.
Alfred State financial aid counselors offer more information and advice regarding the new FAFSA. Each academic year a new FAFSA must be submitted. Some financial aid is offered on a first-come, first-served basis so filing as early as possible can be advantageous.