FAFSA Uproar 2024

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) are the 5 letters we seniors are constantly hearing about. We are told that it is stressful and a lot of busy work, but thanks to the new 2024-25 update on their application, their goal is to make the process easier for students, Or so we thought. There has been a surge of FAFSA application problems that are causing students and families to panic. Tax information is missing, updates are needed on paperwork, and pages aren’t loading, it’s something we all expected but not to affect us THIS much. Colleges are waiting for our FAFSA information to calculate our financial needs, but the delay is causing them to be pushed back on these calculations. Moving the submission of FAFSA to colleges further is likely the most consequential and destructive of the setbacks, especially for low-income and first-generation applicants who depend on timely financial aid offers to make college decisions. The confusion and stress levels in students are on the rise. Deadlines are being pushed, but this time it’s not deadlines that are benefiting us, but hurting us. Here are some ways we can help ourselves during this time to make sure our financials for college are situated to the best of our possibility.

Contact FAFSA (1-800-433-3243) if you have any questions
Sign into your FAFSA and make sure you have it submitted, signed, and have received an email of confirmation
Pay attention to updates from your colleges if they push back their FAFSA deadlines, or keep them the way they were.
Monitor your email and the news for any updates on FAFSA
Keep calm and understand that problems like these happen all the time, and will get fixed! Here’s some way to feel comforted

By: Fanta Dukuly