On March 25, 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California state legislature passed a bill extending the financial aid application deadline to May 2, allowing students to be eligible for state aid for longer.
Changes made to FAFSA for the 2024-2025 school year intended to simplify the process have instead resulted in many delays for incoming college students’ financial aid information, resulting in the deadline for this information to be pushed back.
The California financial aid deadline was initially March 2, as is the standard date in past school years. However, due to changes to the application made by the Board of Education just this year, complications resulted in the state deadline’s move to April 2 instead.
However, the deadline was pushed back yet again because of those ongoing complications, leading to this ultimate deadline two months later than originally planned. Following this timeline, the financial aid information is also being transmitted to universities up to months later than in past school years.
FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and it facilitates the connection between prospective college students and the financial help they need to attend higher education.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill to benefit many students planning to attend four-year universities, allowing much more time for students’ eligibility for financial assistance.
ANHS counselor Ms. Liegler comments on the FAFSA delays, saying, “The application is all new this year with an influx of online submissions. Students needed a lot more time to get through the updates, with extra training for counselors on how to help too.”
Even though the new FAFSA comes with many setbacks, the improvements raise the debate of whether those benefits outweigh the delay costs. The benefits include a shorter application, new factors counted into financial aid determination such as expected family contribution, and increase of individuals who qualify for grants and aid.
Many high school students in California stay in-state for college, and the deadline change allows such students to have a chance to receive the CalGrant or Middle Class Scholarship.
California has two different applications for incoming college students to receive financial aid, the FAFSA, which is the federal application and standard for the entire country across institutions, and the California Dream Act Application (CADAA), which exists only in the state for undocumented residents.
While only the FAFSA receives the extension, the CADAA did not face the troubles of the FAFSA. Both are intended to make the college process easier for students.
Alongside the later financial aid deadline, many California universities such as the UCs have pushed back commitment deadlines as well in accordance with allowing students to review financial aid packages before deciding on a school, as financial aid often plays a large role in students’ decisions.
Ms. Nguyen, Aliso’s college counselor in the College and Career Center, speaks on the FAFSA delays and moving deadline, stating, “The FAFSA rollout this year was riddled with problems, and as a result the state of California did not want students to suffer as a result. Because of that, they extended the state financial aid deadline from April 2 to May 2 to ensure that students were able to get financial aid offers.”
Although the FAFSA changes complicated the college process for many students, the changes are likely to remain with possibly less troubles in the future as it is worked on.
