PHOENIX — There are changes this year to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the amount of money a graduate student can receive under the Grad PLUS program and how much a parent can receive to support their student under the Parent PLUS program are being capped. The Trump Administration says it’s an effort to put pressure on universities to reduce the cost of fees and tuition.

You can also expect a quicker process to fill out the application this year.

Jack Wallace, a financial expert with Yrefy, says the application is even more consumer-friendly and typically takes 9-12 minutes to fill out. He says you’ll get a summary of everything submitted with little to no waiting period.

Historically, Arizona has had low FAFSA completion rates, but Wallace says there should be no excuses this year.

“The lame excuse is, ‘Oh, it’s a mess. That was 2-3 years ago,” Wallace said, referencing the major technical errors in 2023. “The other issue is we have a high percentage of first-generation students.”

If you have any questions, he says to contact your child’s guidance counselor or university financial aid office.

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