2024-2025 FAFSA and Financial Aid Updates

The U.S. Department of Education launched the overhauled 2024-25 FAFSA on December 31, 2023; however, it was announced on January 30, 2024, that schools wouldn’t receive FAFSA data until mid-March. At the time of this update (April 5, 2024), our financial aid office has successfully imported and created FAFSA award letters for applicants and returning students.

To help students and their families navigate this process, Montserrat is taking the following steps to help students and families on their educational journey:

For students beginning in the Fall 2024 semester, the SFS Office sent a preliminary award package based on their President’s Scholarship and the standard Federal Stafford Loan amount that is awarded to students who complete their FAFSA. These preliminary award packages did not include need-based grants that the FAFSA determines.

As we review 2024-25 financial aid applications, we are sending follow-up FAFSA award packages within two weeks of receiving a person’s FAFSA. If there are any additional documents required to process a person’s aid package, they are notified from [email protected].

Our goal has always been to give families ample time to make informed decisions about this exciting next step in a student’s educational journey. Therefore, Montserrat College of Art has extended the enrollment deposit deadline for all 24-25 first-year students from May 1 to June 1. We made this decision in hopes of reducing the stress and worry that we know students and families are feeling in the wake of the Department of Education’s overhaul of the FAFSA.

If you and your family would like assistance completing the FAFSA, the Student Financial Services Staff is available for in-person appointments or via Google Hangouts to help you complete the form. Please reach out to our office at this email address ([email protected]) or at 978-921-4242 x 1172 if you would like to set up an appointment. Our school code is 013774.

If you haven’t filed the 2024-25 FAFSA at studentaid.gov, it will use 2022 tax information. We will contact you if you have been selected to submit additional documentation (most commonly tax documents). These documents will need to be submitted before the SFS Office can generate an award package.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the SFS office; we’d behappy to help you.

*Last updated : April 5, 2024*