Applying for college financial aid will be more confusing this year for many parents and students, who will also have to fill out the forms on a much tighter deadline.

Changes were made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa, this year as the result of a 2020 law. A new form was designed to be shorter and simpler to fill out, but it won’t be available for families to complete until Dec. 31, nearly three months later than normal.