Meredith Prepares for New FAFSA Filing Season

The Financial Aid office at Meredith College is preparing for the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filing season.

Steps Students Can Take Now

The first step in completing the FAFSA is getting an FSA ID, a username and password combination students and families use to log in to U.S. Department of Education (ED) online systems. Both students and parents must create individual accounts to apply for, receive, and manage federal student aid. Signing up for an FSA ID now means one less step to take when the FAFSA form opens.

Note that the FSA ID is a legal signature and should not be created or used by anyone other than the individual it belongs to. In addition, a Social Security number, email address, and mobile phone number can only be associated with one FSA ID. Parents without a social security number can create a StudentAid.gov account to fill out their portion of a FAFSA form online.

Learn more about creating an FSA ID

What to Expect for FAFSA 2025-26

Information from the Department of Education states the 2025-26 FAFSA form for students entering college in Fall 2025 will be rolled out in phases. Initially, it will only be available for testing by a limited number of students and institutions. The form is expected to be fully available by December 1.

A Challenging Year

The Department of Education completely revamped the 2024-25 FAFSA. Although the “FAFSA Simplification Act” was intended to make the application easier for students and families, the 2024-25 form was plagued by difficulties. The open date was months later than expected, setting students and families back in the application process. Further delays came when the Department of Education was slow to provide data to colleges and universities.

On the positive side, the form itself was significantly shorter than in previous years, and that change will carry over into this year’s form.

Financial Aid Director Kevin Michaelsen is cautiously optimistic about this year’s application process.

“We have the experience of navigating the new FAFSA form that rolled out last year, and I’m hopeful that this year everyone will be able to process data and corrections more efficiently,” said Michaelsen.

Michaelsen said students and families should contact the Federal Aid Student Information Center (FSAIC)  if they have questions or concerns about the FAFSA.

“Our office has found this resource to be extremely helpful for students and families. And they are open until 8 p.m. most weeknights, making it easier for working parents to request help.”

Questions about your application to Meredith? Contact the Office of Admissions at (919) 760-8581 or admissions@meredith.edu.