This year, . , more than 1 million California students submitted FAFSA applications, marking a 5.9% increase from the previous year, when Covid was said to have hindered the number of applicants.
Despite the department unveiling a in a 鈥渟oft launch鈥� on Dec. 31, this year鈥檚 FAFSA process has come with , and at the earliest. As a result, many campuses are contemplating extending the May 1 commitment deadline for high school seniors whose decisions about where to enroll rest on the financial aid they receive.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not only talking about a better form or a better system. We鈥檙e talking about a better shot at accessing higher education for more than 600,000 American students. We鈥檙e talking about a better chance to go to college for students who would qualify for Pell Grants,鈥� said Miguel Cardona, the U.S. secretary of education, at a news conference announcing the department鈥檚 plan Monday.
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about making the American dream more achievable for so many more people who could realize the incredible potential they have through higher education but have been deterred by the cost and complexity of our current system.鈥�
As part of the plan unveiled Monday, the department will send about 50 federal student aid officials to colleges and universities throughout the nation to help 鈥減repare and process鈥� students鈥� financial aid forms.
Senior Education Department officials did not provide a number or list of campuses that will receive support, but they emphasized that lower-resourced campuses will be prioritized, including historically Black colleges and universities and tribal colleges.
The plan also includes $50 million in federal funding for nonprofit organizations that focus on financial aid support. The department will also release test records for campuses to model.
鈥淓nsuring our nation鈥檚 colleges and universities are prepared to assist in the massive overhaul of the FAFSA is critical for a smooth implementation, and we are excited to be partners in this work,鈥� said Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, in a statement.
鈥淭hese are some of the biggest changes facing the financial aid profession 鈥� not to mention students and families 鈥� in decades, and it will take cooperation, clear communication, and mutual trust among all stakeholders to get us over the finish line. We are eager to begin this work and look forward to sharing more details soon.鈥�
However, Cal Poly Pomona officials doubt the plan to support campuses outlined by the U.S. Department of Education will do much to help CSU, UC or community colleges in California. Charles Conn, the campus鈥檚 associate director of financial aid, also said the announced measures should have been taken months ago.
So far, the UC system has not decided whether to push back the May 1 deadline, but Rachel Zaentz, a spokesperson for the UC Office of the President, told that the delays might have 鈥渟ignificant implications鈥� for students鈥� decisions.
Several Cal State campuses, however, have opted to adjust their timelines 鈥� as that is something officials say they can control.
Cal Poly Pomona, for example, has updated its commitment deadline for incoming first-year students to June 1 as a result of the delays, according to Jessica Wagoner, the campus鈥檚 senior associate vice president for enrollment management and services.
鈥淚t鈥檚 heartbreaking 鈥� to see this happening and know the impact that it has on the students, especially first-generation students from a lower income, or even the lower middle-class students,鈥� Conn said.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e relying on this information, and the Department of Education has really failed the graduating class as well as students who maybe are looking to transition from a community college over to a four-year college.鈥�
Typically, Cal Poly Pomona would determine aid offers by the end of February. This year, as a result of issues with student information systems and the Department of Education鈥檚 delays, they probably won鈥檛 be able to extend offers until the middle of April.
Conn added that delays will likely challenge students who need to update their records and that there are still some families unable to complete the FAFSA 鈥� including families where at least one parent doesn鈥檛 have a social security number.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big population,鈥� Conn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like two or three students. It鈥檚 in the hundreds if not thousands of our students that fall into that scenario across the system.鈥�
Most continuing students, however, will not be impacted, Conn said.
Delays with the FAFSA have also affected Cal Poly Pomona鈥檚 other operations and the ability to predict the nature of the incoming class, ranging from the number of students attending to the distribution of different majors, according to Traci Lew, the interim associate director of admissions.
It also tightens the turnaround time for organizing campus events such as orientation 鈥� which takes place 10 days after the June 1 deadline.
Despite the challenges posed by the later deadline, Lew emphasized that 鈥渨e can鈥檛 allow families to make shotgun decisions.鈥�
鈥淲e want to help our students, and right now we can鈥檛. We are blind to the information,鈥� Wagoner said. 鈥淪o if they call us, there鈥檚 nothing we can say to assist and support our students. We should be on the phone helping them, guiding them, and we can鈥檛 do that.鈥�
is a California-based independent nonprofit organization founded in 1977, dedicated to providing analysis on key education issues facing the state and nation.