The FAFSA filing period for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year has been nothing short of tumultuous, leaving many college students wondering how they will afford college if financial aid packages are not rolled out on time. But as many families are ready to give up on potential aid, advocates and officials are urging college students to push through and continue filing the forms.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which is commonly known for its intricate question and extensive jargon, got a revamp this year after Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in late 2020. But instead of making the process run smoother, users faced glitches and technical errors during the Dec. 30 soft launch and the Jan. 8 debut for the 2024-25 form.
Completing the FAFSA can often tell whether a student goes to college. When these issues first rose, college access experts worried the decline in FAFSA application this year would mean fewer students enrolling in college in the fall, especially among low-income communities.
An analysis of the latest federal data reveals these obstacles have led to fewer high schoolers seeking financial aid for college this year, the Texas Tribune reports. For instance, according to data through June 7, Texas high school graduates' FAFSA completion rates fell by 8.8. Percentage points, or by almost 30,000 students, compared to this time last year. That decline is sharper than the one the state saw in the thick of the pandemic.
"These are by far the steepest declines that I have observed," said Bill DeBaun, the senior director of data and strategic initiatives at the National College Attainment Network. "It's going to take a really significant push this summer to continue to connect students with the FAFSA completion support they need and keep them on track for the post-secondary pathways to which they aspire."
Throughout the filing period, advocates voiced concern over the form's failure to adjust for inflation, its formula miscalculation, and its tax data errors.
As the issue persists, U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal told States Newsroom, the department is working on taking steps to address major problems, including ones that prevented parents without Social Security numbers from completing the form.
"We're fixing things at a rapid pace, and we've been keeping the community updated," Kvaal told States Newsroom in an interview. "We have an issues guide on the website that lets people know the problems we're aware of and what the potential solutions are. In almost every case now there is a way for students to submit the form.
Last week, the department said it has made "significant progress" in closing the gap in FAFSA submissions to an 8% decrease compared to this time last year, down from a nearly 40% decrease in March. According to Kvaal, the department has already received more than 11 million FAFSA submissions for the 2024-25 school year.
Nevertheless, despite its best efforts, the current form is "still not a totally functioning system," according to MorraLee Keller, senior director of strategic programming at the National College Attainment Network, a nonprofit membership and advocacy organization.
The organization monitors FAFSA completion for graduating high school seniors nationally and compares those figures to the previous school year. Keller said, "one thing that we're seeing is the class of '24, at this point in time, is almost 13 percentage points behind in the rate at which the seniors have filed a FAFSA" this past academic year.
In response, the Department of Education is adopting a new strategy, recently announcing Jeremy Singer, president of the College Board, to serve as the new FAFSA executive adviser.
Students have until June 30, 2025 to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form, but deadlines may vary based on individual colleges and states. Kvaal encouraged students this fall to visit Studentaid.gov to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible.
Keller encouraged families to not give up on completing the form.
"The time is not gone— get your FAFSA filed this summer if you want to go to school this fall," she said.
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