'Every Day Is Precious Now': California’s Financial Aid Deadline Is Looming. Here’s What Students Should Know

Traditionally, most students on their way to college would be comparing their financial aid packages this time of year. But with just two weeks until California's current financial aid deadline, many students are still in limbo.

Millions of students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid annually to access funds to pay for college. Each state uses this information to offer additional aid, and colleges in turn calculate how much a student should expect to pay. For many, these financial aid packages determine where they go on to study.

This past year, the U.S. Department of Education revamped FAFSA to make it easier to fill out. In the process, the form rolled out late, and the website has had a number of issues.

Every state sets its own deadline for students to apply for FAFSA. In anticipation of the late rollout, California had already extended its own FAFSA deadline to April 2. Now policymakers at the state and federal level are figuring out what can be done to make sure students get the assistance they need.

What are some of the problems?

As recently as last week, students with parents who don’t have a Social Security number still couldn’t complete their applications. The department says this problem has been resolved, but other issues remain.

The federal delay also impacts state-based agencies. The California Student Aid Commission oversees state-based financial aid for students who plan to enroll at a CSU or UC campus; a California community college; or an approved career college or technical school. CSAC also processes California Dream Act applications, which provide state-based financial aid for undocumented students.

And normally, the commission uses a dashboard to track how many high school seniors have completed the FAFSA or the California Dream Act application. That task is now on hold, said spokesperson Shelveen Ratnam, while the agency awaits data from the U.S. Department of Education.

As CalMatters has reported, state Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes introduced a bill that aims to extend the FAFSA deadline to May 2. On Monday, her bill cleared the assembly. It now awaits a vote in the senate.

What’s the U.S. Education Department doing?

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued a letter to college presidents and chancellors listing steps campuses should take to make sure they are ready to receive students’ information.

“Every day is precious now,” Cardona wrote. The Department of Education, he added, has “received more than 5.82 million applications” — far less than the approximately 17 million annual applications it’s processed in recent years.

“If you have not done so already,” Cardona added, “we encourage you to reconsider aid application deadlines so that all students have time to submit and correct their FAFSA forms, and to ensure funding remains available so that all students will have equitable access to aid.”

The secretary also urged school leaders to change their decision dates and payment deadlines, to give students and families “time to make the best college decision possible.”

CSAC’s Ratnam echoed those points: Students need time to sit down with their financial aid offers and weigh their options, he said. “Financial aid plays a huge role in their lives.”

What should students and families be doing?

Ratnam, of CSAC, told LAist he’s “pretty confident” another extension bill will happen. Still, he urged students and families to submit their FAFSA applications as soon as possible.

When will those applications reach colleges? LAist asked the U.S. Education Department how many applications it’s processing per day and for a timeline for sharing FAFSA data with colleges.

In an email, a spokesperson didn’t offer specifics, but said the department “has begun delivering thousands of [processed applications] across hundreds of schools. As of March 18, nearly 6 million 2024-25 FAFSA forms have been successfully submitted since the new form became available.”

“The Department will continue to work tirelessly to ensure schools have the support they need to process student records and prepare aid packages quickly, and ensure students have access to the maximum financial aid available to allow them to pursue their higher education goals,” the spokesperson added.

What if a family has members who are undocumented?

Hazel Ramos works as a field consultant for the Los Angeles branch of the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), which was established to provide assistance with financial aid applications.

Since January, Ramos has been helping students and families throughout L.A. County navigate the new FAFSA website. She and her colleagues host information sessions and hands-on workshops at high school campuses and online.

For some students, Ramos said, the new FAFSA has been easy to complete.

But for students from mixed-status families — in this case, U.S.-born children whose parents are undocumented— the new FAFSA has been “really frustrating,” she said.

All students, along with their parents or guardians, must have Federal Student Aid IDs to fill out the application. Some of the undocumented parents Ramos has supported signed up for an ID back in January. “And they just got verified — and we’re in March,” she said.

The mixed-status families she’s worked with have been “very proactive,” Ramos added. “They showed up for the workshops, submitted their documents, took all the right steps — but they just weren't getting processed.”

If a student is having trouble completing the FAFSA, Ramos encourages them to ask their high school counselors for support. Or they can contact a local Cal-SOAP.

Students need to know “they're not alone in this,” Ramos added. “They have a whole community out here that is also going through the same thing.”