Important Updates to the FAFSA for 2025-2026

At this time, your FAFSA status will not update to "Received" at BYU due to system delays. We anticipate that you will be able to see if BYU has received your FAFSA by the end of December.

You can complete your 2025-2026 FAFSA now at studentaid.gov!

The scholarship application is available. Don't forget to complete your application by the published deadline! Also, make sure to complete your FAFSA at fafsa.gov by January 20, 2025 for scholarship consideration.

Parents of dependent students who don't have a Social Security Number must create an FSA ID and fill out the contributor section of the FAFSA. The government has published instructions and FAQs about how to fill out the FAFSA if your contributor doesn't have an SSN.

Many students have been confused by this question on the FAFSA. Make sure if you're a dependent student that you mark "No," if you want to be considered for Pell Grant and Federal Direct Subsidized Loans. By marking "Yes," you indicate that your parents refuse to provide their information on the FAFSA and you'll only be eligible to receive Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan funds.

"Contributor" refers to every individual who must provide tax information and a signature on your FAFSA. Contributors can include you, your spouse, your parent(s), or your stepparent. Contributors are determined by your dependency status, tax filing status, and marital status. Your contributors will receive an email notifying them that they need to provide their information on your FAFSA. Each contributor must create their own FSA ID and consent to having their information provided on your FAFSA.

• If you're currently married, your spouse will need to consent to transfer their tax information.
• If you're considered “dependent” on the FAFSA, you will need your parent(s) to transfer their tax information. Lack of financial support or not being claimed on your parents' taxes doesn't determine dependency status for financial aid purposes.

Being a contributor doesn't mean they are responsible for paying your education costs, but it does mean their information is required to determine your financial aid eligibility. Without their information the FAFSA will be incomplete, and you won't be eligible to receive aid.

The federal government will publish a FAFSA Issues Alert once additional information becomes available about issues applicants may have with submitting the FAFSA. If you are having difficulty completing your FAFSA, check back here for updates.

If you mark on your FAFSA that you're unable to provide parent information on the FAFSA, you'll receive a Provisionally Independent status and an SAI. Then, you'll need to provide supporting documentation of your situation to the Financial Aid Office. If the documentation is approved, your independent status will carry over for as long as you attend BYU and your circumstances don’t change.

If your documentation doesn't show that you’re independent, you'll be considered dependent and will need to submit your parent information on the FAFSA. If you’re awarded a scholarship or Cougar Pell Promise based on a Provisional Independent status, the award may be cancelled if your eligibility changes based on your dependency status.

If your parents are divorced or separated, the parent listed on your FAFSA will be the parent who provides you with the most financial support, rather than the parent you lived with the most over the past 12 months. If both parents provide equal financial support, you will report the parent with the highest income on your FAFSA.

Review this graphic for additional information about contributors.

The FAFSA asks you to report the amount of college grants, scholarships, or AmeriCorps benefits reported as income to the IRS. You should only report these awards on your FAFSA if you reported them on your Federal 1040 Tax Return and paid taxes on them. You should not report these awards on your FAFSA if you received a college grant, scholarship, or AmeriCorps benefit but did not pay taxes on them.

If you report it on your FAFSA incorrectly, any scholarship or Pell Grant money you receive may have to be cancelled.