san antonio – Kristen Alicea, director of financial aid at the University of the Incarnate Word, said she couldn't help but dance when she received the first round of student aid data from the Department of Education.
“I think I jumped up and put my hands in the air,” Alicia said. “Because it feels like we finally have the first big step in data.”
After months of delays, the Department of Education has begun rolling out data from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to colleges nationwide.
Congress mandated a redesigned FAFSA application in 2020. The goal was to streamline financial aid forms and make college easier for families across the country, including San Antonio.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s good for the students and good for the families,” Alicia said. “It's going to be a tough transition until everything works out.”
Rolling out the new FAFSA form, a streamlined application, was challenging. Advisors from UTSA, the Alamo College District and UIW told KSAT 12 in January that there were multiple glitches during the soft launch, including identity verification issues and long waiting rooms.
Now in March, Alicia said most of the issues have been resolved. Her biggest concern is for students with blended family situations.
“The process to create an FSA ID is not fully operational yet,” Alicea said. “They have to go through a verification process. Many of them have to call the Department of Education or provide identification to proceed.”
Ana Acevedo, executive director of the San Antonio Education Partnership, said the Café College team is working to help students address these concerns.
“We're seeing things we've never seen before,” Acevedo said. “This has been unlike any other FAFSA season. Our biggest concern right now is that some students, or many students, will be disappointed.”
The Ministry of Education reported that significantly fewer students are applying this year than in previous years. Typically, students and their families can begin filling out forms in the fall. However, the new application was not soft launched until late December of this year.
There is one month left until the priority deadline for state financial aid applications in Texas. That date is April 15th.
Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.