For questions and assistance with FAFSA for your RCHS seniors, please contact Mindi.saulters@rcisd.org

What is the FAFSA?

• The FAFSA typically opens on October 1 for seniors. However, for the class of 2025, it will open in December.

• Before each year of college, apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form.

• Colleges use your FAFSA data to determine your federal aid eligibility. Many states and colleges use FAFSA data to award their own aid or emergency aid to students.

• After submission, you’ll receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) from each college you listed and are admitted to.

FAFSA changes

Due to the passing of the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020, the FAFSA saw some big changes for the 2024-2025 academic year. These are a few FAFSA updates to keep in mind:

1. Fewer questions for students and families to answer. The new FAFSA has significantly fewer questions due to a more streamlined data sharing process between the IRS and the FAFSA. This simpler application will allow more students and families to complete the form on their own, without the help of a financial aid office.

2. The switch from Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to the Student Aid Index (SAI) Previously the EFC, the SAI is FAFSA's new way of calculating the amount of aid for which a student or family qualifies. The main changes to the calculation are:

   • Increases aid eligibility for single parents 

   • The number of children in college at the same time will no longer affect eligibility for need-based financial aid

   • The parent contribution will no longer be divided by the number of children in college simultaneously

   • Several types of untaxed income will no longer be reported on the FAFSA, including

     cash support and other money paid on the student's behalf, Veterans' education benefits, and Workman's Compensation

   • Gifts to the student will no longer be reported as untaxed income

   • Child support received (annual) will be reported as an asset instead of income

3. The FAFSA will open in December instead of October 1 The new FAFSA will have a release delay. In order to roll all of these changes out, the FAFSA release date has been pushed back two months.

What's Changed for the 2024-25 FAFSA Form Video

Financial Aid Checklist

Is My Parent a Contributor When I Fill Out My FAFSA Form?

Texas priority deadlines for financial aid

• Seniors should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after the application opens.

• Texas public colleges: For the class of 2025, for priority consideration, submit your application by February 15. Check each college's website for varying deadlines. 

• Texas private colleges: Check with the school's financial aid office. Additional forms may be required.

• For out-of-state private and public schools: Check with the school's financial aid office. Additional forms may be required. 

• For more information about FAFSA deadlines, please visit the Federal Student Aid website, https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa. After accessing this website, scroll down to see the Student Aid Deadlines section.

What is the TASFA?

• Opens in December for qualifying seniors

• The Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) is used to collect information to help determine eligibility for state financial aid programs that are administered by institutions of higher education in the state of Texas.

• Students that are classified as a Texas Resident who CANNOT apply for federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are encouraged to complete the TASFA. 

• Please check each college's financial aid website for specific instructions on submitting the TASFA.

 Financial Aid graduation requirement

In accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0256, beginning with students enrolled in 12th grade during the 2024-2025 school year, each student must do one of the following in order to graduate:  

• Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid OR

• Complete and submit a Texas Application for State Financial Aid OR

• Submit a signed opt-out form.

The FAFSA questions ask for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and about your financial situation. Depending on your circumstances (for instance, whether you’re a U.S. citizen or what tax form you used), you might need the following information or documents as you fill out the application:

• Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form!)

• Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student

• Your driver’s license number if you have one

• Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen

• Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:

  • IRS 1040

  • Foreign tax return, IRS 1040NR, or IRS 1040NR-EZ

  • Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau

• Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student

Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but not including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student

*Unless otherwise noted, all income information should be from the prior-prior year. For example, students applying for financial aid to be used for the 2025–2026 school year  should use 2023 tax information.*

College Board National Recognition Program

The College Board's four recognition programs—National African American Recognition Program, National Hispanic Recognition Program, National Indigenous Recognition Program and National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program—award academic honors to underrepresented students.

Students who take eligible administrations of the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP Exams will be considered for awards. Students must also identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous, or attend high school in a rural area or small town. This is not a scholarship program; however, students can include this academic honor in their college and scholarship applications. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, please visit the College Board's website.

Some colleges offer significant scholarships to students with these recognitions. Please refer to this list of colleges who offer such scholarships. 

National Merit Finalists & Semifinalists

There are colleges & universities that offer significant scholarships to National Merit Finalists & Semifinalists. Typically, to receive the finalist award from an institution, National Merit Scholars must designate them as their first choice with the National Merit Corporation.