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The issues with a revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form has caused frustration for thousands of students across the country, although Delaware rallied resources to push its completion rate back on track. | PHOTO COURTESY OF ADOBE STOCK[/caption]
WILMINGTON — This spring, Delaware education officials reported that 32% fewer Delaware high school seniors had completed a critical form that unlocks federal and state financial aid: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA for short.
The problem has been a year in the making as the U.S. Department of Education had promised a revamped and easier FAFSA form that would streamline students to receive federal aid like Pell Grants. But the new form was delayed, setting back the 17 million students that hoped to get a better idea of which college they could afford.
But even with months of glitches — and yet another push-back to open the new FAFSA form by December for the 2025 school year — Delawarean seniors seem to be completing the forms at a near normal rate.
Completed FAFSA forms are down 10.7% from the previous year, or roughly 750 students less students than this time in 2023, as of Aug. 22. More than 57% of Delaware’s high school seniors have applied and completed the form. That places Delaware at No. 6 for completion rates.
Tuition costs and other fees are among the top deciding factors for students, and in years past, thousands of students at Delaware institutions have relied on it to get a better idea of the equation. Final enrollment numbers are not in until October, so it’s too soon to tell how the FAFSA stumbles have impacted Delaware colleges.
For close to 10,000 Delaware high school seniors, it’s also a critical form to qualify for the SEED and Inspire scholarships at University of Delaware and Delaware State University.
The Delaware Department of Education does not have the data on how the FAFSA may have impacted those hallmark scholarship programs at this time, although state officials are continuing to work with students on completing the paperwork.
At University of Delaware, more than 70% of the undergrad students applied for aid through FAFSA last year. UD also granted an average of $14,343 in need-based scholarships to more than 8,260 students.
Even though the new FAFSA form was released months behind schedule and even more delays in sending the information to schools, UD officials were unconcerned in how the hiccup may impact the enrollment and bottom line.
“UD’s enrollment has never been healthier and more stable. For the seventh consecutive year, UD received a record number of first-year undergraduate student applications,” UD Assistant Vice President of Strategic Issues Management Christopher Vito said. “Nearly 40,000 first-year students applied to UD for roughly 4,300 spots in Fall 2024.”
Institutions like Goldey-Beacom College aimed to be proactive when it came to getting students in the best position to complete the FAFSA form. Workshops were organized on the college’s visit days to help encourage prospective students to fill out the form with a financial aid counselor on hand.
“The workshops were an invaluable opportunity for prospective students… it’s also important to note that those services are always available, and students can always schedule an appointment in person or virtually,” said Eric Johnson, Goldey-Beacom’s director of financial aid. “We also implement a robust communication plan to encourage FAFSA completions well before the summer arrives.”
UD also hosted financial aid events which reached 4,000 families as well as hosting one-on-one sessions with counselors and monthly financial aid nights for families.
But outside the college campuses, the FAFSA form issues mean bigger issues for those from low-income families and first-generation students. For many students who were born in the U.S., but they may have one or two parents who are undocumented — or even living in a foreign country.
“How it was set up was that you had to get an identification that could be verified through a social security number, permanent residency or other verified status. So parents who didn’t have social security couldn’t create that ID,” said Cory Dunt. “When these problems were fixed, it was through verification questions that sometimes relied on credit history. It’s just adding another layer to a complicated process.”
Dunt is the director of Stand By Me NextGen, a United Way of Delaware program that works to address financial literacy in high schools, reaching close to 80,000 people in various programs. This year, UD partnered with Stand By Me for walk-throughs for students that may have been struggling with the process.
In the last decade, Stand By Me NextGen has contracted with the state to offer help to school counselors as well as running workshops and presentations. It also helps walking families through the FAFSA process as well as seeking scholarships.
In a typical year, Dunt and his team of 14 coordinators start scheduling presentations on scholarships in the fall, and FAFSA workshops start on Oct. 1. But last year, with the delay in the form, Stand By Me NextGen were running day workshops and one-on-ones on how to get the IDs ready when the form was rolled out.
He said that the program had worked with one family for four months to move forward with the federal aid process.
“This is incredibly important to the families in Delaware because it’s their students' future,” he said. “With Hispanic families that have parents who are immigrants, their students' success is not only family success but community success… I do think without our reputation that we’ve been building in the last decade, Delaware wouldn’t have done as well as it had [on completion rates]. I think our work speaks for itself.”
