Senior year: a time spent full of shared feelings among students of excitement to put on caps and gowns for graduation to go to their schools of choice. For the class of 2024, however, many spend their time dreading the financial aid fiasco that comes with delays and uncertainty that may not allow them to attend college at all. Many future college students feel growing concerns over the delay associated with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application.
This application allows students to gain financial aid from the government by completing an application asking questions to determine their financial status. The FAFSA application takes about an hour to fill out and can determine whether or not a student will gain financial aid for their future four years of college.
FAFSA’s delay in college decisions has already revealed much larger problems. Normally, millions of incoming college students would have reviewed financial aid offers weeks ago and would have committed to their campus choice for the fall. Families’ financial status and whether the student can go to college all reside within the decision of access to financial aid. This leaves a student’s course selection and living situation much more difficult to figure out promptly.
The FAFSA delay impacted how quickly colleges will send out financial aid offers to the 2024 fall season applicants. This then changed how much time students will have to weigh their offers and make a major life decision.
The fiasco will adversely impact students from disadvantaged households. They may not have the financial support to navigate through the issue and could be more prone to giving up which will, if this issue continues, lead to a smaller group of highly educated Americans.
Furthermore, since there is less time to consider offers sent by other colleges, students may resort to choosing their college too quickly, which could increase transfers in the following years. Some students, who may not even want to deal with the circumstances, may choose not to enroll in college at all.
The issue is not only the delay but also how this affects families individually. Families with many children who may not be able to afford all of them going to college desperately need this financial aid to give their kids a proper education. The mistake made in the incorrect calculations makes the system see families needing a lot less financial aid than they need. This puts the family in much more of an anxious situation wondering how to pay for the expense of college which may lead to more students not going to college at all.
College is very expensive; since 1980, college tuition fees have increased 180% on average, making it nearly impossible for some lower-class families to get into college without the FAFSA application and success. The delay greatly affects middle-to-low-income families.
The colleges who take the FAFSA aid, being aware of the problem, have extended the students’ college commitment decisions from May 1 to June 1, giving these students more time to make a decision that will greatly affect their future.
In Miami, Miami-Dade College has made college free for the class of 2024, which has solidified the decision for many students. Some students, on the other hand, may go to Miami-Dade and then transfer when their financial aid comes in, most likely two years into attending.
The situation is upsetting for many seniors due to the stress of delay in their futures. With college prices increasing, financial aid is needed more than ever and students have been unable to get it on time. Overall, the situation will be overcome for future years to come, and this year’s issue will most likely not leave a trail into later years, but the amount of stress and confusion this situation left is not something students and families want to deal with.
