Another FAFSA delay, yet again.
The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that colleges and universities won’t receive students’ FAFSA information until at least early March. The delay, they said, is the result of the department’s decision to fix an error in how a student’s eligibility is calculated.
In its statement announcing the latest delay, the department also acknowledged that students can’t currently make corrections to their forms and wouldn’t be able to do so until the first half of March.
“With this last-minute news, our nation’s colleges are once again left scrambling as they determine how best to work within these new timelines to issue aid offers as soon as possible,” Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Aid Administrators, said. “Financially vulnerable students shouldn’t be the ones to pay the price for these missteps.”
An Education Department website lists a host of other issues on the new form that are affecting applicants, echoing parents’ frustrations over the last month.
What does all this mean for parents and students?
Unfortunately, you will have to wait until March to receive your financial aid package from the colleges. That means, unless they extend the deadline, students will have until May 1st to decide and turn in their final commitment. It gives families little time to compare awards and negotiate with financial aid if necessary.
As one parent put it on social media, “Our kids had to deal with all the unfortunate consequences of Covid, and now this. It just doesn’t seem fair.”
Whether it’s fair or not, families will have to make some quick choices. Of course, years ago before the FAFSA was moved up to October, regular decision applicants all waited until March or April to receive their aid packages. My daughter got her admission decision in March and aid packages in April. We had one month to revisit campuses, compare awards, and make our decision.
It seems, despite the government’s desire to simplify the form, it only complicated matters. What was it Ronald Reagan said? “The scariest words in the English language are—I’m the government, and I’m here to help.” It seems they ring true today.
What can you do while waiting?
Look at the total cost of attendance for the colleges your student applied to and decide now if they will be affordable without financial aid. If not, it might be time to take a closer look at the more affordable ones. If you are relying on a generous aid package to attend, you may have to wait until the last minute before deciding.
Contact the colleges and ask if they are offering any extension for the May 1st deadline for acceptance and housing deposits. There has been talk that some colleges will be adjusting those dates due to the FAFSA delay.