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NASFAA Urges FSA to Engage With the Higher Ed Community on Pending FAFSA Changes
NASFAA last week joined several higher education organizations in a letter calling on Federal Student Aid (FSA) to urgently consider what steps need to be taken to ensure that a FAFSA applicant is able to complete the 2024-25 form with ease.
The letter comes on the heels of FSA’s announcement that the 2024-25 FAFSA will go live by December 31, 2023, but that the department will not begin processing FAFSA forms submitted online until January 2024. Further, institutions will begin receiving Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) by the end of January 2024.
The letter recognizes the hard work FSA has done to begin to implement, and to communicate its FAFSA roadmap with stakeholders, but went on to underscore concerns over how the shortened timeline for the application will impact families and students. Signatories urged the department to provide greater clarity about how the changes being enacted will impact the aid processes that follow an applicant completing the form.
“The more information that can be shared regarding the implementation and timeline of the new FAFSA and associated processing systems, the more prepared the higher education community can be to ensure the best experience for students enrolling in and persisting through postsecondary education,” the letter reads.
Specifically, the letter calls on FSA to fully engage the higher education community and to work directly with experts in the field to identify any possible problem areas in the application process, and to develop approaches that would minimize any negative impacts on students, institutions, and states.
“We ask that ED’s communications to applicants clearly explain that while their applications have been received, they have not been processed by the Department of Education; what that means in terms of their institutions’ ability to determine their eligibility; and any recommended steps students might take to work with their institutions,” the letter reads.
The letter also requested that FSA explore how they can reduce burdens for institutions that would allow schools to focus their efforts on processing FAFSAs and packaging students under these truncated time frames.
NASFAA Statement on 2024-25 FAFSA Launch Date, Processing Delays
The Department of Education today announced that the newly overhauled 2024-25 Free Application for Fedaral Student Aid, or FAFSA will be open to students and families by December 31, 2023, nearly three months later than usual, following a previous one-year delay in implementation. While this delay is unfortunate, schools have had time to plan for it, since the Department announced this delay last February.
Unexpectedly, institutions are just learning today that the delivery of applicant information from the FAFSA will be delayed possibly until the end of January, slowing the delivery of financial aid offeres to some students even further, and making this already difficult enrollment year even more fraught with challenges.
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Nestucca Valley School District was awarded $1M from the Workforce Ready Grant through Future Ready Oregon
These funds will help build a new K-14 continuum surrounding Career-Technical Education tailored to support English language learners and low-income students. These K-14 students will have a smooth path to higher education through TBCC after graduation, allowing them to earn sustainable family wages.
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Text Support Available For Your Students
The College Place Oregon is here to help students; and we're especially happy to meet students where they are. For the past several years, we've been offering text-based support to students across Oregon. If you'd like your students to get a little "nudge" to keep them on track, please encourage them to sign up at:
https://bit.ly/ECMCTCP
We'll make sure they get the information they need when they need it, and our support and advice is just a text message away if they have questions. It's never too early or too late to sign up!
Statewide Paying for College Webinars
Paying for College webinars are in October this year due to the delayed opening of the FAFSA and ORSAA. Please help us get the word out- our flyer is attached.
Tuesday, October 24th at 6:30 pm (in English) register at: https://bit.ly/PFCE2023
Thursday, October 26th at 6:30 pm (in Spanish) register at: https://bit.ly/PFCP2023
Participants will be able to use the Q & A function to ask anonymous personal questions, which will be answered by some of Oregon's financial aid administrators. Questions may be asked anonymously, as we want families to feel comfortable asking those hard questions!
Register to host your own ECMC College Night Event
ECMC provides:
• $1,000 scholarship to award live at your event to a high school student in attendance (eligible for the first 120 registered events hosted by high schools or postsecondary institutions)
• PowerPoint presentation in English and Spanish (includes complete speaker’s notes – only available in English) along with video recordings of the presentation
• ECMC’s Opportunities booklets
• Site host guide (includes everything you need to know to host an event)
• Train-the-trainer webinar
• Customizable marketing materials available for download
• Presentation guides and sign-in sheet
Sign up today at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023-2024ECNsignup
Register Now for College Application Week
Our friends over at Oregon Goes to College are "gearing up" for College Application Week- an opportunity to help students complete their applications and celebrate their accomplishments. Sign up to host events in your building that help your students complete the key steps to apply, pay and go to college. Register now to receive free support for this fantastic series of events:
https://oregongoestocollege.org/events
FAFSA/ORSAA Changes
Bite sized videos from the Oregon Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) and a webinar recording from the US Department of Education are now available on the Oregon Goes To College website. Be sure to check out all of the resources we've been curating for you at
https://oregongoestocollege.org/fafsa-orsaa |
