FAFSA Delays Cause Concern For College Bound Students

By: Alexandra Martinez, Follow South Jersey Intern

SOUTH JERSEY – High-school students across the nation may be forced to put their college dreams on hold as FAFSA continues to create a turbulent experience for this year’s applicants.

FAFSA, standing for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is an annual form awarding state and school financial aid packages to eligible students seeking to attend college. Many rely on the form to accurately break down how much, when, and where the most financial assistance could be applied. For some, filling out the FAFSA can be a huge determinant in a student’s final decision to continue their education, especially in today’s financially challenging economy.

The FAFSA form has undergone many changes over the course of its existence, but none like the recent format change for its 2024-25 application process, causing significant delays and receiving considerable backlash.

Previous FAFSA applicants are familiar with the October 1 launch date, which was designed to give enough time before college applications and final decisions were due. However, the new 2024-25 FAFSA “soft launched” late December 2023 into the early new year, allowing only gradual windows of time for users to access the form each day. With the soft launch came frustrating bugs and glitches. College Aid Services claims applicants’ progress got lost or deleted based on where they left off, FSA ID credentials were blocked for many based on their SSN status, college display names were not fully accurate, and in numerous circumstances, final submission was hindered due to applicants not filling out the desired amount of information before leaving the form.

Consequently, any applicants who were looking to get ahead of the FAFSA game this year found their eager efforts hit with a statement from the U.S. Department of Education, announcing that any updates or changes to the form could not be made until the week of April 15. That meant anyone who filled out the FAFSA in January, could be in the same exact boat as someone filling it out for the first time months later. This statement alone raised many concerns as parents, students, and educators wondered how this would affect the typical May 1 deadline for final college commitment. Especially if FAFSA financial aid packages were anticipated to be sent out only a few weeks prior if the forms were changed and accepted in a timely manner, which has not been the turnaround experience thus far.

Colleges and universities across the U.S. were faced with quickly determining what to do about this crisis. While some have kept the original May 1 deadline and still expect a non-refundable deposit, many have pushed their Decision Day to May 15 or even June 1, hoping that enrollment numbers will rise. Other colleges have decided to create their own financial aid documents in hopes of speeding up the process and ensuring students can attend come fall. However, this dips into accuracy versus timeliness, and which matters more. “Provisional” offers have been made to students for some universities, like Cal Poly Pomona and California State University. Though Oregon State University amongst others, have looked into this route of solving delayed FAFSA letters, many have decided against it but promise that they will be transparent and flexible with prospective and current students. Many universities have also held on-campus workshops to help fill out and complete the FAFSA.

Just a few days into January and the new FAFSA format, Inside Higher Ed shared that only about 400,000 people out of the expected 17 million FAFSA applicants had started or completed the form. For more comparison, CNN highlights that 37% of high schoolers had submitted the form as of April 12 versus 50% of high schoolers at the same time last year. These record-low numbers were striking to administrators to say the least, and indicate that overall college enrollment will more than likely be down come the 2024-25 academic year.

“At this stage in the game and after so many delays, every error adds up and will be felt acutely by every student who is counting on need-based financial aid to make their postsecondary dreams a reality,” Justin Draeger, the president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, reports in an interview late March.

Rising concerns are especially prevalent for those who need financial aid the most, as a stronger decline in FAFSA applications exists among lower-income schools, and schools with a heavier minority percentage. Conversations and worries have shifted from where these students will go to college, to if they will even go to college at all. As of the week of April 15, when students were allowed access to fix their FAFSA applications, Drager shares 40% of the forms colleges received were still unusable.

What initiated all the change, and how could it have become such a challenge to many?

Initial changes to the FAFSA form stem from the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020, requiring an easier experience be created for FAFSA applicants. This included less questions, a new financial aid formula, and more access to Pell Grants. The vast frequency of changes rolled out in the 2024-25 format in addition to the political blame game runaround, has made this year’s FAFSA application process anything but easy or simplified. What was meant to be a project that enhanced student’s ability to afford college, has turned into the same reason some will have to say no to higher education for now. 

It’s universally known that filling out FAFSA, almost like filling out taxes, is a daunting and time-consuming task even without this year’s havoc. Especially for ages and groups that lack resources not only explaining what to do, but that emphasize the importance of filling out the FAFSA in general.

The State Board of Education in New Jersey has come out with new legislation requiring high-school students to fill out the FAFSA as a graduation requirement to receive their diplomab beginning with the class of 2025. An alternative document for FAFSA-ineligible students is the NJ Dreamers. The New Jersey Board of Education’s hopes? That high-school students will be exposed to the realm of opportunities that await them post-graduation, and not miss out on unbeknownst finances that could help fund their higher education journey.

“Ensuring high school students understand their options is paramount to our goal of making a college degree more attainable for New Jersey residents,” Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement.

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