Office of Financial Aid

UPDATE (2/2/2024): The following information includes a new timeline based on information from the Department of Education.

The 2024–25 FAFSA is still in a soft launch stage. Be sure to read the updated information and revised timeline from the Department of Education here. Please continue to complete and submit the FAFSA. We are aware of several issues students are encountering. You can schedule an appointment with the financial aid staff to help you navigate from where you are at in the process.

Because of significant Department of Education processing delays, Federal Student Aid (FSA) will not begin transmitting student FAFSA aid eligibility information to schools until at least mid-March. We anticipate that you will be able to review your application status via Self Service in mid-April at the earliest.

Aurora University’s Office of Financial Aid is dedicated to providing timely updates to students, families, and our community. Due to the significant amount of changes that are occurring, portions of our website may not yet be 100% accurate for the 2024-2025 academic year. We'll continue to update this page as we receive more information from the U.S. Department of Education and Federal Student Aid, and we appreciate your patience as we work to implement the changes brought by the FAFSA Simplification Act.

 

Student and professor

We understand that a college education can be one of the biggest investments a family makes. At AU, there are no boundaries in the pursuit of educational excellence. A college degree is within your financial reach. When you attend AU, you are making an investment in your future. You’ll receive an exceptional education that will prepare you for life after graduation.

2024-2025 FAFSA and FAFSA Simplification

The FAFSA Simplification Act represents a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid starting with the 2024-2025 award year. This includes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, need analysis, and many policies and procedures for schools that participate in federal student aid programs.

These changes are aimed at making it easier for students and their families to apply for financial aid with a more streamlined application process.

  • Contributor: anyone who is asked to provide information on the FAFSA -- student, student spouse (if married), parent(s), and stepparent(s) for example.
  • Consent: each contributor will now need to provide their consent to their Federal Tax Information (FTI) being included in the FAFSA, even if they did not file a U.S. tax return.
  • SAI: Student Aid Index (SAI) replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
  • FTI: Federal Tax Information (FTI) transferred directly from the IRS.
  • All contributors need an FSA ID. See FSA ID section below for more information on how to create an account.
  • More streamlined application process with fewer questions and an easier way to transfer the tax information directly from IRS.
  • For students whose parents are divorced or separated, the Custodial Parent on your FAFSA will be the parent who provides you with the most financial support and will no longer be the parent with whom you lived with the most over the past 12 months.
  • Foster, homeless, and unaccompanied youth — as well as applicants who cannot provide parental information — will be able to complete the form with a provisional independent student determination and receive a calculated SAI, however these students must meet with a financial aid counselor before an offer letter can be created.

All FAFSA contributors must have their own FSA ID to log into the online FAFSA form. Your FSA ID will serve as your legal signature when completing electronic documents. You can create your FSA ID at any time at studentaid.gov. We encourage you to complete this step as soon as possible.

When you are creating your FSA ID account, you will be required to enter a mailing address and a personal email address. You are unable to use an email address that is already connected to another FSA ID.

If the parent and student have already completed a FAFSA in the past, you already have your own FSA ID. For assistance retrieving your FSA ID and/or password please visit studentaid.gov.

All FAFSA contributors regardless of citizenship status must have their own FSA ID to log into the online FAFSA form. Your FSA ID will serve as your legal signature when completing electronic documents. You can create your FSA ID at any time at studentaid.gov. We encourage you to complete this step as soon as possible.

When you are creating your FSA ID account, you will be required to enter a mailing address and a personal email address. You are unable to use an email address that is already connected to another FSA ID.

Studentaid.gov Account Creation Instructions (step-by-step) for individuals WITHOUT a Social Security Number (SSN)

Step 1: An individual should visit studentaid.gov, select "Create Account" and complete all steps, including answering 1-4 knowledge-based verification questions via TransUnion.

Step 2: Upon completing the Create Account process, the individual will see a confirmation page with the results of their identity verification. If they fail the TransUnion process, the individual will be informed that FSA was unable to verify their information and that they must contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-433-3243.

Note: The individual will also receive an email from FSA informing them to call FSAIC for next steps and verify their identity.

Step 3: Once the individual contacts FSAIC, FSA will create a case number and send them a verification email, which will include guidance on how to submit copies of unexpired acceptable documentation (listed below) to verify their identity. Individuals will also be required to submit an attestation and validation of identity form along with their approved identity documentation. This form will be available on studentaid.gov.

Acceptable Documents to Establish an Individual's Identity:

Provide one (1) of the following documents to establish identity:

  • U.S. Driver's License
  • U.S. State/City Identification
  • Card Foreign Passport

Or One (1) set of documents below to establish identity:

  • Municipal Identification Cards + utility bill
  • Community ID + utility bill
  • Consular Identification Cards/Matricula Consular + utility bill

Step 4: Upon receipt of the email that FSA was unable to verify their identity, an individual is then required to submit one or a combination of their acceptable documentation from the list above and a signed attestation form to: IDVerification@ed.gov

Step 5: FSA will review an individual's submitted documentation and signed attestation form to ensure it is acceptable and matches the account information provided during the Create Account process. If there is a successful match, the Department will finalize the account creation. The individual will receive an email indicating their identity has been verified and that they may now use their account username and password (FSA ID) to log in at StudentAid.gov and complete applications for student financial assistance programs.

  • Each contributor (student, student spouse, parent(s) and/or stepparent) will have to provide consent by signing in with their own FSA ID.
  • If any contributor does not provide their consent the Student Aid Index (SAI) will not be calculated, and we will not be able to determine your eligibility for federal and state financial aid.

Additional FAFSA Resources

2024-2025 FAFSA FAQs

Follow Federal Student Aid on social media for announcements and resources.


Daily Appointments (Zoom/In Person/Phone)

The Office of Financial Aid is ready and available to answer all of your financial aid questions. If you would like to speak with a financial aid counselor, click on the green button below to schedule an appointment.

Our office also welcomes drop-ins 8 a.m.–5 p.m. on Fridays.

Invest in Your Future

At about $25,000 a year for traditional undergraduate students, AU’s tuition is $10,000 to $15,000 less than many of its peer institutions. We are dedicated to putting the needs of our students first through careful management, thoughtful stewardship, and wise investments. This is how we keep our tuition low in relation to peers.

And about 98% of our incoming undergraduate students receive financial assistance. From need-based aid to scholarships, our financial aid team will work with you to create an individualized plan to help make college affordable.

How to Make College More Affordable

In Our Own Words: Heather Granart, associate vice president of student financial services, on how you can afford a college education

AU's financial advisors take the time to get to know students and their specific financial situations. Our advisors work with students to determine how to help to make a college degree affordable and attainable.