The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has undergone significant changes for 2024-25 due to the FAFSA Simplification Act; the first major overhaul of the application in over 40 years. Changes promise a more streamlined process for students and parents and reduce barriers to accessing federal financial aid for education.

If this is your first time applying for FAFSA, or if you’ve previously completed the FAFSA, you’ll notice that it’s later than usual! No worries, we are aware of this, and it will not impact the amount of aid you’ll be eligible to receive.

For students applying for Early Decision at Centenary University, the 2024-2025 FAFSA will not be available until December 2023. This means you will not be able to submit the financial aid application until sometime in December. This will not impact your ability or eligibility to apply to Centenary University or to apply for financial aid at Centenary University.

Our Financial Aid Office will provide you with an initial financial aid award upon completion and submission of all other application requirements. Domestic financial aid applicants should submit the FAFSA as soon as it becomes available. Students will receive a final financial aid award in the spring that includes any federal, state, and institutional need-based aid.

New for 2024: “Contributor” is a term for anyone who is required to provide information as part of a student’s FAFSA, such as a parent/stepparent or spouse. (If you had filled out the FAFSA previously, you might recall these fields as being called Parent 1 and Parent 2). The way you answer questions in the FAFSA determines which contributors are required to provide information. Being a contributor does not mean that person is financially responsible for the student’s education costs, it simply documents the student’s eligibility for financial aid on the FAFSA. If a student is required to include a contributor’s information in the FAFSA and does not, the FAFSA will remain incomplete and a calculation for federal aid eligibility cannot occur.

Don’t leave money on the table.

While it can feel like an invasion of privacy to a new applicant and their contributors, you’ll quickly realize that the government already has most of this information.

New for 2024: What was previously called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will now be known as the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI will inform Student Financial Aid of the types of federal financial aid the student may be eligible to receive. The SAI will be used for institutional and state aid The Student Aid Index will no longer take into consideration siblings attending other colleges/universities, which will impact all forms of aid. We use the FAFSA to assess unmet need for need-based institutional grants which may then be reduced by federal and state grants, if applicable.

Centenary University is committing to determining financial need based on a student’s financial aid application.

Please visit New Students Next Steps or Financial Aid for more information.