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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)
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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.
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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.
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.
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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?
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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.
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