The FAFSA
Filing the FAFSA
We encourage all families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The federal formula takes into account several factors, and many families mistakenly self-select themselves out of the financial aid process and miss the opportunity to explore all aid programs available. Butler’s FAFSA school code is 001788.
2024–2025 FAFSA Updates
The 2024–2025 FAFSA is available as of January 2024. Known issues with the form are documented on the Federal Student Aid website.
Update as of March 14, 2024
While our previous communications indicated that we expected to receive FAFSA results beginning mid-March, it is now apparent that the ramp-up to processing all submitted FAFSAs will be more gradual. The U.S. Department of Education began beta testing just last week, and plans to gather feedback before files are distributed to all colleges and universities. Butler University has not yet received student FAFSA information.
Given the FAFSA delays, we will work with families who need extended time to make the enrollment decision. While May 1 remains our enrollment deposit deadline, Butler will accept deposits after May 1 and offer a refund of the enrollment deposit through June 1.
Update as of February 6, 2024
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the release of FAFSA applicant data to colleges will be further delayed to mid-March 2024.
As soon as we are able to access the data, we will work quickly to extend financial aid offers. We now anticipate Butler offers will be sent to new students within 3–4 weeks of our office receiving the data.
As a result, we have extending our Priority FAFSA Filing Deadline to April 15, 2024. This will provide your family with additional flexibility to make any needed corrections or work through potential FAFSA completion issues.
We will alert you when we’ve received your FAFSA. Institutions will not begin receiving FAFSA information until mid-March at the earliest, and even then, information will be sent to us in batches. We will email and text you to let you know when we receive your FAFSA. Plus, you can now check your student status page for real time updates.
We will offer flexibility with our enrollment deposit policies. Butler will continue to accept enrollment deposits after May 1, 2024, and will be generous in refunding deposits after that date.
Butler’s FAFSA Deadlines
December: Butler’s Recommended FAFSA filing period
April 15: Priority FAFSA filing deadline (extended)
April 15: Priority FAFSA filing deadline (extended)
November 1: Priority application completion and FAFSA deadline
Transfer students entering spring 2024 file the 2023-2024 FAFSA.
March 1: Complete the FAFSA by this date each academic year
More Information
The FSA ID must be created to access the Federal Student Aid’s online system and electronically sign the FAFSA.
- Create a New FSA ID (username and password).
- Parents of a dependent student are required to the sign the FAFSA using the FSA ID. The student and parent(s) must have unique email addresses when creating a new FSA ID.
Submit the FAFSA online by the March 1 priority deadline for each academic year.
- Gather identification documents (social security cards, driver’s licenses) for both the student and parents.
- List Butler University (school code 001788) as a school selection on the FAFSA.
- For students entering fall 2024, complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA using your 2022 tax information.
- Please note the 2022 income and tax fields will not show when transferred using the IRS Direct Data Exchange. Rest assured; the correct information will be received by us.
- If the 2022 federal tax return cannot be completed prior to October 15 for tax extension filers, please complete with your best estimates.
- Print off the confirmation page and retain for your records.
Incoming Spring 2024 Transfer Students
- For transfer students entering spring 2024, complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA using your 2021 tax information. The recommended method is to utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to link your tax information to the FAFSA.
- Submit the FAFSA by the priority deadline for each academic year to receive priority consideration of all aid programs.
- New incoming students for fall 2024 may submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA beginning December 31st to receive a financial aid offers beginning in mid-March.
- For Indiana residents, the FAFSA must be received by the Federal Processing Center on or before April 15 and be error-free by May 15 each year in order to be considered for Indiana state grant programs.
- Use the student’s name as it appears on the social security card. Double check the social security number.
- Report the value of assets as of the day you complete the FAFSA.
- Contact the Office of Financial Aid if you have special circumstances not reflected on the FAFSA.
- The FAFSA must be completed each year.
2023-2024 Verification Instructions
- Log into my.butler.edu.
- Select Student Financial Planning under Academic Tools.
- Review any red numbered notification badges in the navigation header.
- Also, click on the HOME link in the header and carefully review all Pending items in red.
Grant Parent Access*
For the Verification Worksheet Dependent, the student and a parent on the FAFSA are required to electronically sign the worksheet.
- Click on the small triangle to the far top right in the header.
- Select Profile.
- Under Manage Proxy Access, click on the person + image.
- Enter your parent’s email. Please note: It is case sensitive, so we recommend using all lower case letters.
- Click on the save icon to the right.
For parent access to Student Financial Planning:
- Navigate to sfp-parent.butler.edu.
- The screen will say Welcome to the Student Portal Login
- The Username will be the parent email used from the Granting Parent Access process
- The Password will be the student’s Butler ID number (the first 9 digits). Once logged in, the parent will be prompted to create a new password. This new password will be the one they use for future use.
*Independent students who do not report parent information on the FAFSA may skip this step.
** Current students who may have to complete verification again this year, will not have to set up new parent access again.
Complete the Verification Worksheet
The student or parent with access may complete these steps.
- Click on the DOCUMENTS link in the header.
- Select the upload icon to the right of the Verification Worksheet.
- Review and complete all fillable fields and answer all questions.
- Be sure to add a row for each person in your household. This includes parents and siblings. The number of rows should match the number in the household populated on the Verification Worksheet from the FAFSA.
- Student considering Butler University must list Butler University as college (even if undecided)
- Enter the Student ID and Student Last Name/Parent Last Name at the bottom of the form.
- Click I Accept.
- Select Sign & Finish.
Since a signature is required for both the student and parent, the opposite party not completing the form will also have to log in to Sign & Finish the worksheet before successfully submitting.
Upload Documents
If you have documents that need to be uploaded (such as tax forms), please follow these steps:
- Click on the DOCUMENTS link in the header.
- Select the upload icon to the right of each listed item.
- Click Choose a File at the top right and select your document.
- Review and complete any fillable fields.
- Click on the icon located under the Upload header at the top.
- Tax returns must be signed and dated in ink before uploading.
Successfully uploaded documents will show in the Document History under DOCUMENTS as Received. The status will change to Acceptable once approved or Unacceptable if rejected. The status will change to Acceptable once approved or Unacceptable if it did not meet the document requirements. Check back regularly to monitor your progress.
Students will need to check the navigation bar in the Student Financial Planning for any additional requests, if needed. Upon receipt of all the required documents, review will begin. Once the verification has been completed the Office of Financial Aid will send you a Financial Aid Notification. In addition you can monitor the status of your financial aid by logging into my.butler.edu > Academic Tools > Student Financial Planning.
2024–2025 FAFSA Changes
If you have filed the FAFSA in prior years, you’ll notice the FAFSA looks a little different for the 2024–2025 year. Below are a list of key changes and some frequently asked questions about the updated FAFSA.
The 2024-2025 FAFSA form will be easier to file and the transfer of tax information into the FAFSA will be smoother. The FAFSA was condensed from 100 + questions to 50.
- Updated Filing Date: Traditionally the FAFSA is filed in October. The filing date has been moved to December.
- Determining Aid Eligibility: The (EFC) Expected Family Contribution has been replaced by the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is a different method of determining aid eligibility. Butler University will use the SAI to determine financial need for need-based institutional aid such as the Butler Grant.
- Reporting Income: For students whose parents are separated or divorced, the guidelines on which parent income to report has changed to the parent who provides the most financial support to the student, rather than the parent who lives at the student’s primary residence.
- Contributors and Consent: You’ll notice some new terms like contributor and consent. A contributor is anyone that is asked to provide information on the FAFSA. This could include parent or a student’s spouse. Consent is asked of those contributing information to the FAFSA.
It’s always a good idea to obtain an FSA ID prior to filing the FAFSA. All students and parents will need an FSA ID. If parents file their taxes separately, they will both need an FSA ID. If parents file taxes jointly, then they only need one between the two of them.
You can obtain an FSA ID to file the FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch.
“FAFSA® Simplification Act: On Dec. 27, 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The law includes provisions that amend the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act and includes the FAFSA Simplification Act—a sweeping redesign of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid. Specifically, the law makes it easier for students and families to complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form and expands access to federal student aid.”