For many seniors, fall is the time of year to submit their college applications. Fall brings anticipation and stress to many, and this year, those applying have to wait for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to open up. As a senior whose applications are due Nov. 1, the FAFSA delay is horrible timing.
FAFSA, which usually opens on Oct. 1, has now been pushed back to December due to Congress passing the simplification act which has caused an overhaul of the system. FAFSA is important to many students because it’s a way to determine eligibility for federal loans, grants and possibly scholarships.
While I understand that improvements are good, the timing has caused uncertainty to myself and many others about their financial aid ability. We are taught to pick schools based on our financial state, but the delay has shortened the seniors’ window to plan and choose effectively.
Those who rely on FAFSA to make college affordable have been particularly affected. These students don’t have time to wait for the financial aid package, and for those students, college may feel impossible because they don’t know how much aid will be available to them.
The delay has left me looking for alternative ways to get aid. I can choose to apply for private scholarships, state grants and institutional aid, but they are limited and extremely competitive. Which is only adding to my stress about college applications.
When FAFSA opens in December students are going to have to worry about filling out the forms instead of finals or other applications. And for many, mine included, parents get busier during the holidays and may not have time to assist their kids in filling out FAFSA.
The untimeliness of launching in December can cause additional stress and even potential errors during the process.
The most frustrating part was that FAFSA didn’t communicate to students and families in advance. By the time news broke, like many seniors I had already prepared my financial documents only to find out FAFSA wouldn’t open for another two months.
The abrupt delay also is going to cause issues for colleges and universities. Many of them use FAFSA to determine aid packages, so the delay could cause a slowdown in financial aid processes.
The only way I can describe the delay is that it’s unfortunate. After last year’s delay, students were expecting to be able to fill out their FAFSA forms on time this year. Sadly this isn’t the case. Seniors are now left trying to find aid and are frantically waiting for the release of the new FAFSA.
FAFSA’s delay is a reminder that when it comes to admission, timing is everything, but this year the clock is not on the graduating class of 25’s side. The seniors deserve better than to be left in the dark during such an important time in their lives.