|
Dear Bobcat parent and family members,
While my main communication for this week will come on Thursday, there is information from MSU's Office of Financial Aid Services that I want to send in advance. As you may know the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form has been updated for the 2024-25 academic year. MSU's financial aid director, James Broscheit, has asked me to pass on details about the application process that we hope will prove useful. Stay tuned for other timely news and information on Thursday!
Matthew Caires
Dean of Students
The new FAFSA application has been streamlined with fewer questions, fewer requirements and an enhanced exchange of information with the IRS. Ideally, federal eligibility will be expanded under the new system, and we encourage you to file the FAFSA for the first time or as a renewal to see how the new formula might impact your student's eligibility.
A notable security enhancement is that students and parents each have their own lane in the application process, and a student will need to invite "contributors" (parents) into the application. If you can, connect with your student and try to do this at the same time. A federal username and password (referred to as an FSA-ID) is needed before you begin -- if you've completed the FAFSA before, you may already have one. Additionally, your student will need parents' full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and email addresses to complete an invitation.
Unless there are unusual circumstances, your student will most likely need you to supply income information to determine eligibility. This information does not commit you financially, but it is required to determine aid eligibility.
The new application is resulting in some delays, so please be patient. We are following all federal student aid releases and information daily. Some families find the process takes as little as 15 minutes. This is good news regarding the new application's goal of simplification. As always, the financial aid office is here to help, and you can reach out to us through our website, montana.edu/financialaid.
James Broscheit
