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College Leaders Beg Minnesotans to Submit FAFSA for Financial Aid for School
State officials are teaming up with college access advocates and school leaders to address low FAFSA completion rates after months of technical challenges with the form.
The FAFSA, or Free Application for Financial Aid, is how current and prospective students qualify for federal and state grants, as well as many scholarships and other types of financial support, to cover the cost of attending an institution of higher education.
Notoriously long and complicated, the FAFSA changed this year with the goal of making the process simpler for applicants. But the launch was fraught with problems – delayed launch, glitches, forgotten inflation adjustment.
Only 33 percent of high school seniors in Minnesota had completed financial aid applications by May 3, the most recent date for which data from the National College Attainment Network was available. This represents a 16% reduction compared to last year. Completion rates are lower than average in school districts with more low-income students and students of color.
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“The main reason for the drop in FAFSA completion this year is due to technical issues with a new FAFSA form. Many Minnesotans were unable to start the form, let alone complete it,” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said at a news conference Monday.
“These issues have been addressed and we are here to encourage all Minnesotans to try again.”
Flanagan stood before a podium in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol with a crowd of nearly two dozen college access advocates, including student leaders and representatives from different colleges.
They announced a coordinated campaign to address FAFSA completion rates, with the state investing $30,000 in the effort and directing students and families to a variety of resources across Minnesota.
“If this obstacle, if this process is becoming a challenge for you, and you are even in doubt about going to college, there is still time. Please reach out to any of us in higher education,” said Omar Correa, vice president of strategic enrollment management at the University of St. university career.”
FAFSA Challenges
Karina Villeda, 28, is a first-generation college student studying at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She said she didn’t even know the FAFSA — or financial aid — existed until just before her first semester of college.
“I would have paid out of pocket without knowing… I never had anyone to guide me through the process and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I am a non-traditional student.”
“I wish I had heard that when I was in school almost 10 years ago. Because if that was the case, I would have gone to college right after high school, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case,” she added.
Villeda said the FAFSA was relatively quick and easy to complete this year compared to previous years — it took less than 15 minutes. Another problem? Still not sure what your financial aid package will look like for next year.
Some colleges sent out financial aid packages later than usual due to delayed FAFSA reporting. This will determine which classes she can take and, in turn, how many hours she can work and how long her daughter will have to be enrolled in daycare.
“I would love to see my financial aid package, just to see what my schedule will look like,” Villeda said.
Macalester student Anahi Sanchez explained that the FAFSA changes have had a critical impact on families with mixed citizenship status like hers. For months, parents without social security numbers were unable to create accounts or sign forms.
“I remember one day my dad took a morning off from work to make a verification call at 8 a.m., the time they opened,” Sanchez said.
“He was on the line for hours before finally hanging up. And so this didn’t just happen once, it happened on multiple occasions. Three.”
In a letter to Gov. Tim Walz in mid-April, a coalition of organizations said the implementation of the FAFSA “has created a crisis that has endangered Minnesota’s students, institutions, and skilled workforce.”
“We know that if students don’t complete the FAFSA, they will be less likely to go to college because they simply can’t afford it,” said Mike Dean, executive director of North Star Prosperity, one of eight organizations that signed the letter.
“We’re not here to blame whoever is responsible for this, but how can we find ways to actually help Minnesota students complete the FAFSA to take advantage of all this financial aid that will help make college affordable?” Dean told MPR News.
This comes at a time when state and school officials had hoped to increase college enrollment with investments in higher education such as the North Star Promise Program, which covers tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for Minnesota residents with household adjusted gross incomes of less than $80,000. To qualify, students must complete the FAFSA (or the Minnesota Dream Act application if undocumented).
On Monday, leaders at the University of St. Thomas (speaking on behalf of all of the state’s private universities) and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system said they are seeing an increase in college applications next fall, despite of FAFSA complications.
“This is also why we want to focus so much on encouraging students to complete the FAFSA so they can get on with those applications,” said Paul Shepherd, interim associate vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management at the Minnesota State System. .
He said Minnesota state schools do not have decision deadlines, so students can still submit the FAFSA and register for classes. Many other colleges and universities have postponed their priority deadlines to accommodate late notice of how much students should pay for college.
Student support
On Monday, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education announced $15,000 grants to two organizations that already offer individualized help with the FAFSA: College Possible and Achieve Twin Cities.
Organizations will offer individual support to students and families who want to complete the FAFSA. The state grants will allow them to expand beyond their existing student base to offer more interpretation for multilingual families, in addition to hotlines, webinars and summer staff. They are also available to partner with school districts and community centers.
Dennis Olson is commissioner of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. At Monday’s press conference, he said the goal is to get students to complete the FAFSA as quickly as possible.
“There is still time to apply for financial assistance,” Olson said. “But honestly, that time is now.”
Achieve Twin Cities will support Minneapolis public school students and St. College Possible is available to support students across the state.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced a similar grant program that offers up to $50 million to scholarship recipients nationwide to increase FAFSA completion rates.
Olson said the state agency will apply for federal grants, but also encourages partner schools to apply directly.
“It’s an incredibly important effort,” Olson said.
The Minnesota Office of Higher Education has a list of resources to help complete the Free Financial Aid Application on its website: FAFSA Completion Resources (state.mn.us)