The FAFSA is changing. Here’s how to apply for student financial aid

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid form — often referred to as the FAFSA — will go live by Dec. 31, months behind its normal annual launch date, but that’s only because the application is being simplified, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The exact go-live date has not yet been confirmed.

Every year, millions of prospective and current college students complete the FAFSA to determine their financial aid for the following school year, including federal loans, grants and work-study funds as well as state and school-specific aid.

It normally opens on Oct. 1 every year but has been delayed by over two months because of the forthcoming changes required by the FAFSA Simplification Act that was signed into law in December 2020.

The Belleville News-Democrat talked to Katie Dawson, director of financial aid, veteran services and student employment at Southwestern Illinois College, to learn more about what students and their families can expect with the new and improved FAFSA.