The 2024-2025 FAFSA is now available to submit through StudentAid.gov. 

FAFSA is the official form that students or their families use to apply for financial assistance for college from the federal government. There are some significant changes taking place and its important you understand them so you don’t leave money on the table.

Click here to view a message from Dr. Gerald F. Napoles, Lone Star College's Vice Chancellor of Student Success, about the FAFSA changes and their impact on LSC.

Applying for Fall 2024-25

• A new simplified FAFSA has been introduced for the 2024-2025 academic year. 
• For information on submitting the FAFSA form, visit LSC's Apply for Financial Aid page.
• The Fall 2024 LSC Foundation Scholarship application is now available.  Visit the Scholarships web page for more information.

What's New for 2024-25

• The updated FAFSA uses a new formula to determine a family's Student Aid Index (SAI).
• The updates may expand eligibility for federal student aid, including Pell Grants, and provides a streamlined user experience.
• Contributors (parents and/or spouses) without a Social Security Number must create a studentaid.gov account username and password (FSA ID).  Click here for the steps to create a studentaid.gov account without an SSN.

New Terminology 

• Contributor - A contributor is someone whose information is needed to help a student fill out the 2024-25 FAFSA.  Contributors may include the student's parents, the spouse of the student's parent, or student's spouse.
• Consent - All contributors (even if they don't have a Social Security Number, didn't file taxes, or filed taxes outside of the U.S.) must give their consent and approval to transfer federal tax information into the FAFSA form, and provide signatures.  This allows the U.S. Department of Education to use federal tax information to determine the student's eligibility and amount of federal student aid. 
• Student Aid Index (SAI) -  The Department of Education uses a formula to calculate a family's ability to pay for college.  Information from the FAFSA form is used to determine the SAI, a number used by colleges to determine eligibility for federal student aid.  The estimated SAI may display on the FAFSA confirmation page after the application is submitted, and will appear on the FAFSA Submission Summary.  The Student Aid Index (SAI) replaces the previous calculation of Expected Family Contribution (EFC). 
• FAFSA Submission Summary - After the 2024-25 FAFSA form is submitted and processed, the student will receive an email with instructions on how to access an online copy of their FAFSA Submission Summary.  This document summarizes the information reported on the FAFSA form, includes the calculated SAI, and estimated eligibility for Federal Pell Grant and student loans.  The FAFSA Submission Summary replaces the previous Student Aid Report (SAR). 
• StudentAid.gov Account - All contributors on the FAFSA form must have their own StudentAid.gov account.  Click here for a helpful video on creating and accessing a StudentAid.gov account. 

What's Next

• When the student submits the 2024-25 FAFSA, they will receive an email confirmation and be able to review their FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) after the application is processed.
• The Department of Education began transmitting FAFSA data to schools in the first half of March. 
• Once Lone Star College receives FAFSA data, we will review financial aid eligibility and offer personalized financial aid packages to incoming and continuing students.  Due to the delays in receiving data, financial aid offers may not be available until late May or early June.
• If the student needs to make a correction on the FAFSA form, the option is now available. 
• If the student or parent has a special or unusual circumstance (such as a change in income, dependency status, or difficulty with obtaining contributor information), visit the Financial Aid Professional Judgment web page for information on requesting a review from a Financial Aid Administrator. 

Stay Informed

• All communication from the Lone Star College Financial Aid Office is sent to a student's myLoneStar email address, so students should check their email frequently.
• Visit StudentAid.gov for the most up-to-date information on the FAFSA changes.
• View helpful videos on the Federal Student Aid YouTube page for tutorials and more information.

Learn more at LoneStar.edu/FA-Resources.