Universities are receiving fewer FAFSA submitters and looking at smaller enrollment numbers than last year due to this year's federal aid delays. Small- to mid-sized private colleges recuperating from the pandemic have another steep hill to climb.
At Antioch, we are doing our part to deliver the core promise of American higher education. Members of Congress and the Department of Education must return the favor.
College Possible, a nonprofit dedicated to servicing low-income and minority students through their higher education journey, has so far ensured that 56% of their students have filed for FAFSA, says CEO Siva Kumari.
Of 358 college and university leaders surveyed by ACE, 67% said they had little to no confidence they'd successfully process forms in the coming weeks.
Not only could the headaches affect the number of students applying to one's institution, but they can also hurt the retention of one's first-generation students.
Nearly 57% fewer high school seniors have submitted a new FAFSA form compared to last year's numbers. Could delays and technological errors be to blame?
The Education Department implemented a "soft launch" of the form on its website last week, but glitches, crashes, and extremely limited available windows have bled past its official launch date and into the new year, and it's yet unclear how long they will last.
Assumption University, a Massachusetts private university, plans to dodge the headache of the new FAFSA implementation with its own form that promises to provide applicants as early as next week.
"FAFSA Simplification is going to make this the most complicated year we have seen perhaps ever," says Maureen Anderson, a former director of financial aid at Santa Fe College (Fla.). In addition, there are Title IX changes coming in October.
