FAFSA & Dream Act Simplification

Due to the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) act, the FAFSA is changing for the 2024-2025 award year. Learn more about the upcoming changes from the Department of Education. 

FAFSA Summary of Changes

• Expected Family Contribution (EFC) replaced by Student Aid Index (SAI).
• Less overall questions on the FAFSA
• The IRS Data retrieval process is now required to receive financial aid
• FAFSA contributors, such as a parent, will need to log in with their own FSAID to complete student's FAFSA. Need help creating an FSAID? [pdf] 

California Dream Act (CADAA)

Proposed changes for the California Dream Act include:

• The California Dream act will use the new Student Aid Index (SAI) rather than an EFC.
• Inclusion of Race, Ethnicity, and gender questions, used for statistical purposes only.
• AB540 Affidavit included as part of the application.
• Work on changes to allow parent to sign CADAA application during the original submission, potentially eliminating the need for a parent pin.

• When will the 2024-2025 FAFSA/California Dream Act be available?

  • The FAFSA & California Dream Act Application went live with a soft launch on December 31, 2023.  The FAFSA form is available for short periods of time while the Department of Education monitors site performance and updates the form to provide students and parents with a better experience.

• When is the priority deadline to submit the FAFSA/California Dream Act Application?

  • Generally, the state and priority filing deadline is March 2. Keep this date in mind as it is the typical deadline most years. For the 2024-2025 academic year only, the California state priority deadline has been extended to April 2, 2024.

• What are the expected changes to the FAFSA/California Dream Act?

  • Eligibility for aid will now be calculated based on the Student aid index (SAI) rather than the expected family contribution (EFC). Additionally, for the FAFSA, the IRS data retrieval process is now required and much simpler. There are fewer  questions on the new FAFSA/CADAA. 

• What is the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Student Aid Index (SAI)?

  • This number is the result of your successful completion of a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application.

    We previously used the EFC to calculate grant eligibility. For 2024-2025, we will use the Student aid index formula.

• What can students do to prepare?

  • Make sure you and your parent have an active FSA ID, which is required to fill out and sign the FAFSA.

    For the California Dream Act, make sure that you have an active account.

    Keep in mind you only complete either the FAFSA or CADAA based on your eligibility.

• For California Dream Act, what is the AB540 Affidavit?

  • Learn more about AB540 via the Registrar's Office