To give financial aid administrators time to prepare for the upcoming changes to the FAFSA form in advance of the 2024–25 FAFSA form release, FSA has announced that a 2024–25 FAFSA prototype is now available for use.
What is the 2024–25 FAFSA Prototype?
The FAFSA prototype offers the financial aid community an advance opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the FAFSA user experience ahead of its release. It is not a complete replica of the 2024–25 FAFSA form that will be available on fafsa.gov. Instead, it is a web-based design tool that allows users to navigate specific scenarios that many 2024–25 applicants will encounter on the live website. The community can use this tool to prepare staff and college access professionals for the upcoming FAFSA launch.
The specific scenarios that the FAFSA prototype demonstrates are —
- Initiating a new application as a student or parent,
- Completing an in-progress application as a student, parent, or spouse, and
- Common corrections scenarios, including missing critical data elements or signatures, and voluntary corrections.
Users should closely read the information provided at the start of the prototype to understand the assumptions and limitations of the prototype. When navigating a scenario, the prototype will advise users when particular actions must be taken and alert users that certain functionality is unavailable. The scenarios the prototype covers will not be exhaustive of all possible situations users may encounter while filing an actual 2024–25 FAFSA application.
Limitations of the Prototype
This prototype has limited functionality and may not represent the final FAFSA experience. For example, since the prototype does not maintain a database, data cannot be stored or submitted. There are no simulated interfaces with systems internal or external to Federal Student Aid. In addition, while the prototype contains parameters allowing users to enter data and walk through the form, it does not include certain FAFSA functionality, such as a Student Aid Index calculation, field and page edits, or validation of data, that are characteristic of the FAFSA website.
In addition:
- Search and other complex interactions are for display only and are not fully functional;
- Selections with school names or cities use sample content;
- Users may experience slow load times for some pages;
- Accessibility features may not perform as expected;
- Tooltips and other help resources may not be present;
- Dropdown and search suggestions may experience performance issues; and
- The prototype does not adjust to the size of the browser window or device.
Accessing the 2024–25 FAFSA Prototype
- The 2024–25 FAFSA Prototype URL: http://fsapartners.ed.gov/fafsa-prototype/2425
- Password: prototype2425