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Federal Financial Aid

Applying for Aid
Types of Aid
Eligibility
Distribution
2024-2025 FAFSA
Applying for Aid
Types of Aid
Eligibility
Distribution
2024-2025 FAFSA
Applying for Aid
Types of Aid
Eligibility
Distribution
2024-2025 FAFSA

Applying for Federal Aid

In order to apply for federal aid, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from the Department of Education. Based off of this application, eligibility is determined for Federal Pell Grants and Direct Student Loans. BYU-Idaho does not participate in Work-Study. Students may use their federal funds to cover any educational expenses included in their Cost of Attendance.

Be sure to complete the correct FAFSA for the school year in which you want to receive federal financial aid. To determine which FAFSA you should complete, visit our Dates and Deadlines web page. Additional important FAFSA deadlines are also found on this page.

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How to Fill Out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Form
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After the FAFSA: What Happens Next

Types of Federal Aid

Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants are free money awarded to undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need determined by the FAFSA. Pell Grants do not have to be repaid. See Pell Grant Policies.

Direct Subsidized Loan

Direct Subsidized Loans are awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. Students must be enrolled in at least 6 program applicable credits to receive these funds. Interest does not accrue and repayment does not begin while students are enrolled in at least 6 program applicable credits and for six months after a student graduates or drops below 6 program applicable credit enrollment. See loan policies for more information, including eligibility limits.

Direct Unsubsidized Loan

Direct Unsubsidized Loans start accruing interest as soon as the funds are disbursed to the student. However, repayment does not begin for six months after a student graduates or drops below 6 program applicable credit enrollment. Students must be enrolled in at least 6 program applicable credits to receive these funds. See loan policies for more information, including eligibility limits.

Direct Parent PLUS Loan

Direct Parent PLUS Loans are available for eligible parents to borrow on behalf of their dependent student. The student is required to complete the FAFSA and the parent must complete a Direct PLUS Loan application. A credit check will be conducted for the parent.

Federal Aid Eligibility Requirements

General Requirements

Basic eligibility requirements can be found on studentaid.gov. These requirements include the following:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
  • Have a valid social security number (and make sure it is linked to your BYU-Idaho student account!)
  • Have completed a high school diploma or its equivalent (completion of the Pathway Connect program is not sufficient)
  • Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

View Requirements

Complete Verification (if selected)

Verification is a process that confirms the information reported on your FAFSA is accurate. BYU-Idaho typically receives your FAFSA within 3-5 business days after it is submitted. If verification is required, additional documentation is requested on your financial aid portal. Students must submit all needed verification documents before federal aid awards can be determined.  

Enroll in Program Classes

BYU-Idaho provides the Program Applicability Tool (PAT) to help you confirm you are registered in program applicable courses and are likely eligible to receive federal financial aid. Only courses directly related to your declared program/major will count toward the credit level in which aid is awarded.

Learn About Program Applicability

Enroll by the Financial Aid Determination Date (FADD)

The FADD is the 23th day of the semester or when it is determined the student has a valid FAFSA, whichever is later. Students must be enrolled in program applicable credits by the FADD in order to receive aid for that semester. Each semester’s FADD can be found on the Dates and Deadlines web page.

Learn About FADD

Repeated Coursework

You may only receive aid for a program applicable class one time after you have already received a passing grade (D- or higher) in the class.

Learn About Repeated Courses

Remedial Coursework

Federal financial aid may be awarded for four remedial courses offered by the university:

  • ENG 106
  • ENG 109
  • MATH 100B
  • MATH 101

Remedial Coursework Details

Distribution of Federal Aid

Federal and University aid typically disburse within the first week of the semester. Financial aid funds will automatically be applied to tuition charges and may be authorized to pay for other school charges on the student’s account. Students are encouraged to sign up for eRefund to receive any excess financial aid.

2024-2025 FAFSA

Due to recent legislation, major changes are here for the 2024-2025 FAFSA form. The US Department of Education recently “soft launched” the new form. The Department of Education is still perfecting the application and will be pausing the process at times and doing maintenance to work bugs out of the new system. Due to these changes, BYU-Idaho will not receive information from your submitted FAFSA until late March.

Remember this application is for the Fall 2024 semester, so completing it before priority deadlines is important but you do not need to rush to have it completed. March 1st is the FAFSA deadline for BYU-Idaho scholarship consideration.

During the soft launch students can expect:

  • There will be planned pauses for site maintenance and to make updates as needed to create a better FAFSA experience.
  • During a pause, users already online will be able to complete their work, but others may not be able to begin or resume work on their form.
  • CHECK BACK LATER if the site is not available.
  • Students may experience a waiting room feature – this is to help control website volumes, it is normal.
  • If students complete their form during soft launch, they will not need to return to resubmit it later.
  • If a student completes their FAFSA, but a contributor tries to access it during a time when the site is down the contributor can return later to complete their portion.
  • The student will receive a confirmation email when they complete and submit their FAFSA but they will not receive a FAFSA submission summary until their application processes – beginning in late January.
  • BYU-Idaho will not receive FAFSA information until late March and will begin processing as soon we can but we are expecting delays from the Department of Education that may delay our aid processing.

Here are some changes you can expect for the 2024-2025 FAFSA:

  • A Simplified FAFSA Form means fewer questions for you to answer.
  • Direct Data Retrieval to automatically transfer tax information from the IRS.
  • Changes to asset reporting for small business owners, family farms and child support.
  • Students and families will measure their ability to pay for college using the Student Aid Index (SAI) instead of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
  • Pell will be awarded in percentages based on Program Applicable credits from 1 – 12 credits.

More information can be found on the studentaid.gov website.

What can you do now to be prepared?

Create or reconfirm your FSA ID. Create an account at studentaid.gov at least a week before completing the FAFSA form. This will give you time to verify your account and make sure it is working properly. To create an account, you will need to provide the following:

Social Security Number (SSN), or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)

  • Full name
  • Date of Birth
  • Unique email address
  • Mobile phone number

NEW All contributors on your FAFSA application must give their consent to their Tax information being included on your FAFSA. So, everyone who needs to provide information on the FAFSA needs an FSA ID. This includes the student, the student’s parent or stepparent (if the student is a dependent), and the student’s spouse (if applicable).

MORE INFORMATION on FAFSA Simplification can be found at studentaid.gov.