Department of Education delays the release of FAFSA information to schools

By now, you have probably heard that it’s time to do your 2024-25 FAFSA online at studentaid.gov. As OU has been communicating, this year’s FAFSA is significantly different from past years due to FAFSA Simplification. It is more important than ever before that every student who is eligible to complete the FAFSA, does so.

On January 30, the U.S. Department of Education announced they are further delaying the release of FAFSA information to schools until the first half of March.

These delays are impacting schools all across the nation, not just Oakland University. The reason for the delays this year are significant. It’s not just the FAFSA experience that has changed, but the entire methodology used to determine eligibility.

As a result of these changes, more students should qualify for higher amounts of financial aid. The additional delay that was just announced is because an error was discovered by the Department of Education, which they are correcting. The good news is that once corrected, students being eligible for an additional $1.8 billion in federal aid.

Nicole Boelk

“We understand that the delay in the release of FAFSA information is stressful for students and families - paying for college is a significant commitment. But, financial aid will be available to our students. Hopefully more of it than ever before. Right now, we need students to complete their FAFSAs. If they need help, Student Financial Services is available in the office, by phone, or virtually to help students and families complete the FAFSA,” said Nicole Boelk, director of Financial Aid & Scholarships.

Boelk added, "There are tools and commitments from OU that will hopefully ease the minds of current students and new students coming to OU in Fall 2024."

New undergraduate students can use our Net Price Calculator to get an estimate of how much financial aid they can expect to receive for the 2024-25 academic year. The calculator will provide an estimate of federal aid, state aid (including the Michigan Achievement Scholarship), and both merit- and need-based aid from OU.

New students may also qualify for OU’s Golden Guarantee, a commitment to Free Tuition for incoming undergraduate first-year students who qualify for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and have family incomes less than or equal to $70,000, and family assets less than $50,000.

New student orientation sessions begin in May. Now is the time to sign up for orientation, so that new students have the best class availability to select from. It is OU’s hope that aid offers will be ready by these orientations, and registering for classes will be one of the last pieces to complete the financial aid process.

OU also made a significant commitment to current students. Current students who are receiving the OU Golden Grant, OU Housing Grant, OU Transfer Grant, or 100% Tuition Grant will continue to receive those awards, regardless of their Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA or family income, as long as they meet other renewal criteria. The amounts students receive in those awards may even be higher than previously received because of changes in how the award amounts are being calculated relative to FAFSA changes and financial need.

Fall registration for current students begins in March. While financial aid offers won’t yet be available at that time, there is no reason to delay registration. The aid is coming, it’s just taking longer due to nationwide delays as a result of FAFSA Simplification.