Families May Have to Make College Decisions Before Knowing Full Cost

Applying for college financial aid will be more confusing this year for many parents and students, who will also have to fill out the forms on a much tighter deadline.

Changes were made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa, this year as the result of a 2020 law. A new form was designed to be shorter and simpler to fill out, but it won’t be available for families to complete until Dec. 31, nearly three months later than normal.