Financial Aid
Start here to help plan for college.
A college education is an investment in your future. We are committed to helping you find ways to make that investment affordable.
St. Kate’s offers competitive scholarships and need-based grants, along with ֱ employment and low interest loan financing.
Here is where you’ll find information about St. ֱ University financial aid types, policies, forms, resources, and application instructions.
2024-2025 FAFSA changes
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is the application that determines your eligibility for grants, loans, and work-study opportunities to make your college experience more affordable.
The 2024-2025 FAFSA is available now.
Why are there changes to the 2024-25 FAFSA Form?
On Dec. 27, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The law includes the FAFSA Simplification Act - a sweeping redesign of the processes and systems used to award federal ֱ aid. Specifically, the law makes it easier for ֱs and families to complete and submit the FAFSA form and expands access to federal ֱ aid. Some of these changes include:
- The number of questions on the form was reduced from 108 to 46. The form is dynamic, some ֱs won’t even be presented with all 46 questions.
- The new form will allow for a much larger percentage of ֱs and parents to have their financial information transferred from the IRS directly into the FAFSA.
Changes to the FAFSA timeline
There have been significant delays in the rollout of the updates made to the FAFSA by the U.S. Department of Education. As improvements have been made, the date on which this information would be shared with the schools has changed. The Department of Education will be sending FAFSA information to schools the first half of March. All universities, including St. ֱ University will receive FAFSA data at that time. This delay means St. Kate’s won't be sending out financial aid offers until this information is received and the Office of Financial Aid is able to process ֱ’s FAFSA submission. Department of Education regulations require universities to process aid applications in the order in which they were received by the Department of Education.
St. Kate’s is committed to sending out offers to ֱs promptly and is increasing resources to do so. We continuously receive updated timeline information from our software providers and the Department of Education and appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we navigate through this process together.
Students who plan to begin classes at St. Kate’s in the fall of 2024 should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible.
St. ֱ University FAFSA code: 002342.
What's changing with the FAFSA?
There are several benefits of the FAFSA simplification act, including a more streamlined application process and a better user experience for the FAFSA, expanded eligibility for federal ֱ aid, and reduced barriers for certain ֱ populations (e.g., homeless and unaccompanied youth, incarcerated ֱs, English language learners, and ֱs from low-income backgrounds).
Some fundamental changes include, but are not limited to:
The FAFSA will reduce the maximum number of questions from 108 to 46. And because the FAFSA on the Web is dynamic, some ֱs won't even be presented with all 46 questions. This streamlined format will simplify the application process and make it less daunting for ֱs and their families.
Previously, the FAFSA only allowed ֱs to list up to 10 colleges and universities.
Currently, the FAFSA is only available in English and Spanish. The 2024-25 application will be expanded to include the 11 most common languages spoken by English learner ֱs and their parents.
Previously, users had the option to enter their tax information manually or use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Beginning with 2024-25, all persons on the FAFSA must provide consent for the Department of Education to receive tax information or confirmation of non-filing status directly from the IRS. In a very small number of cases, ֱs and families will have to enter their tax data manually, but for most, that data will be automatically transferred into the application. This change makes it easier to complete the FAFSA and reduces the number of questions to be answered.
A contributor - a new term being introduced on the 2024-25 FAFSA - refers to anyone required to provide information on a ֱ's form (such as a parent/stepparent or spouse). A ֱ's or parent's answers on the FAFSA will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information.
Contributors will receive an email informing them that they've been identified as such, and will need to log in using their own FSA ID (if they don't already have one) to provide the required information on the ֱ's FAFSA.
Being a contributor does not mean they are financially responsible for the ֱ's education costs, but it does mean the contributor must provide information on the FAFSA or the application will be incomplete and the ֱ will not be eligible for federal ֱ aid.
A notable terminology update within the new FAFSA is the replacement of the term Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). This name more accurately describes the number used to determine aid eligibility and, unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number down to -1500.
Previously, the FAFSA calculated the number of household members attending college into the EFC, dividing it proportionately to determine federal aid eligibility. Beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA, the application will still ask how many household members are in college, but your answer will not be calculated into the SAI. As such, ֱs with siblings in college may see a change in their federal aid eligibility.
Families making less than 175% and single parents making less than 225% of the will see their ֱs receive a maximum Federal Pell Grant award. Minimum Pell Grants will be guaranteed to ֱs from households below 275%, 325%, 350%, or 400% of the poverty level, depending on household structure. Pell awards between the maximum and minimum amounts will be determined by SAI.
For , financial information was previously needed from the parent(s) the ֱ had lived with the most in the last 12 months. With the new FAFSA, financial information will be required from the parent(s) who provided the most financial support to the ֱ.
When required, families must now report the value of their small business or family farm. If the family farm includes the principal place of residence, applicants should determine the total net value of all farm assets and subtract the net value of their principal residence to determine the final value of their farm assets.
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A notable terminology update within the new FAFSA is the replacement of the term Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). This name more accurately describes the number used to determine federal and institutional need-based aid eligibility. Unlike the EFC, the SAI may be a negative number down to -1500 and the number in college is not part of the SAI calculation.
Important: Student aid eligibility is based on the following formula: Cost of Attendance (COA) – Student Aid Index (SAI) – Other Financial Assistance (OFA) = Need
*The Student Aid Index (SAI) is replacing Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
Due to the ongoing updates and revisions by the Department of Education, we recommend new 1st time ֱs in the College for Women use our Net Price Calculator to assist you in calculating your Financial Aid.
All other ֱs should use the . Please note at this time the Department of Education's tool doesn’t reflect the changes—accounting for inflation—to the SAI calculation approved in early 2024. For most ֱs, this tool will provide a close estimate of their federal ֱ aid. The SAI estimate will be updated with the new calculation in spring 2024.
A ֱ and their contributor(s) would each need to create their own FSA ID/account. This is required for everyone submitting a FAFSA.
To create an FSA ID/account visit .
Providing consent and approval on the 2024–25 FAFSA is a requirement for federal ֱ aid eligibility. When ֱs and contributors provide consent and approval on the FAFSA form, they agree to:
- Share their personally identifiable information provided on the form with the IRS
- Have their federal tax information transferred directly into the form
- Allow the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to use the information to determine their eligibility for federal ֱ aid
- Allow DOE to share their federal tax information with schools and state higher education agencies
If you make a mistake when submitting your FAFSA form—for instance, if you submit your form without the required contributor information or without your signature—don't worry. You’ll be able to correct the error as soon as your form is processed in the first half of March.
Parents of dependent ֱs should report as parental assets only the value of college savings plans designated for the dependent ֱ (not those designated for other children), regardless of whether the account holder is the parent or the dependent ֱ.
Independent ֱs should report education savings accounts as their own assets.
Yes, an incomplete FAFSA will be deleted after 45 days of inactivity. Students and contributors should complete and sign the application within that time frame.
You will receive an email informing you that your FAFSA form has been fully processed and your FAFSA information has been sent to the schools you listed on your form.
You can check the status of your 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by
- logging in to the site and
- finding your application status in the “Status Center” under “My Activity”
The status of your 2024-2025 FAFSA will be one of the following:
- Draft: Your section of the FAFSA is incomplete.
- In Progress: You provided your consent, approval, and signature to your section of the FAFSA, but the form has not been submitted yet.
- In Review: Your FAFSA was submitted but hasn’t been processed yet.
- Action Required: You are missing your consent and approval or signature or the FAFSA was processed, but a correction is required.
- Processed: Your application was processed successfully. No further action is needed.
- Closed: Your FAFSA was never submitted and can no longer be submitted because the federal FAFSA deadline passed.
Note: If you submitted a paper 2024–25 FAFSA, you can check the status of your form once we process it (after online forms are processed in the first half of March).
Additional FAFSA Resources:
Disclaimer
Information on this page is relevant to U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens seeking need-based aid. St. Kate’s Office of Financial Aid is dedicated to providing timely updates to ֱs, families, and our community. Due to the significant number of changes that are occurring, it is possible that portions of our website may not yet be 100% accurate for the 2024-2025 academic year. We'll continue to update this page as we receive more information from the Department of Education and Federal Student Aid, and appreciate your patience as we work to implement the changes brought by the FAFSA Simplification Act.
