By Colette Hadley, Senior Director, Consulting Services
Reading time: Three minutes
We know that the long list of problems with the launch and implementation of the 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) has had repercussions for students and their family members as they have struggled to complete the form. Also strongly affected have been organizations across the country involved in college access advising and providing scholarships, due
to the often-pivotal role that the FAFSA has played in helping practitioners evaluate financial need when selecting award recipients.
At a May 9, 2024, peer exchange, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) provided space for scholarship administrators from member organizations to discuss what they have experienced, adapted to, and learned about during this difficult time. For
many members, working with students has two distinct efforts: (1) outreach and advising around FAFSA completion and (2) incorporating the information collected on the FAFSA Submission Summary to evaluate applicants for scholarship awards.
The first part of the peer exchange centered on what have been biggest pain points with advising on FAFSA completion, and what organizations have done to try to work around the problems.
Several NCAN members stated that they have been communicating FAFSA completion data weekly to highlight the below-average rates and help motivate schools and practitioners to act with greater urgency. District representatives are working around the clock
performing extra student outreach, not only dealing with initiating FAFSA applications for those students who have waited, but also following up on application completion and helping students to review and compare financial aid offers. Community-based
advisors are doing the same, with particular resolve around targeting students who have completely avoided the FAFSA process to this point.
Special advising efforts are particularly intensive for mixed status families, as several participants indicated that parents continue to be reluctant to contribute information to the FAFSA form in light of the problems that have occurred with registering
and verifying identity for a student aid account. Parents are fearful regarding the security of their information and their status. Members at the peer exchange talked about how they also focus on the need to educate parents about why completing their
contributor part of the FAFSA application is vital, but does not automatically obligate the parents to paying a certain amount for college costs.
The discussion moved on to the second part of the process, with members talking about what they adjusted in their scholarship timelines, application requirements, and tasks to deal with the FAFSA delays and other issues. It was noted that several states
moved their state priority submission deadlines to later in May or June, as did almost all scholarship organizations. In addition, many states and organizations reworked their processes to allow students to have their financial need evaluated in alternative
ways, instead of using the Student Aid Index from the standard FAFSA Submission Summary.
These workarounds include using the Federal Student Aid Estimator as a tool for students to provide at least an estimate for their financial situation, as well as allowing students to compose a personal statement describing their financial need. Others
are allowing students to provide an attestation of their need now, with the expectation that they will submit a complete FAFSA form by mid-August. It was suggested that a helpful and somewhat accurate estimate can come from utilizing the Pell Look
Up table that incorporates the adjusted gross income and family size.
Concluding the peer exchange, participants discussed what they have learned so far from the upheaval and FAFSA changes this school year. Overall, it was noted that scholarship administrators moved to a more trust-forward approach this year when evaluating
students for financial need, which may or may not be maintained in the future. Many members stated that we are still in the middle of solving FAFSA problems, so evaluation of this year’s process adjustments will likely occur more in the summer and
fall. Several members mentioned that they have had to provide additional training to their staff and to scholarship application evaluators and committees, educating them not to penalize students who have not completed the FAFSA application or process
in this year’s cycle, as the challenges with the form and processes were not something students and parents could control. Lastly, participants discussed the possibilities that the FAFSA may not be fixed or released on-time for the 2025-26 cycle,
thus they might start planning now for that possibility.
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