The 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA, is now open to current and potential college students. 

The 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open for future and current students.


“The FAFSA is normally open on October 1,” said Director of East Tennessee State University’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships Catherine Morgan. “The U.S. Department of Education has revised the FAFSA and those changes took time to test and implement.”


The Department of Education conducted a soft launch of the application on Dec. 31, 2023. However, the availability of the application may be paused periodically to allow the Department of Education to make improvements as needed.


“Leading up to and during the soft launch, we uncovered some minor issues affecting users at various points in the application process, which is to be expected with the launch of a major new website,” according to the Department of Education. “We are addressing these issues concurrently and will continue to monitor for additional issues users may encounter while we conduct the soft launch.”


Completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA is essential to receiving financial aid for college, said Morgan.


“Students should pay close attention to scholarship deadlines that follow the opening of the FAFSA for the next school year,” Morgan said. “Some scholarships require the FAFSA to be on file by February or March.”


The FAFSA is required for students who are eligible for state and federal funding like the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS/HOPE) and the Pell Grant.


“Every year, there is money left unawarded by those who are eligible because they did not file the FAFSA, or did not complete it on time,” Morgan said.


Students should see improvements to the application process. Some of the changes include a reduction in the number of questions, an increase in the number of languages available and improvements to a data tool that updates tax information directly from the IRS.


The U.S. Department of Education has also revised the rubric for measuring financial need from the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to what is now called the Student Aid Index (SAI). There has also been a change in the name of the report generated once an application is submitted. The Student Aid Report (SAR) is now called the FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS).


Staff in the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships are available to help answer questions about completing the new FAFSA application. There is also a webpage dedicated to outlining FAFSA Simplification changes as more information becomes available.


“Our office has always been happy to help students and parents navigate the FAFSA submission process,” said Morgan. “Another resource is ETSU’s Educational Opportunity Center, which has staff available to help as well.”


 For more information, contact ETSU’s Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships via email at finaid@etsu.edu. Current students are also encouraged to make an appointment with their assigned counselor and visit the Federal Student Aid website to learn more: studentaid.gov/announcements-events/fafsa-support. 

East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.

Browse Related Stories

Stay in Touch

Follow ETSU on Social