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The first step to receiving financial aid from Cal Poly Humboldt is filling out a Financial Aid application. Whether you are an undergraduate, credential, or graduate student, any student interested in receiving financial assistance from the federal and/or state governments must submit a free application for aid in order for eligibility to be determined.
We encourage you to apply early and every year!
The application period for 2024 – 2025 school year is scheduled to open by December 31st, 2023 and the priority deadline (for maximum aid consideration) is APRIL 2nd, 2024.
Below, we have provided some of the new terminology that will be part of the 2024/2025 FAFSA updates.
There are two applications available, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the California Dream Act, however, only one application needs to be submitted. Please select the application that appropriately applies to you:
FAFSA Simplification 2024 - 2025
The Department of Education is working to make significant changes to the FAFSA application. The information below will help guide you through the upcoming new process for applying for federal financial aid.
New Terminology
Student Aid Index (SAI): The Student Aid Index (SAI) will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). After the FAFSA is submitted, students will receive a SAI instead of an EFC. The SAI will be used to determine eligibility for various financial aid programs.
Family Size: The size of the family will be based on the number of people claimed as exemptions on the tax forms. Household size reported by the student will not impact the eligibility determination.
Contributors: This term is used for any person who reports data on the FAFSA application. Contributors are students, spouses (if taxes are filed separately) and parent and/or step-parents of depended students. Each contributor will need to log into the FAFSA using their own FSA ID. Contributors will complete their section of the FAFSA separately. For example, a student is a Contributor and a parent who are required to contribute information on the FAFSA also a Contributor. When the dependent student gets to the parent section of the FAFSA, the student will send an email invitation to the parent, the email will have a link in it. Using this link, the parent will log into the FAFSA using their FSA ID to complete their information. Student do not need to wait for the Contributor to complete their section before moving on. Parent without Social Security Numbers will be able to create an FSA ID using other identity verification markers (information about this process is still undetermined).
Direct Data Exchange: Starting with the 2024/2025 cycle, the FAFSA Processing Center will work directly with the IRS to exchange direct tax information relevant to the financial aid application. Contributors will be required to provide consent on the FAFSA application for the Direct Data Exchange. Regardless of filing status, all Contributors must provide consent. Once a Contributor has provided consent, they cannot revoke consent on the FAFSA. If consent is not provided, then the FAFSA application cannot be processed.
Student Personal Circumstances: This term is to replace the term “dependency status”. The parent with whom the student lived the most in the past 12 months prior to filing the FAFSA is no longer a criterion for divorced or separated parents. For divorced or separated parents, income and assets are reported for the parent who provides the most financial support over the 12 months prior to filing the FAFSA even if the student does not live with that parent or lives with the other parent.
