FAFSA Delays Cause Headaches for Students, Schools

Applying for financial aid is a complex and nerve-wracking process for students and their families. Unfortunately for them, the process this year became even more complicated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which experienced numerous delays and access issues. 

As a result of the complications, students and families are facing uncertainty about their ability to access aid for the 2024-25 academic year.

Communications from the Department of Education

According to Karen McCarthy, vice president for public policy and federal relations at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the Department of Education’s communications with students to date have been good. When students complete the FAFSA, the department sends them an email letting them know that their school hasn’t received the Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) yet but that it will reach back out once it does.

“They have not been particularly transparent about where things stand [and] when things are going to be happening,” she said of the department’s communications with schools.

Tresa Weimer, assistant vice president for student success at Fairmont State University, anticipated the Department of Education would have been better prepared for the changes. 

“It just doesn’t seem that we’re getting it as timely as we would like. Sometimes we’re up against a timeline we’re given at one point and we think it’s going to happen and that day it comes out it’s going to be delayed now again. That’s very frustrating,” she said. “I thought they’d be better prepared.” 

Dr. Anthony Jones, executive director of scholarships and financial aid at the University of Utah, concurred with Weimer, noting that communication from the department has been less than desirable. When the department said it would launch the FAFSA in December, he didn’t realize it would be such a soft launch.

Communicating Changes to Students

Fairmont State University has been trying to navigate the various disruptions to the FAFSA as best it can by maintaining a constant flow of communications with its students. In October, it began sending information to students about the changes via emails and texts. It has continued to send reminders, along with updates when they are made, to students monthly to keep them well informed.

Weimer attributes the updates to helping prevent the university from being inundated with questions about what’s going on, as well as easing anxiety on the part of students and parents.

However, she’s hearing from many students and parents that they’re being encouraged to wait because completing the FAFSA isn’t urgent. 

“That’s the message that’s on social media. They’re taking bits and pieces of what the Department of Ed is saying,” Weimer said. 

Although there isn’t a hurry, Weimer explained, the university would prefer that they complete it sooner rather than later so they can be helped if they run into an issue.

“We’re staying very positive about it, and that’s mainly so we can keep our students positive about it,” she said. Positivity is a must because the university has a large population of first-generation students who have never navigated the FAFSA process before. 

The University of Utah has also taken a proactive approach to communicating with students and parents, including issuing statements, emails, videos and website updates, as it receives developments. Despite the communication, the university’s financial aid office had to surge resources leading up to the Feb. 1 priority deadline because of the volume of questions it was receiving.

Many students have asked Jones if they should simply download and print the paper FAFSA because of issues. 

“While that is a potential option, the concern is the paper FAFSA is at the back of the line to get processed,” said Jones. “What we’re telling them is if you’re still having trouble, go ahead download the paper FAFSA, complete it, mail it, get it in the system but continue to try to do it electronically online. Even if that creates a duplicate record, the first one in is the FAFSA of record.”

Impact on Students

Jones is worried about a drop off in students who are on the margin or are from underserved groups. Enrolling in college is hard enough for first-generation new students, he said, which is why he’s afraid obstacles like the FAFSA issue will simply be too much to overcome. 

He offered the example of a student whose parent didn’t have a Social Security number as being one of many unforeseen issues his staff has been working to help students overcome. 

“There’s a process for someone without a Social Security number to authenticate who they are and get their federal student aid ID,” Jones explained. “That process isn’t working as well as the guidance the federal government put out said.” 

He added that he wants students and their families to be persistent and not give up on completing the FAFSA. 

“Don’t give up,” he stressed to students. “Reach out to trusted individuals. We certainly want to help.”

To prevent students from falling off, Jones and his team are working with high school counselors, educational opportunity centers, college advising counselors and TRIO partners to reach out to students who may be “confused, stymied, frustrated” so that they can help them better understand the process and advocate for them when processes that should be working aren’t.

The technical challenges have also complicated the work of the college access community, which often stages financial aid and FAFSA completion nights. 

“If you have these underserved populations with you and they’re ready to complete a FAFSA and are unable to do that because of things outside of their control, then the concern is that will they be willing and able to complete it at some future date?” McCarthy said. 

To keep students engaged with her office as time goes on, Weimer’s team has put together some promotions. Drawings for book scholarships were used to encourage students to complete the FAFSA by the university’s March 1 priority deadline.

As time goes on, Weimer is also concerned about the impact the changes and disruptions will have on enrollment, especially amongst first-generation students.

“For those students that become overwhelmed, is it going to delay their entry into college? We’re trying to address it as an institution by keeping them engaged with us so that they know we’re here to support them. The timing of everything is going to have a huge impact on enrollment, and we all know that it’s a big concern across the country anyway. I think this is just going to have a bigger impact on that for this fall,” she said.

As a result of the way the disruptions are impacting students, McCarthy’s organization is urging institutions to provide flexibility to students on the May 1 enrollment commitment date.  

Paul Rubin, an assistant professor in the University of Utah Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, explained the FAFSA rollout is only one of the many examples of ongoing challenges facing higher education across the country. 

“For administrators and leaders of institutions, a key consideration in responding to these events is maintaining flexibility whenever possible, while also being mindful of the stakeholders being impacted by these happenings,” said Rubin.

According to Rubin, students are now not going to be able to make corrections to their forms until March, which will likely impact their ability to understand the costs associated with attending any postsecondary institution next year. 

“Consequently, in thinking about both first-time and continuing students, it will be critical for institutions to recognize that previously established deadlines may need to be updated to work within this new FAFSA timeline.”

Student and Parent Anxiety

The conversations Weimer is having with students and parents have primarily focused on the concerns they have about the numerous issues. 

“It’s the unknown they’re afraid of. It’s college, so they know it’s going to be expensive. They know they’re low-income,” she said of their concerns. “We assure them that as soon as we get the information, we’re going to get it out to them. That’s about all we can do right now.” 

Jennifer Allocca Bennett, of Maryland, is trying to navigate the FAFSA for the first time this year as a parent. Her 17-year-old son is graduating this year with plans to attend the University of Tampa. In mid-February, she reported she had not been able to submit the FAFSA but sent in the application via certified mail. 

She’s concerned about the impact the new formula could have on her son’s eligibility. 

“So much anxiety. My son is dyslexic and school has always been difficult, but he has worked hard and been accepted to UT,” she said. “Honestly, we have discussed sending him to an in-state school instead because FAFSA is a mess. He is eligible for a $10K scholarship that we can’t receive without FAFSA being completed.”

West Virginia resident Melanie Henderson is completing the FAFSA for the third time this year. She will have a junior at West Liberty University and a freshman who will either go to West Virginia University, Duquesne University or West Virginia Wesleyan College depending on the cost. She was able to complete the FAFSA for one child on Jan. 16 and for the other on Jan. 17. 

“I am very concerned that the new formula will result in delayed aid for us,” she said. “The form itself skipped questions that I would assume that we should have been answering. The lack of financial information requested was shocking. The misinformation given to my son’s counselor regarding the free school lunch question is very concerning. The inability to access the form now to fix errors is extremely frustrating because we will have to wait even longer for an accurate report from FAFSA.”

Reason for Hope

Despite the challenges, Jones remains optimistic that the changes will end up helping students in the long run. 

“The people who have gotten in and have been able to successfully submit their FAFSA have said it was a much simpler process,” he said. He added, a few students asked if they had done something wrong because of how short the updated FAFSA is. “They did pull back and make some positive things in terms of simplification. That’s a good thing.” 

McCarthy reports that those she has spoken to have found the new version to be much more accessible, which she said is “both heartening and makes the current situation all the more frustrating.” 

“I think once the new FAFSA gets off the ground and is running well, it really will be a smoother and easier FAFSA experience for students and institutions,” she said.

Weimer has found the same to be true in her interactions with students and parents, with all reporting that they have been able to complete the FAFSA without issue. Additionally, in looking at the situation from the perspective of 30 years of financial aid experience, she believes the new FAFSA will turn out to be a “great change.”

Michele Messner, a Virginia-based parent, did find the FAFSA to be much simpler when she completed it this year for her two children, a senior at George Mason University and a senior at Virginia Tech. 

“When it all worked with just a few keystrokes and me not having to sift through piles of unfiled paperwork and bills to find last year’s taxes, I was pretty darn happy,” she said. She utilized the option to allow the FAFSA to access her IRS tax records.