Sierra Community College in Rocklin.
Source: Sierra College / Flickr
This summer was a stressful time for Leslie Valdovinos as she waited for the letter offering financial aid for her fourth year at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
“I don't have a backup plan in case I can't count on financial aid,” Valdovinos said. “Financial aid is the only plan I have.”
Widespread problems with the remade Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are causing unprecedented difficulties with the application, resulting in delays in college decisions and making it particularly difficult for California’s many “mixed-status” students — those who have at least one parent without a Social Security number — to complete the form. Students continue to face delays in receiving their financial aid information.
“It's very stressful because tuition is going up and I'm not sure what my financial situation is going to be this school year,” Valdovinos said.
Valdovinos finally received her financial aid offer letter on August 8, but many are still waiting. According to a survey by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, 28% of students nationwide had not received an offer of financial aid as of May.
Some students have been able to get scholarships to help cover the cost of school. Azul Hernandez, a rising freshman at California State University, San Bernardino, has received help from local scholarship funds.
“Right now I am able to pay my tuition for this year through local scholarships I have received, but I am still fighting to get help to cover future years and other costs like books,” said Hernandez.
California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) has begun offering a $4,000 “backup” grant to support low-income students whose financial aid has been deferred. The money is intended for low-income California residents.
“This initiative is a response to the challenges posed by FAFSA delays, with CSUMB committed to supporting its community by ensuring that no student is left behind due to procedural setbacks. The grant is intended to provide immediate relief to students who are still awaiting federal and state aid decisions,” according to an announcement of the program.
While some students may be able to get through the school year without financial aid, many will not be able to continue their education if they do not receive their financial aid offer on time.
Jonathan Ramirez was scheduled to start his freshman year at Victor Valley College in a few weeks, but has not yet received his financial aid letter.
“I'm a little concerned because you know, I don't really have a lot of money, and I really want that money because I want to continue going to college and have a career and stuff. Without (financial aid) I don't think I can do that,” Ramirez said.
If he doesn't get financial help and has to drop out of school, Ramirez plans to go to a trade school or work to save money.
As the number of FAFSAs filed in the state declines, Ashish Vaidya, president and CEO of Growing Inland Achievement, worries that fewer students will be able to attend college. As of Aug. 2, 49%, or 298,026 members of the class of 2024, have filed, down 30,550 from 2023.
Vaidya described this year's implementation of the FAFSA as “a catastrophic impact on students, especially in the Inland Empire,” citing a feared decline in the number of students attending college.
Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education and economic equity in the Inland Empire, which includes Riverside and San Bernardino counties. GIA supports students through the financial aid process with workshops, step-by-step guides, and digital resources to help students succeed.
“This is an approach where everyone contributes,” Vaidya said.
Other organizations, such as uAspire, a nonprofit focused on supporting students through the financial aid process, work directly with students by providing free individual counseling and financial aid workshops.
Valdovinos took advantage of the workshops and tutorials her school offered, but she found the one-on-one attention most helpful because it was so personalized.
“(The tutorials) gave a good guideline to what was going on, but I think it was very frustrating because my brother, sister and I had different applications, because it didn't really take into account all of our personal situations,” she said.
Valdovinos said she hopes next year's application will include “more detailed and accessible explanations for each section of the FAFSA, including examples and frequently asked questions of all the possible scenarios that could occur,” which she said would help reduce confusion.
Normally, as has been the case for decades, high school seniors and community college transfers would begin filling out the FAFSA in October to meet California’s March priority deadline for access to state aid like the Cal Grant. During that time, those students would submit applications to the colleges and universities they seek admission to, so they would receive their offer letters in early spring. The traditional timing allowed financial aid offices to send out details about grants, loans and scholarships to students around March and April, giving them time to make a decision on which colleges they want to attend in the fall.
But this year’s repeated FAFSA interruptions mean that colleges have been unable to award financial aid because students have had difficulty applying, the department has miscalculated some students’ financial aid, or colleges have not received financial aid information from the department. Each award letter that colleges send to admitted students who complete a financial aid application is tailored to include a combination of federal, state, and institutional grants, loans, and scholarships.
On August 7, the Department of Education announced that the 2024-25 FAFSA will be delayed again as the Federal Student Aid Office works to identify and correct problems with the form. The new form will be rolled out in phases, opening for testing on October 1 and launching with full functionality on December 1, “including submission and back-end processing simultaneously.”
“When they roll out the new FAFSA for next year, you know, it's going to be a much improved process if you don't have the glitches and the hiccups that we've had this past year,” Vaidya said. “So we're hopeful about that; but we're not going to rest on our laurels.”
GIA plans to ramp up efforts in the coming year to reach more students and spread the message that “college is for everyone.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has promised changes to next year's FAFSA.
“After a challenging 2024-2025 FAFSA cycle, the Department listened carefully to input from students, families, and higher education institutions, made substantial changes to the leadership and operations of Federal Student Aid, and took a new approach this year that will significantly improve the FAFSA experience,” he said.
Ashley Bolter, a recent graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is a member of EdSource's California Student Journalism Corps.
