Another Day – Another FAFSA Delay

Department of Education announces another FAFSA delay.

Another FAFSA Delay

In case you missed it, the U.S. Department of Education announced another FAFSA delay earlier today (01/30/24).  

Student information will not be sent to schools/stares until mid-March.

Potential Impact of This FAFSA Delay

***Updated information is in this post.***

This is concerning for all students dependent on financial aid, but especially for incoming students, who must weigh aid packages from each school before making a final decision.

Students and their families will have very little time to carefully evaluate the merits of each received package against the family budget,

Assuming the DOE sticks to the new date, schools must scramble to assemble and send out packages, which means students probably won’t receive until sometime in April.

The national deadline for securing a spot at college is May 1.

Inquiries have been made to a few schools to see if an extension is under consideration, but it’s too early for a determination to be made.

Under the circumstances, it is unlikely that extensions will be granted because of all the other considerations that institutions have at this time of year.

Update:  Some schools have granted deposit deadline extensions. The continually updated list is maintained on “FAFSA Fallout Continues.”

If extension announcements are made, updates will be posted on the blog and “Education Unpacked” YouTube channel.

What’s next?

It would have been wonderful to report that the DOE was ahead of schedule with its reporting rather than pushing the date back, again.

Knowing this now, at least, allows families to set aside time in April for review. It may be necessary to skip a get-together or some other event to devote sufficient time to this most important decision.

Plan accordingly and check back here for updates.

The 2025-25 FAFSA application should be a smoother experience.

Additional Reading:

What’s Missing from the 2024-25 FAFSA? – (teshley.com)

Scholarships for Younger Students – (teshley.com)

FAFSA 2024-25 Rundown – (teshley.com)

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Categories: Financial Aid

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Were You Placed on the Waitlist by Your Top School?

Reaction to be placed on waitlist

You Were Placed on the Waitlist – Now What?

Being placed on the waitlist is not the end of the world or your dreams.

If your top choice school notifies you that you are waitlisted or your Early Decision/Action application has been deferred, don’t despair.

It’s not the result you were hoping for, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t be admitted.

What Can You Do?

Take a deep breath, then exhale.

Consider your options

Is this still your top choice?

Reevaluate why you placed this school at the top of your list.

If this is no longer your top choice, move on, and weigh the merits of each school that made an acceptance offer.

If this school is still your first choice, be proactive.Motivational Sign

Your chances of being made an offer are dependent on several variables that you have no control over. Be sure to take action in the areas that are within your control.

  • Depending on the size and location of the school, reach out to the admission office or its regional admissions representative.
    • Inform the rep that you still desire to attend and outline your reasons.
  • If there has been improvement in your grades, you received an award, etc., be sure to note this in your communication.
  • If you haven’t visited the campus, now is an excellent time to schedule a tour.
    • Do whatever you can to bolster your demonstrated interest. 
    • Advocate for yourself, but don’t be a pest.

Don’t Let Other Opportunities Slip Away

Because there is no guarantee you will be plucked off the waitlist or admitted during the regular decision round, be sure to put a deposit on your next school of choice.

It Feels Like Rejection – It Isn’t

Accepted or rejected are the terms most often associated with college applications.

Not admitted is my preferred term over rejection.

Rejected is harsh and misleading.

College admissions numbers are not in anyone’s favor, especially at schools that are hyped by rankings and reputation.

What happens when a school has two thousand available spots and receives thirty thousand applications from highly qualified candidates?

A lot of hard-working, committed students won’t be offered a seat.

You will have your pick of other schools that may prove to be better for you in the long run.

Once you’ve made your final choice, read these posts: For College-bound High School Seniors and Practical Advice for Incoming College Students.

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Categories: High School Seniors | College Students

What’s Missing from the 2024-25 FAFSA?

FAFSA 2024-25 missing inflation adjustment.

A Critical Element Is Missing from the 2024-25 FAFSA

Updates from the U.S. Department of Education

On 01/22/24, the U.S. Department of Education agreed to correct its income tables to reflect the inflation adjustment.

This was reported in an article by the Washington Post and other media outlets.

Shortly after the announcement of the error correction, the DOE made another announcement that has alarmed families and thrown university financial aid offices into chaos.

It has been widely reported that universities will not receive student FAFSA information until mid-March.

This has the greatest impact on this year’s college-bound high school seniors, who will not receive their financial aid packages until April.

With the customary commitment and deposit deadline being May 1, students will have little time to evaluate their offers to make the best decision.

Higher education professionals joined forces to implore universities to extend the deadline.

Some schools have already heeded the call.

***Extended deposit deadlines are being updated on the “The FAFSA Fallout Continues“ post***

Schools with Extended June 1 Deposit Deadlines

Misericordia University

Monmouth College

Wittenberg University

Widener University

University of Indianapolis

Kalamazoo College

Lewis & Clark College

Oregon State University

Marietta College

Oregon Institute of Technology

University of New England

Schools with Extended May 15 Deposit Deadlines

The University of California (all campuses

California State University

This list will be updated frequently, but follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for more timely information.

If you’ve been following the Financial Aid posts on this blog, you know that the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020 introduced many new changes to how students file and how financial aid is calculated.

The legislation’s goal was to make the application easier for everyone to complete and extend aid to more low-income students.

Most of the changes were implemented with the release of the new FAFSA, but there is one key factor that the Department of Education did not include.

What’s Missing?

An adjustment for inflation was not included in the new application.

Multiple news outlets have widely reported this. The Washington Post was the first to notify the public.

Without the adjustment for inflation, more income will be used to determine aid eligibility and award amount.

Students will not receive the full amount they are entitled to under the new format.

With rising inflation and tuition costs, this is unacceptable for students and their families.

The U.S. Department of Education Needs to Act – Now

Correcting this error will further delay the already behind schedule process, but it would be the best course of action for all students.

There has been no commitment from the DOE to fix the error for the current FAFSA.

They have not stated if the change will happen now or with the 2025-26 FAFSA.

What Can You Do?

Once again, the suggestion is to contact your Congressional representatives – all of them.

Implore them to have the mistake corrected with this year as soon as possible.

Hearing from constituents can be a great motivator for action.

If you don’t know your current representatives, use these tools:

Find Your Representative | house.gov

U.S. Senate: Senators

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Categories: Financial Aid High School Seniors | College Students

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