FAFSA Simplification

Last Updated Tuesday September 17, 2024

In December 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act which includes the FAFSA Simplification Act—a comprehensive redesign of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid. Specifically, the law makes it easier for students and families to complete and submit the FAFSA and expands access to federal student aid.

The FAFSA process looks a bit different than it was in the past. Don’t worry, Elmhurst University is here to help you. The Office of Student Financial Services (SFS) will update this page as additional information is made available so that we can continue to educate students, families and our campus community on the new processes.

When Will the 2025-26 FAFSA Be Available?

The 2025-26 FAFSA will become available on or before December 1st, 2024. All students and necessary contributors will have total access to the application.
Student Financial Services will notify all students when the application is available and update this page as needed.

When Will You Receive My FAFSA?

Elmhurst University receives 2024-25 FAFSA information from the Department of Education on a regular basis. Once submitted, your FAFSA (with the Elmhurst school code) should be received within 3-5 business days.
2024-25 FAFSAs are currently being processed and Student Financial Services is working through all files that we have received.
If your FAFSA is currently impacted by a technical issue, please contact Student Financial Services for more information.

When Will I See My Financial Aid Award Offer?

Most students that have completed a 2024-25 FAFSA will have their financial aid awarded within a few days after we receive your FAFSA.
Current Elmhurst students that have completed a 2024-25 FAFSA began receiving award packages on April 22^nd, and will continue to receive them on a rolling basis.
Some students may need to provide additional information or documentation to finalize their FAFSA and financial aid awards. Students will be notified of what is required to complete the process by email and in Self-Service in the student portal.
Once awarded, students will be notified via email that they can view their financial aid in Self-Service. Ensure that you have access to the Student Portal using your eNumber.

Can I Still Complete the 2024-25 FAFSA?

The 2024-2025 FAFSA is available now. If you haven’t already, visit studentaid.gov/fafsa to get started.
If you haven’t already, retrieve or create your FSA ID. Contributors who do not have a Social Security Number will be able to establish an FSA ID.
Determine if you need to invite Contributors to your FAFSA, such as a parent or spouse.
Gather 2022 federal tax information for the student and Contributor(s), including net business and/or farm values.

What Happens After I Submit My Application?

Students will receive an email informing them that their FAFSA form has been fully processed and that their FAFSA information has been sent to the schools they listed on their form.
Students who applied using the online FAFSA form will receive an email that they can access their FAFSA Submission Summary by logging in to StudentAid.gov using their account username and password.

Where Can I Get More Information?

We recommend monitoring StudentAid.gov for the latest guidance from the U.S. Department of Education. For any technical issues with the FAFSA application, please contact Federal Student Aid at (800) 433-3243, or by Live Chat. For any other questions, please contact our office, either by phone at (630) 617-3015, or by email at [email protected].

You can also schedule an appointment with the Office of Student Financial Services by using our appointment scheduler.

FAQ’s

We recommend completing your application as soon as possible once it is available each year. Suggested priority deadlines for 2025-26 are January 1 for Illinois residents and February 1 for others.

Yes, all current and incoming students have the option to make an appointment with the Office of Student Financial Services to complete your FAFSA application. Families are welcome to join! Appointments can be made using our appointment scheduler.

The FAFSA Simplification Act represents a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid starting with the 2024–25 award year. Some of the changes you will see include a streamlined application with fewer questions, an easier way to transfer tax information directly from the IRS, and “EFC” (Expected Family Contribution) being replaced with the Student Aid Index (SAI).

Federal Student Aid has released an Issue Alert Report, where they are monitoring the status of common issues users are experiencing. We recommend bookmarking this page for regular status updates and resources related to the FAFSA Launch.

If your tax data does not accurately reflect your current household income due to changes such as (but not limited to) a loss of a job or a divorce, you may be eligible to complete a Special Circumstance Appeal. We will need to wait until FAFSA data is received to begin the appeal process. You can find more information on this appeal here.

Once Elmhurst University beings receiving FAFSA information from the Department of Education each year, it continues on a regular basis. Once submitted, your FAFSA (with the Elmhurst school code) should be received within 3-5 business days. This process is delayed at the start of every application cycle. Student Financial Services will notify students once FAFSA applications are being received each year.

Once you receive an email confirming your FAFSA application has been processed, you can return to http://www.studentaid.gov to make corrections or add schools to your FAFSA application. The ability for students to make update and corrections to their FAFSA forms became available on April 15^th.

If you are an Illinois student who is not eligible for federal financial aid (and do not file the FAFSA), you may apply for a State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant using the online Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, which is patterned after the FAFSA. The 2024-25 application is available to complete now.

Contributors who do not have a Social Security Number will be able to establish an FSA ID. There was an issue preventing students with contributors without a Social Security number (SSN) from successfully submitting their FAFSA application due to technical difficulties. This issue has mostly been resolved. However, all users without an SSN must manually enter their financial information until a fix has been implemented. If you continue to experience any related issues, please contact Student Financial Services.