High school senior Jailyn James of New Jersey is a three-sport athlete with good grades and has received six college acceptance letters.
James will be the first in her family to attend college. However, her final decision depends on the financial aid offers from each school, offers she is still waiting on.
“My mom will not let me commit without knowing my financial aid,” James said. “I don’t want to come out of college with a bunch of debt.”
The delays are a result of the U.S. Department of Education’s overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The revised form is now shorter and simpler, but technical issues have caused a delayed rollout.
Normally, FAFSA forms are released on Oct. 1 and submitted data is sent to colleges within one to three days for financial aid calculations.
However, the updated forms were released three months late on Dec. 30, 2023, and schools will not receive the data until the first half of March.
This delay has led some colleges to extend their financial aid deadlines. For example, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education announced an extension of the student commitment deadline to May 15.
“Some universities are adjusting their grant deadlines, and state agencies are doing the same,” said Rachel Burns, a senior policy analyst. “We are unsure if institutions will be able to change their decision deadlines.”
For James, time is running out as most schools she applied to require a deposit by May 1.
“My biggest concern is the lack of time,” said her mother, Lori James, who mentioned that her daughter would have already selected a college if not for the FAFSA processing delay.
Now, students like James can only hope the FAFSA issues do not further delay their college aspirations.
