Modesto students encounter FAFSA glitches & fewer are applying. What’s that mean for aid?
A congressional effort to make submitting the FAFSA easier for students hasn’t worked out well for many seeking the financial aid and may lead to fewer students attending college in the fall.
Passed in 2020, the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act required the U.S. Department of Education to make changes to FAFSA by Jan. 1, 2024. But glitches have limited access to the forms, resulting in fewer submissions by students in Modesto and across the nation.
The National College Attainment Network found a 30.2% drop of FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) submissions for Modesto City Schools. The report also found that nationwide, the high school class of 2024 has a 27.1% drop of submissions compared to the class of 2023.
The network has information on FAFSA submissions tracked in weekly updates from when the application period opened Oct. 1 through the week ending March 29.
The deadline for California’s FAFSA and other student aid from the state has been extended a month, from April 2 to the new deadline of May 2 for students attending a four-year university, according to the California Student Aid Commission.
California students attending community college have until Sept. 2 with the new deadline to submit their application.
The FAFSA is an application for federal aid to help students attend higher education or career schools. Students need to complete the application to apply for federal grants, work-study funds and student loans.
In addition, many states and colleges use FAFSA information to determine student eligibility for state and school scholarships and loans. Some private aid providers may use FAFSA information to determine if a student qualifies.
Federal Student Aid office announced three weeks ago that its system didn’t include all data fields to correctly calculate aid based on the assets students reported, requiring their applications to be rejected.
All Modesto City Schools’ high schools, except for Robert Elliott Alternative Education Center, have seen a decrease in submissions compared to last year.
Sharokina Shams, the public information officer at Modesto City Schools, said the drop in the number of FAFSA form being successfully submitted from Oct 1 is due to application processing issues by the Federal Student Aid Office.
“It’s a nationwide problem, unfortunately impacting hundreds of thousands of students currently applying for college financial aid,” she said. “This includes a delayed start compared to last year in terms of when students could even access the website.”
Previously, the district has hosted FAFSA nights and other informational presentations when applications opened in October, but did not host it that month due to the problems with the FAFSA system. The district adjusted by holding these informational sessions during class periods and lunch periods throughout the rest of the year.
Downey High School has 156 students who submitted the FAFSA this year, while 281 applied last year — a 44.5% drop. Beyer High has 128 students who submitted the FAFSA this year, compared to 219 last year— a 41.6% drop.
Davis High has 138 students who submitted the FAFSA this year, while 237 applied last year — a 41.8% drop. Enochs has 300 students who submitted the FAFSA this year, down from 366 last year — an 18% drop.
At Gregori High, 221 students submitted the FAFSA this year, compared to 250 last year — an 11.6% drop.
Modesto High School has 187 students who submitted the FAFSA this year, while 276 applied last year— a 32.2% drop
Johansen High School has 118 students who submitted the FAFSA this year, compared to 163 last year— a 27.6% drop.
And Elliott Alternative has nine students who submitted the FAFSA this year, up from eight last year — a 12.5% increase.
Those looking for help to fill out their FAFSA can attend by registering for the Statewide Cash for College Webinars. Remaining available sessions will be held April 15, April 18, April 24, April 25 and May 1st before the application submission deadline.
