Frustrated students and parents waiting on college financial aid news.

TLDR:

• Many students and parents are frustrated over delays in receiving federal financial aid due to a late rollout of the revised FAFSA form.
• Some schools have extended their admissions deposit deadlines to accommodate the delays in financial aid notifications.

Article Summary:

For many students and parents, the excitement of college acceptance is dampened by uncertainty about receiving the necessary financial aid. The delay in the release of the revised FAFSA form has caused schools to postpone financial aid decisions, prompting families to put off critical college choices. The Education Department assured that the updated form would be easier to complete, but technical issues and missing features led to further delays. As a result, schools like Virginia Tech have shifted their admissions deposit deadlines to mid-May to allow families more time for informed decisions.

The Education Department is actively working to address the consequences of these delays by simplifying verification requirements and providing technical assistance to non-profit organizations. Despite efforts to streamline the application process, some students and parents still encounter challenges, such as errors with Social Security numbers that prevent submission. The prolonged uncertainty surrounding financial aid decisions is not only stressful for individual students, like Jesus Noyola, but also has wider implications for underrepresented and vulnerable populations who rely on financial aid for college education.