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For high school students going on to college, the spring can be an exciting and nerve wracking time. May 1 is sometimes called “decision day,” the day that many students formally commit to their chosen college or university.
This year, unfortunately, there is a new — and unnecessary — worry for many students and their parents. Because of several problems with a revised federal student financial aid system, many students and their families still don’t know how much they will be expected to pay for college next year. That is unacceptable, and, unfortunately for some, could delay, or even derail, their plans for higher education.
For decades, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid has been unnecessarily complex and unwieldy. So, Congress ordered the Department of Education to improve it.
That improvement is underway, but not without too many missteps and mistakes from the Education Department.
The application has been shortened and streamlined. But that’s the end of the good news. Although the FAFSA is usually available for families to fill out in October, it was not available until January. Then, many families reported problems completing and submitting the form.
As a result, colleges and universities didn’t get FAFSA information until March, dramatically shortening the amount of time available to make financial aid decisions. In a typical year, more than 17 million students fill out the FAFSA. The information they submit is used to determine financial aid from schools and the federal government. It is also used to determine eligibility for loans and work-study programs.
Not having this information is a big detriment to students, especially those most in need of financial support. Kim Cook, the CEO of the National College Attainment Network, warned members of Congress about a potentially “catastrophic” drop in college enrollments, the Associated Press reported. Such a drop could also harm small colleges, which could face layoffs and even closures.
Many schools, especially those with financial resources, have extended the time for students to make enrollment decisions, and have increased their financial aid awards.
Last week, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency that allows students at the state’s public schools to receive state scholarships without having their FAFSA processed by the federal government. West Virginia has the lowest number of college graduates based on population in the nation.
“Really and truly, a lot of kids are sitting on the sidelines … wondering, ‘Am I going to be able to go to college?’” Justice said during a news briefing, according to the AP.
This situation is unacceptable for students in any state.
Sen. Susan Collins had stern words for U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona during a recent Appropriations Committee hearing. “I have heard from countless families, students, financial aid counselors, and administrators who have expressed their extreme frustration with the system. And I believe the department owes them an apology,” she said. “This wasn’t something that was dropped on the department at the last moment. It goes back four years. So, there was plenty of time to get this right.”
Collins and others are right to press the department on what went wrong and to push for immediate fixes. For some students, unfortunately, the harm may already have been done. It is incumbent upon educators and others to work to identify these students and to find ways to ensure their higher education plans are not derailed by bureaucratic incompetence.
