Students applying for the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship now have until March 31, 2024, to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), rather than March 1. The FAFSA is required to be eligible for the Opportunity Scholarship.
The Office of the State Board of Education extended the Opportunity Scholarship FAFSA deadline because of ongoing problems students are having with the U.S. Department of Education’s new shorter version of the FAFSA.
However, students must still submit their Idaho Opportunity Scholarship application to the State Board office by March 1, 2024, to be eligible for the scholarship.
“While the FAFSA deadline has been extended, we strongly encourage students to complete their applications both for the Opportunity Scholarship and for FAFSA as soon as they can,” said Sara Scudder, the Board’s College and Career Access Officer. “Students should reach out to their school counselors and learn about FAFSA application support events in their local communities.”
The U.S. Department of Education will not make student FAFSA information available to state agencies and higher education institutions until mid-March and so the timeline for scholarship awards will be tight.
“State Board staff will be working diligently to make Opportunity Scholarship award offers as soon as possible,” Scudder said. “Students will either be notified that they will receive an award, or they will be notified via email that they have been placed on a waitlist. We know this will be frustrating, but we are committed to notifying students of their scholarship status as quickly as we can, and it will be helpful if students apply as soon as possible even though the FAFSA deadline has been extended.”
Here is the link to the FAFSA form:
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa