FAFSA 2024: These are the latest details you need to know

The Department of Education announced the launch of the FAFSA on December 30, offering a simplified form for federal students. The form now has extended hours, with over 500,000 complete submissions received. The FAFSA is expected to be available on Friday, January 5, with an anticipated number of completions of tens of millions.

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FAFSA 2024: Since its “soft” launch on December 30, the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, has remained mostly unavailable to the general public. However, the hours that it is available are expanding, so more students and their families will have an increased opportunity to fill out the important financial form.

According to a Department of Education official, the 2024–2025 financial assistance form opened at 8 a.m. ET on Wednesday and Thursday and closed at 8 p.m. ET. On Friday, the same is anticipated. From December 30, the first day of the soft launch, and December 31, the hours have increased to two hours on January 1 and six hours on January 2.

According to the spokeswoman, the Department of Education has received over 500,000 complete submissions as of Thursday at 6:30 p.m. It is anticipated that tens of millions of students will file the FAFSA.

When does the FAFSA opens?

According to the spokesperson, the form will be available on Friday, January 5, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, in line with contact center hours and Thursday’s hours.

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How many people have filled out the FAFSA?

Together, the Department received over 500,000 successful entries by Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Additionally, some applications can be marked as “in progress,” which typically indicates that a user has finished filling out their part of the form and a contributor still has to finish.

What is the anticipated number of FAFSA completions?

Federal Student Aid statistics indicates that during the 2020–21 application period, approximately 18 million FAFSAs were filed.

Even more people might wish to fill out the application since the 2024–25 version has been reduced from 108 questions to less than 40, and it also broadens eligibility for federal student aid, such as Pell Grants that are repayable. According to the Department, once applicants get access to the new, simpler form, it “could take less than 10 minutes” for some of them.

Advice: Stay on the Federal Student Aid website if you have to wait. According to the speaker, you are probably in a “waiting room,” which enables the Department to control site volume and capacity.

Tarique Anwer

Tarique Anwer is a finance writer, editor, and digital publishing professional with a background in banking and financial services. Before entering the media industry, he worked at Bank of America in online fraud operations, gaining firsthand experience with banking systems, financial processes, and consumer financial services. Today, Tarique writes about personal finance, banking, retirement benefits, government programs, consumer technology, and business trends. His goal is to translate complex financial and technical topics into clear, practical guidance that helps readers navigate important decisions with confidence. With an MBA and more than a decade of experience in digital media, journalism, and content leadership, Tarique brings both industry knowledge and editorial expertise to his work.