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2024-2025 FAFSA FAQs

As we approach the launch date of the updated 2024-2025 FAFSA form, the concerning the changes, updates, and new terms that you can expect to encounter within the updated form.

At University of Maryland Global Campus, we want our students to understand the full nature of these changes, so we’ve compiled a list of answers to some of the most pressing questions you may have regarding the updated FAFSA.

Please note: The 2024-2025 FAFSA form will be available by December 31, 2023. The U.S. Department of Education will be treating the period leading up to and following December 31 as a soft launch period. Students, and other contributors, may experience a waiting room feature and site unavailability at times. For the most up-to-date information, be sure to visit .

Get Answers to FAFSA FAQs

Our additional information below is sorted into the following categories:

Contributors & FSA ID

One of the new terms for the 2024-25 aid year is “contributor”—another term for the student, spouse, or parent who is providing their information on the FAFSA. Each contributor will need to provide their name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address to be invited to fill out their section of the FAFSA, as well as have an FSA ID.

Providing Consent & the IRS Direct Data Exchange

Students who have filled out the FAFSA in prior years will likely be familiar with the IRS Data Retrieval tool. This same functionality returns for the 2024-2025 aid year under a new name: the IRS Direct Data Exchange (DDX). The DDX will require each contributor to consent to having their data transferred from the IRS. After the DDX transfers data to the FAFSA, the student may still be required to manually submit some data fields to complete the Finances section of the FAFSA.

Next Steps After Submission

Once the student has completed their section of the FAFSA, they will be forwarded to a provisional FAFSA Submission Summary (formerly known as a Student Aid Report). They will be able to see which contributors have been invited, which ones have started submitting their information, and which have completed their submissions. Once all contributions have been submitted, the full FAFSA Submission Summary will be sent to the student and the student’s information will be sent to UMGC for processing.

Stay Tuned for More Updates

Check back often for updates. This is the biggest update to the FAFSA in 40 years! We will update information here as it becomes available.