One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
US Education Department Now Promising Three-Day Turnaround On Lingering FAFSA Applications
UC Santa Barbara's Henley Gate (Photo by compose-r via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
The U.S. Education Department has launched a national campaign to implore students who haven’t submitted their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to do so now.
The department is targeting states with the largest high school senior submission gaps, which includes California.
U.S. Education Department Under Secretary James Kvaal said on Tuesday that “students who complete a FAFSA today can expect their records to be sent to colleges within one to three days.”
Students must complete the FAFSA to access funds to pay for college, including grants, scholarships, loans, and work study. Colleges use FAFSA information to calculate how much a student should expect to pay.
Often, these financial aid packages determine where students go on to study. Without the processed FAFSA information, some colleges haven't been able to make aid offers.
New problems from new FAFSA
The department launched a new FAFSA in December, with the goal of making it easier for students to apply.
Sponsored message
However, a series of glitches over several months made it tough for many students, including technical errors in the tax information that’s automatically populated in the financial aid form. Other students weren’t able to submit their applications.
How bad is the problem still?
Across the country, FAFSA submission rates have dropped. LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Tuesday that about 70% of the district’s students have submitted their applications, down from 86% last year.
The U.S. Department of Education said in a press conference Tuesday that all applications that were impacted by IRS data issues have been reprocessed and forwarded to schools, states, and scholarship organizations. Plus, students with parents or caretakers who don’t have Social Security numbers can now enter their tax information manually.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said a “significant number” of applications have not been processed because parents and caretakers still need to complete their part.
Need FAFSA help?
Need Help With Financial Aid?
Here’s how colleges are helping answer FAFSA questions:
- Phone: The California Student Aid Commission is providing help by telephone and a chatbot.
- Online workshops: CSAC is hosting more than a dozen "Cash for College" webinars between January and May 2024. Register here.
- Individual offices: This CSU portal will connect you with financial aid offices (and help) for all 23 campuses.
- Select campuses: Many have thorough explainers on FAFSA changes — check out this one from Cal Poly Pomona, which can be used by many other FAFSA applicants. And campuses may also hold informational sessions that include help filling out the form, like this one at UCLA.
Sponsored message
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
