Amid widespread problems with the federal student financial aid application, all of Washington’s public universities will give students an extra month to decide whether they want to enroll in the fall.
The change, announced by a coalition of the state’s university leaders Friday, is necessary for the students and the schools. A rebooted version of the federal government’s FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) has been riddled with complications since its launch late last year. Scores of other colleges have made the same adjustments across the country, changing the standard May 1 commitment deadline to June 1.
The Department of Education hasn’t processed FAFSA applications on time, delaying the release of vital information about aid to families and schools. Children of parents without Social Security numbers have also reported not being able to access the form, Politico reports.
The new FAFSA was supposed to make the process of applying for aid easier. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., was an instrumental negotiator in the 2020 law that mandated the overhaul of the FAFSA, which was long criticized for being complex and clunky.
Murray was among 37 senators who signed a letter to the Department of Education urging a quick resolution to the rollout problems.
“We are supportive of the department’s decision to make these adjustments in the updated form, but were disappointed to hear these adjustments would lead to even further delays in this year’s FAFSA processing,” the letter says.
The letter goes on to outline concern that the delays would further discourage students from attending college. Fewer than half the number of students have filled out the FAFSA compared with this time last year, according to the National College Attainment Network. Higher education leaders were already concerned about waning college attendance since the start of the pandemic.
The University of Washington typically has around 80,000 students’ financial aid information by now, said Kay Lewis, executive director of financial aid and scholarships at UW. Right now, neither UW nor any other college has received that information. Before the reboot, it would take about two days for schools to receive that information, according to Lewis.
More students are now able to access the platform after federal officials resolved some bugs. But many are still locked out, especially if they have more complicated financial histories, said Lewis.
“We want students to continue trying to apply,” said Lewis.
Washington was already a poor performer on student FAFSA completion prior to the application changes. That trend is holding for now. The state ranks 41st in the nation for FAFSA completions.
