This story was updated March 29 (updated text is bolded below) to reflect the developing situation.
The federal rollout of changes to this year’s new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is delaying when U.S. colleges and universities will receive students’ financial aid applications this semester.
Illinois State University Director of Financial Aid Bridget Curl answers questions about the delay and how the University is pivoting to accommodate prospective students.
What is the issue with this year’s FAFSA process and who is impacted?
Bridget Curl: The federal government implemented many changes to the FAFSA due to the FAFSA Simplification Act. The process of making those changes delayed the release of the FAFSA until late December. At the end of January, the U.S. Department of Education announced a delay in the distribution of FAFSA application data to institutions, and they advised that institutions will not begin receiving applicant data until mid-March.
Illinois State has received some of our student FAFSA data from the federal government (as of late March), but we are still waiting for them to complete the processing of backlogged records. In addition, the federal government also indicated that they need to reprocess some of the applications previously processed and we are waiting for those updates as well.
What actions should prospective students take amid the bumpy FAFSA rollout?
Curl: The changes apply to the 2024-25 FAFSA and impact prospective students as it delays the delivery of aid offer notices, and some students may be waiting on their aid offer to make their college decision. Students should still submit the FAFSA now to meet institutional and state priority deadlines. These additional delays impact the delivery of the information to institutions.
Currently (as of late March) about 23% of the FAFSA records we have received are rejected, meaning the students may need to make corrections to them on the federal FAFSA site. However, the federal government has currently suspended students’ ability to make corrections to their FAFSA. The U.S. Department of Education has issued statements that the ability to make updates and corrections to the FAFSA application will be available in the first half of April.
How is Illinois State accommodating prospective students due to the FAFSA delay?
Curl: As a result of the delay, Illinois State is moving both the enrollment deposit and housing/dining contract priority deadline to June 1. In addition, the Financial Aid Office has extended the priority filing deadline for need based financial aid to March 1. We will get offers out as soon as possible once we receive the FAFSA results. We are also explaining the different types of aid that could be available, explaining the process for searching for scholarships, and discussing payment plan options.
What resources are available for prospective students with questions about the FAFSA process?
Curl: If students are having difficulties, they are welcome to call or email the Financial Aid Office at (309) 438-2231 or FinancialAid@IllinoisState.edu.
