2025-26 FAFSA available

The Department of Education launched the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form in early December. Students can now complete the form to apply for financial aid for the 2025-26 academic year. See the One Stop website for more details on the financial aid timeline. 

2025-26 FAFSA availability delayed

In August 2024, The Department of Education released a timeline for the 2025-2026 FAFSA. The 2025-2026 FAFSA will be released by December 1, 2024.

Estimated Financial Aid notices

The University began sending estimated Financial Aid Notices (FANs) to new incoming students on the Twin Cities and Rochester campuses on Tuesday, April 16. This is later than typical, and some students still do not have packages due to delays and errors by the US Department of Education (DOE) with FAFSA processing. As updates come from the DOE and the State of Minnesota, we will continue to implement solutions and resolve errors that impact our students.

FAFSA simplification update

The Department of Education will not begin processing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) submissions and providing data to schools until Mid-March due to inflation adjustments in the Student Aid Index (SAI). They are anticipating that this delay will not impact the 2024-25 financial aid offer students receive this summer. Students can still complete the FAFSA form and expect an email from Federal Student Aid in mid-March acknowledging that their FAFSA has been processed.

One Stop Student Services will not be able to confirm the arrival of FAFSA information until April because of this delay. This is contingent upon software updates, implementation, and testing. Once One Stop receives this information, they will begin sending out estimated financial aid offers to new students in April. The Financial Aid timeline on the One Stop website will be updated as more information becomes available.

2024-25 FAFSA available

The Department of Education launched the newly streamlined Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form on December 31, 2023. During the first few weeks of launch, the form was periodically unavailable for short periods of time due to site maintenance and technical updates. Students can now complete the form to apply for financial aid for 2024-25. An updated financial aid timeline regarding the changes to the FAFSA is available on the One Stop website.

2024-2025 FAFSA Update

The US Department of Education announced that the 2024-2025 FAFSA will be available no later than December 31, 2023. In previous years, the FAFSA was published on October 1. This delay is due to work being done to implement a newer, streamlined version for students. 

The Office of Student Finance sent communications to students about this announcement in September to prepare students for impacts of any delays. If you have students with questions about the 2024-2025 FAFSA, you can refer them to the FAFSA Simplification webpage or have them contact One Stop Student Services. 

2024-2025 FAFSA

Normally available October 1, the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will not be available for students until December 2023. This is due to the FAFSA Simplification Act, which also resulted in following changes to the upcoming FAFSA:

• A streamlined and easier process to complete the FAFSA.
• A new method for determining financial need.
• New terminology added to the FAFSA.

For a complete list of changes, see the FAFSA simplification page on the One Stop website. Additional information is available on the Federal Student Aid website. 

FAFSA verification for 2022-2023 waived

Per the guidance issued on May 18, 2022 by the Department of Education, the current FAFSA verification process has been suspended for the 2022-2023 school year. Students who were selected for verification have been notified through a communication sent to their UMN email address. If your students have any questions about their financial aid, please direct them to contact One Stop Student Services.