Students and parents are frustrated by delays in hearing about federal financial aid for college
10 months ago

Students and parents are frustrated by delays in hearing about federal financial aid for college

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — For many students, the excitement of being accepted into their first-choice college is being tempered this year by a troublesome uncertainty over whether they’ll get the financial aid they need to attend. AP AUDIO: Students and parents are frustrated by delays in hearing about federal financial aid for college. “We can’t make a decision until we see a financial aid package,” said Agata James, a mother of a New York high school senior from Queens. “We must, and we will.” More than 17 million students use the FAFSA every year to receive financial aid for their college education.

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History of this topic

This year's FAFSA is officially open. Early review says it's 'a piece of cake'
1 month ago

This year's FAFSA is officially open. Early review says it's 'a piece of cake'

NPR  

This year's FAFSA is officially open. Early review says it's 'a piece of cake' toggle caption Seth Wenig/AP The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is now open to all students and families hoping to get help paying for college in the 2025-26 school year. She has been helping students fill out the form during the testing period, and says, …

Some colleges are targeting financial aid to middle-class families
2 months ago

Some colleges are targeting financial aid to middle-class families

NPR  

Some colleges are targeting financial aid to middle-class families toggle caption Sofia Aldinio/The Hechinger Report For Emily Kayser, the prospect of covering her son’s college tuition on a teacher’s salary is “scary. Earning not enough, but somehow too much Some prospective students “are squeezed out of eligibility for need-based financial aid even though they do not have the financial wherewithal …

Some students are fighting to stay in college after the FAFSA delayed financial aid
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Some students are fighting to stay in college after the FAFSA delayed financial aid

NPR  

Some students are fighting to stay in college after the FAFSA delayed financial aid toggle caption Richard Stephen/Getty Images/iStockphoto Brenda H. almost didn’t make it to her first day of college. Like, ‘You won’t regret this.’ ” Brenda’s counselors told her that because her family was low-income, she would likely qualify for substantial financial aid. But when Brenda’s financial aid …

Watchdog sheds light on FAFSA fiasco, from a birthday bug to call center failures
3 months ago

Watchdog sheds light on FAFSA fiasco, from a birthday bug to call center failures

NPR  

Watchdog sheds light on FAFSA fiasco, from a birthday bug to call center failures toggle caption LA Johnson/NPR There’s no question, the rollout of the revamped FAFSA – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid that millions of students must fill out to qualify for college loans and grants – was a slow-motion explosion of mistakes and miscommunication by the …

Editorial: FAFSA is a nightmare for homeless students. Why haven’t we fixed it?
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Editorial: FAFSA is a nightmare for homeless students. Why haven’t we fixed it?

LA Times  

Los Angeles City College student Josefina Sebastian looks at her laptop in her room at Dunamis House, a Boyle Heights residence for college students who are at risk of homelessness. Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020 because lawmakers recognized that the long, complicated form discouraged students and families from applying for financial aid, and many couldn’t afford to …

Experts fear ‘catastrophic’ college declines thanks to botched FAFSA rollout
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Experts fear ‘catastrophic’ college declines thanks to botched FAFSA rollout

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The last thing standing between Ashnaelle Bijoux and her college dream is the FAFSA form — a financial aid application that’s supposed to help students go to college, but is blocking her instead. “I feel like I’m being held back.” Normally a time of celebration for high school seniors, this spring has been marred by the federal government’s …

Caught up in the FAFSA chaos? Some students now have a workaround
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Caught up in the FAFSA chaos? Some students now have a workaround

LA Times  

Students get help earlier this year filling out the FAFSA form at Downtown Magnets High School in Los Angeles. The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is all-important for many students looking to afford college. But on Tuesday, the California Student Aid Commission provided welcome news, announcing it would offer an alternative financial aid application option for students …

Opinion: Struggling to get help with college through the FAFSA? Here’s why you shouldn’t give up
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Opinion: Struggling to get help with college through the FAFSA? Here’s why you shouldn’t give up

LA Times  

Applying to college and navigating the financial aid process is never easy, especially for first-generation students. As the leader of an organization working to ensure that California students get the financial aid that will allow them to achieve their college dreams, I’m deeply concerned that so many students and families have been struggling to complete their applications. The Free Application …

California extends deadline for students seeking state financial aid amid FAFSA turmoil
8 months, 4 weeks ago

California extends deadline for students seeking state financial aid amid FAFSA turmoil

LA Times  

Student make their way along Bruin Walk East, on the UCLA Campus in May 2023. California students will have an extra month to submit applications for state financial aid, a deadline extension to help with ongoing setbacks and delays that have plagued the roll out of new federal forms that colleges and states rely on to calculate a student’s scholarships …

FAFSA delays prompt California lawmakers to extend deadline for student financial aid applications
9 months ago

FAFSA delays prompt California lawmakers to extend deadline for student financial aid applications

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Legislature on Thursday voted to give prospective college students more time to apply for two of the state’s largest financial aid programs after a glitch in the federal government’s application system threatened to block up to 100,000 people from getting help. That meant many students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents but whose parents …

College financial aid extension in the works for California students hurt by FAFSA mess
9 months ago

College financial aid extension in the works for California students hurt by FAFSA mess

LA Times  

California lawmakers are speedily moving forward toward approving a bill that would extend a key college financial aid deadline by a month to help students whose applications have been mired in problems at the federal level. “So I’m supposed to sit there and talk a parent into sending something very private like their personal documents to some generic email?” College …

The Most Confusing, Chaotic College Admissions Season in Years
9 months, 1 week ago

The Most Confusing, Chaotic College Admissions Season in Years

Live Mint  

Logan Zielinski, a high-school senior in Sterling Heights, Mich., spent much of the fall getting wooed by football coaches at small Midwestern colleges. Many students can’t seriously consider college without financial aid, and counselors worry frustrations with the application could lead to enrollment declines. “It kind of feels like a punishment for us students who have mixed-status families," said Gil …

Education Department starts sending financial aid data to colleges after months of delays
9 months, 1 week ago

Education Department starts sending financial aid data to colleges after months of delays

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — After months of delays and technical hiccups, some colleges and universities have started to receive federal data they need to put together financial aid offers for incoming students, the Biden administration said Monday. FAFSA information is used to award state and federal education grants, and schools use it to assemble financial aid packages for prospective students. “Any delays …

Opinion: The college tuition system is broken. FAFSA headaches are the latest proof
10 months ago

Opinion: The college tuition system is broken. FAFSA headaches are the latest proof

LA Times  

Thanks to delays in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process, millions of potential college students and their families will have to wait longer than usual to learn what their financial aid packages will look like. Filling out the FAFSA is how potential college students prove their financial eligibility for aid that will help them cover tuition — Pell …

Editorial: Applying for financial aid to college shouldn’t be this torturous
10 months, 1 week ago

Editorial: Applying for financial aid to college shouldn’t be this torturous

LA Times  

Getting help paying for college starts with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, but this year there’s major glitch. The U.S. Education Department, which is responsible for the FAFSA, has set up help lines, but the lines are swamped with calls and many students can’t get through. This week, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the department …

Feds move to ease FAFSA financial aid chaos, but no quick fix emerges
10 months, 1 week ago

Feds move to ease FAFSA financial aid chaos, but no quick fix emerges

LA Times  

Under enormous pressure, federal education officials announced Tuesday another round of steps to ease a crisis caused by the trouble-plagued rollout of the key form used by aspiring college students to calculate all-important financial aid packages linked to their upcoming college acceptances. “Our top priority is to ensure students can access the maximum financial aid possible to help them pursue …

UC and CSU extend May 1 deadline to accept admission offers for fall 2024, citing FAFSA delays
10 months, 2 weeks ago

UC and CSU extend May 1 deadline to accept admission offers for fall 2024, citing FAFSA delays

LA Times  

Students admitted to UCLA who completed their intent to enroll win cheers from campus members in 2020. The University of California and California State University announced Wednesday they are extending the May 1 deadline for students to accept their admission offers for fall 2024, citing delays applicants are facing in completing a new federal financial aid form. “Students who have …

CSU plans to expand student grants to cover full tuition and living expenses
10 months, 3 weeks ago

CSU plans to expand student grants to cover full tuition and living expenses

LA Times  

At “Go Beach” sign stands at Cal State Long Beach. California State University trustees voted Wednesday to expand grants to fund the full cost of tuition and living expenses for students who show they need the aid to attend college. The decision is the first step to make good on a pledge they made last fall that at least a …

The new FAFSA is meant to make applying for college aid easier, but not everyone can access it yet
11 months, 2 weeks ago

The new FAFSA is meant to make applying for college aid easier, but not everyone can access it yet

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A new online application designed to make applying for federal student aid easier went live this week, but not everyone has been able to access it. The beta testing-like process has complicated financial aid advisors’ communication with students, said Helen Faith, director of the Office of Financial Aid at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since this year’s timeline …

What to know about changes to this year’s FAFSA application for college students
11 months, 3 weeks ago

What to know about changes to this year’s FAFSA application for college students

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — A new version of the federal student aid application known as the FAFSA is now available to all college applicants for the 2024-2025 school year. The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid was designed to make it easier for students and parents to apply and to make more of them eligible for funding. The FAFSA is …

FAFSA season starts: What you need to know for financial aid
2 years, 2 months ago

FAFSA season starts: What you need to know for financial aid

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The Free Application for Federal Student Aid filing season starts Oct. 1 for the 2023-2024 school year. The FAFSA is a free government application that uses financial information from you and your family to determine whether you can get financial aid from the federal government to pay for college. Before starting your application, McCarthy recommends using your …

FAFSA season starts: What you need to know for financial aid
2 years, 2 months ago

FAFSA season starts: What you need to know for financial aid

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The FAFSA is a free government application that uses …

A guide to the coming financial-aid process
2 years, 4 months ago

A guide to the coming financial-aid process

Live Mint  

With the college-application process kicking off this month, the quest for financial aid is just around the corner. Not applying Many families don’t believe they will qualify for financial aid, so they never fill out the Fafsa, or the CSS Profile, which nearly 250 schools, mostly private, require for nonfederal aid. Families who can’t use the retrieval tool should use …

You got into your dream school, but it’s pricey. Can California help pay for it?
2 years, 7 months ago

You got into your dream school, but it’s pricey. Can California help pay for it?

LA Times  

Students at Downtown Magnets High School in Los Angeles meet with college admissions officers during an information session on campus. Expanded Cal Grants: This past year, state elected officials significantly expanded Cal Grants — already the largest state financial aid program in the nation — by liberalizing eligibility requirements and providing award offers to an additional 140,000 community college students …

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