FAFSA delays and its effects on college decisions
Rebecca Tobias, St. Ursula’s college counselor, working in her office. Photo by Megan Walters-Aughney
By Megan Walters-Aughney ‘24
TOLEDO, OH – In 2023, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was released on Dec. 30. In the months since, the government has announced several delays to the aid-application process.
Although usually opening in October, the federal government had postponed the national release of FAFSA due to the application undergoing a significant renovation process. This overhaul came as a response to the FAFSA Simplification Act, which was initially passed in 2020. The FAFSA Simplification Act identified the 2024-25 schoolyear as the target for its full implementation, somewhat unluckily for the Class of 2024.
Despite the government’s initial promise to send out students’ completed information to colleges by the end of January, more delays were announced. Through an email sent on Feb. 21 to those who completed their application, it was revealed FAFSA processing is projected to begin in the “first half of March.”
“After submitting your form, you received a confirmation email stating that your FAFSA information would be shared… in late January. However, we’re making further improvements to the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation… We’ve adjusted our processing timeline to accommodate these updates,” states the email.
Without having full financial information, many students worry that they cannot yet make the proper decision regarding their university. Cost and affordability are consistently ranked as some of the foremost important qualities when considering college, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
In a survey conducted by NCES, 67% of students ranked the cost of attendance as “very important” in their college selection. A further 29% of participants said that the cost of attendance was at least “‘somewhat important’” in their decision, totaling an overwhelming 95% of all students surveyed.
Rebecca Tobias, college counselor at St. Ursula Academy, shared her expertise. Having been with St. Ursula for seven years, Tobias has handled a variety of unique situations over the years. However, the FAFSA process this year is unprecedented. Although the government aimed to “make [FAFSA] more user friendly,” as stated by Tobias, the interim of uncertainties have proved challenging.
“The delay has been like a domino effect... colleges also have to shift their timelines back in order to prepare financial aid award packages for students,” explained Tobias.
In the wake of these pushbacks, some colleges have announced that they would be delaying enrollment deadlines to supply ample time for preparing these scholarship packages.
When asked how postponements have affected students’ selections, Tobias explained that as “most students rely on financial aid to help guide their decisions,” this process has been interrupted—not only a majority of St. Ursula’s seniors, but nationally. In response to this unique situation, Tobias stressed that there is great importance in remaining “adaptable” as more news is revealed.
