The application change date for FAFSA catches upcoming college students off guard.
FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is a financial aid that students can apply for to receive scholarships and school funding. Colleges use the data you input to determine your eligibility for governmental financial aid. The application process has been pushed back two months later than past applications.
Financial aid provides more opportunities, such as tuition, fees, books, housing, food, supplies, and transportation to students who are economically or socially disavantaged. The application process usually begins October 1st but this year it is beginning in late December.
“When you’re low income you may not know all your options and how much help you can get. Educating [students] more about FAFSA and understanding the different types of assistance for low income is very helpful,” said Guidance Counselor Justin Elenes.
When applying for FAFSA, students will fill out the application with their family. The application will then be reviewed by college counselors determining eligibility. Some cases will not receive aid because it is awarded on a need-basis. However, FAFSA will always strive to help students who apply.
“Students don’t apply sometimes because they assume they aren’t going to get it, but the foundation is literally begging to help us. That’s definitely a misunderstanding. Sometimes we can help promote the different options of FAFSA that are not need-based,” said Elenes.
An article states 26 percent of students are economically disadvantaged according to USNews.com, resulting in the need for financial aid. Students who rely on the financial aid that FAFSA provides need to be aware of the changes.
“I had no idea that the FAFSA deadline had changed. It’s going to be really helpful in terms of managing my finances for college because tuition and even just applying for schools is already so expensive. I need FAFSA,” said Nikita Karande.
Due to the application opening later, students have less flexibility regarding the timing for sending in their FAFSA applications.
“After the March deadline, students can still apply for assistance until June. But the earlier the better,” said Elenes.
Once the application process is complete, universities will provide college students with the necessary financial aid.
“What happens is they will get the financial aid package from the office. This is when a student needs to tell the university they are attending and deny other acceptances,” said Elenes.
Around 70 percent of families fill out a FAFSA application each year, a notable part of the college application process that millions of students complete each year. The change in deadline could strongly affect millions of students’ futures in college and their choice of schools if they are unaware of it.
