Richmond, KY, April 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Department of Education updated the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, widely known as the FAFSA, for all college applicants for the 2024-25 school year for the first time in over 40 years. Student services staff at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) have been helping students as well as parents navigate the new changes. The updated FAFSA was created as an easier way for students and parents to apply for financial aid for higher education. Students who complete the FAFSA become eligible to gain federal grants, federal loans, state grants, school aid and other types of aid that require a FAFSA to be on file. While the FAFSA is centrally located on StudentAid.gov, the student has the opportunity to send the completed form to many different higher education institutions. The FAFSA adds federal loan and need-based aid to students' financial aid packages.  "There are certain types of guaranteed financial aid federally that are offered through FAFSA regardless of a student's financial need," said Zac Lewis, EKU's director of central student services. "Its primary focus is to essentially diagnose the student's financial need by comparing the student and family's relevant contributors income and assets to produce a Student Aid Index, which is an indicator of how much financial need that student may have to attend college. Generally, the lower the number, the higher the need." According to Lewis, students who complete the FAFSA show strong indicators for retention and academic success. Even if students do not intend to use the financial aid awarded when completing the FAFSA, it can provide students with additional financial resources, such as grants, loans or scholarships.  EKU offers several scholarships to students, some of which use the student need indicators from completed FAFSA applications. Some scholarships simply require a FAFSA on file for the student to be considered. Additionally, ...