Important:

Dates and information on this page will be updated for 2025-2026 when we receive more information from the US Department of Education regarding the release of the 2025-2026 FAFSA. At this time we anticipate the Rutgers priority filing deadline will be February 1, 2025, but that date is subject to change. Please check back soon!

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Information

Changes have been made to the 2024-2025 FAFSA as a part of the FAFSA Simplification Act. The purpose of these changes is to modernize the FAFSA process, making it easier and faster to file, while maximizing the aid available for every student. Due to these changes, some families have experienced issues when attempting to complete the new FAFSA and institutions are experiencing delays in receiving accurate FAFSA data from the U.S. Department of Education that allows for preparation of 2024-2025 financial aid packages for students. We are committed to providing admitted students with the most accurate financial aid information and begun releasing packages in Mid-May.

2024-2025 Anticipated Rutgers Financial Aid Timeline
(dates and information below are subject to change)
Projected Timeframe What it Means for Students
The Rutgers priority filing deadline is March 15, 2024. Submit your FAFSA by this date for maximum financial aid consideration. This date does not apply for most Rutgers Health students.
The federal government will begin FAFSA processing in mid March. Check the “My Activity” section of your studentaid.gov dashboard to view any updates related to your FAFSA form status.
Receipt of FAFSA data from the federal government was delayed and began in late March. However, some of the data is incorrect. We expect to receive corrected data as early as May 1, 2024. This is the earliest we can begin the work needed to prepare financial aid packages.
Rutgers will perform system updates, load data, and conduct rigorous testing in preparation to begin preparing aid packages from late March through the end of April. Please note: This timeframe is dependent on the receipt of FAFSA data. We recognize that students are anxious to receive their financial aid packages. Your patience and understanding is appreciated as packages are prepared.
FAFSA corrections begin in April. Students/parents can log in to add any missing signatures, add or update schools, and address any errors.

Financial aid packages were available for incoming undergraduate and graduate students beginning May 13, 2024. Packaging will continue daily.

We expect financial aid packages for continuing undergraduate and graduate students, who will start classes in September 2024, to be released without delay in mid to late June following our normal packaging schedule.

Continuing students with start dates prior to September 2024 may experience delays in receiving their financial aid package.

Students will receive an email notification from the Office of Financial Aid when financial aid packages are available.

Continuing students with start dates prior to September 2024 will receive information on funding opportunities via email if it is determined that your packaging will be delayed.

 

The deadline for admitted students to accept our offer of admission is June 1, 2024. Students can accept our offer of admission and secure a seat for the fall 2024 semester through the Application Portal.
Important Dates

The 2024-2025 FAFSA launched on December 30, 2023.

The 2024-2025 Rutgers priority filing deadline was March 15, 2024 for incoming, continuing, and transfer students.

The deadline for admitted students to accept our offer of admission for the fall 2024 semester was June 1, 2024.

The 2024-2025 NJAFAA is available as of February 14, 2024. Please visit the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) website for more information on New Jersey financial aid deadlines.

Dates are subject to change.

Rutgers Net Price Calculator

The Rutgers net price calculator (NPC) is designed to give undergraduate students a personalized early estimate of your cost to attend Rutgers University. The NPC is simple to use, and it takes less than 5 minutes to get your estimated package. It’s mobile friendly too!

If you need assistance, our NPC video will walk you through the steps to get your estimate.

Please note: The NPC is not an aid application and you will not receive any aid without submitting the FAFSA and meeting the eligibility criteria. The information you receive from using the NPC is an estimate only and subject to change based on data from your FAFSA.

 

Federal Student Aid Estimator

Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to get an early estimate of what your federal student aid could be after you complete the new form.

Please note: The estimator is not an aid application and you will not receive any aid without submitting the FAFSA and meeting the eligibility criteria. The information you receive from using the estimator is an estimate only and subject to change based on data from your FAFSA.

 

NJ Tuition Aid Grant Estimator

Use the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) Estimator to get an early estimate of what your NJ TAG award could be after you complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA or NJAFAA.

Please note: The estimator is not an aid application and you will not receive any aid without submitting the FAFSA or NJAFAA and meeting the eligibility criteria. The information you receive from using the estimator is an estimate only and subject to change based on data from your FAFSA or NJAFAA.

 

Pell Grant Updates

The FAFSA Simplification Act will expand the Federal Pell Grant to more students and link eligibility to family size and the federal poverty level. New eligibility formulas and funding are estimated to increase Pell Grant recipients by nearly 15%.

Incarcerated students will regain the ability to be considered for a Pell Grant.

Pell Grant lifetime eligibility will be restored to students whose school closed while they were enrolled, or were subject to a false certification, identity theft, or a borrower defense loan discharge.

Student Aid Index (SAI)

Starting with the 2024-2025 Academic Year, the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will be replaced with the Student Aid Index (SAI).

The SAI is an eligibility index number that financial aid offices use to determine how much federal student aid a student would receive if they attend. This number is a result of the information the student provides on their FAFSA and can be a negative number.

A need-based analysis is conducted to calculate a student’s SAI. The analysis takes into account the income and assets of the student and their parents or spouse, if applicable. The analysis formula used considers both taxed and untaxed income, as well as any assets and benefits received, such as unemployment or Social Security.

Contributors

On the 2024–2025 FAFSA, a contributor refers to anyone (student, the student’s spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or the parent’s spouse) who is required to provide information on the FAFSA. Information entered on the FAFSA by students or parents will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information. Students or parents will invite a contributor to complete their portion by entering the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and email address.

Note: If a contributor doesn’t have an SSN, they can still be invited to complete their portion of the FAFSA. The student or parent will indicate that the contributor doesn’t have an SSN and will instead provide the contributor’s address.

To complete the contributor’s portion of the FAFSA, the contributor will:

  1. Receive an email informing them that they’ve been identified as a contributor.
  2. Create an account at studentaid.gov, if they don’t already have one.
  3. Review information about completing their section of the FAFSA.
  4. Provide the required personal and financial information and consent and approval on the student’s FAFSA.

IMPORTANT: A parent or spouse contributor is not financially responsible for the student’s education costs. However, if a required contributor refuses to provide their information and consent and approval, the FAFSA will be incomplete, and the student will be ineligible for federal student aid.

FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX)

The FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange will replace the IRS Data Retrieval Tool starting with the 2024–2025 award year. This time saving measure will transfer contributors’ federal tax information from the IRS directly to the FAFSA. In addition, students selected for verification will not be asked to verify information transferred from the IRS.

All contributors must provide consent and approval to

  • Disclose their personally identifiable information provided on the FAFSA form to the IRS for matching purposes
  • Obtain their federal tax information from the IRS via direct data exchange
  • Allow the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to use their federal tax information to determine the student’s eligibility and amount of federal student aid
  • Allow ED to share their federal tax information with postsecondary institutions and state higher education agencies for use in awarding and administering financial aid
  • Allow ED to reuse their federal tax information on another FAFSA applicant’s form (e.g., if a parent has multiple dependent students or a parent’s own FAFSA).

NOTE: Even if contributors don’t have an SSN, didn’t file taxes, or filed taxes outside of the U.S., they will still need to provide consent and approval.

IMPORTANT: If a required contributor doesn’t provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred to the FAFSA, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid—even if they manually enter tax information into the FAFSA. Information about how federal tax information will be used and the consequences of not providing consent and approval will be included on the FAFSA.

FAFSA Submission Summary

The FAFSA Submission Summary, which is the summary document you receive after completing the FAFSA, will replace the Student Aid Report (SAR) starting with the 2024–2025 award year. Students will receive their FAFSA Submission Summary after their FAFSA is processed (expected to begin mid to late-March). To ensure information is secure, federal tax information will not display on the FAFSA site or the FAFSA Submission Summary.

Information for NJ Dreamers

If you are an NJ Dreamer, you may be eligible for state financial aid through the New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid Application (NJAFAA).

Complete the NJAFAA if you live in New Jersey, are not eligible to complete the FAFSA, and meet all of the following criteria:

  • Attended a New Jersey high school for at least 3 years.
  • Graduated from a New Jersey high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in New Jersey.
  • Are able to file an affidavit stating that you have filed an application to legalize your immigration status or will file an application as soon as your are eligible to do so.

As of February 14, 2024, the 2024-2025 NJAFAA is available for students to complete.  Students can access the application by logging into their NJFAMS account, and selecting 2024-2025 from the drop down menu under “Apply Online for New Jersey Alternative Financial Aid”. Please note: potential awards in the Awards & Eligibility menu will not be displayed until mid-March. Students will also have access to their customized To Do Lists in mid-March.

Click here for NJAFAA deadlines for the 2024-2025 academic year.

FAQ

I can’t access the 2024-2025 FAFSA. Is it available?

The 2024-2025 FAFSA form is available. Federal Student Aid will have planned pauses for site maintenance and make technical updates as needed to provide students with a better experience. If the FAFSA is unavailable when you or your family try to access it, please try again later. 

Who can I contact for assistance with completing the new FAFSA?

Students experiencing difficulties with completing the FAFSA can go to the Student Aid “FASFA Help” webpage or call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). If you need assistance in another language, visit https://StudentAid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out/request-interpreter 

What is the deadline to submit my FAFSA?

The Rutgers priority filing deadline was March 15, 2024.

How and when can I correct mistakes or make updates to my 2024-2025 FAFSA?

While most information cannot be changed on the FAFSA form, some information must be updated if it changes. Find out the difference and how to update FAFSA information. Once your form has been processed, you can make accepted corrections to your FAFSA form online or on paper. 

How can I confirm that my 2024-2025 FAFSA has been processed?

Students should check the status of their FAFSA by logging in to their StudentAid.gov account and selecting their FAFSA submission from the My Activity section of their account Dashboard. 

I submitted a paper FAFSA form. How can I confirm that it has been processed?

After FAFSAs are processed, you can log into your StudentAid.gov account to check the status of your paper form. 

I have been admitted to Rutgers for fall 2024. When will I receive my financial aid information?

Rutgers Financial Aid packages for new, incoming students are accessible via the MyRutgers portal. You should receive an email when your Financial Aid package is available to view. 

I have been admitted to Rutgers for fall 2024. What is the deadline for me to accept Rutgers’ offer of admission?

June 1, 2024.  Incoming students will be notified if there are any changes. 

I am a current student and will be returning next year. Will my 2024-2025 financial aid package be delayed?

We do not expect delays in continuing student packaging. Continuing students must be evaluated for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), which happens annually at the end of the spring semester. As in past years, we expect financial aid packages for returning students will be available after SAP reviews are completed.   

Can I still submit or make changes to my 2023-2024 FAFSA?

Students can no longer make changes to the 2023-2024 FAFSA. The deadline was June 30, 2024. 

This page will be updated as new information becomes available. Please check back frequently.

Bookmark the Federal Student Aid FAFSA launch page to stay informed and learn how to complete the new FAFSA.