News
MSU Financial Aid to Offer Support After FASFA Delays
The U.S. Department of Education and FAFSA are delaying corrections to students’ financial aid packages for the upcoming academic year, and MSU Financial Aid is working to provide students affected by the delays with information on how to protect their enrollment status while their packages await updates.
Corrections to the FAFSA form can be anything that needs to be resubmitted during the aid application process, such as the amount the student’s family is earning and total net income.
In an email sent to affected MSU students, the Financial Aid office said the U.S. Department of Education has informed schools that administer federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, including Michigan State University, that corrections to the 2024-25 FAFSA cannot be submitted to financial aid offices until the first half of August.
The email, sent June 24, said the issue affects a small number of MSU students.
In 2023, 61.6% of MSU undergraduate students completed the FAFSA, according to the MSU State Transparency Report.
The State News reported in February Many FAFSA recipients had to wait until April to receive financial aid after a delay. The delay was to fix a $1.8 billion error that overestimated the annual income of low-income students’ families, resulting in them earning less in financial aid packages.
“It is possible that corrections will not be processed before the fall 2024 semester bills are due, meaning actual aid would not be applied to your account in time to pay your bill,” the email stated.
The email further explains that MSU will protect students awaiting corrections from any administrative penalties, such as late fees or disenrollment.
The Office of Financial Aid stated that the pressure for delays in submitting FAFSA corrections came from the U.S. Department of Education, not the MSU administration.
Chad Sanders, communications manager for the Office of Financial Aid, said the office will protect students from late fees and disenrollment if students’ full balance is not paid by the due date, flagging accounts for monitoring with unsubmitted FAFSA corrections and removing holds.
“The Office of Financial Aid and Student Accounts is working closely together to ensure that students affected by this delay are protected from any harm,” Sanders said.
In the unlikely event that MSU is still unable to send out FAFSA corrections, another email will be sent to students who are having issues with financial aid not being applied to their accounts, the representative said.
With the fall semester tuition due in mid-August, students have time to consider other financial aid options, whether it’s a parent loan, a private bank loan or a federal student loan, the official said.
Sanders said the problem stems from the recently redesigned and revised FAFSA 2024-25 form.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education redesigned and simplified FAFSA applications for the 2024-2025 school year will require fewer questions to make the process easier for students without parental help.
“While the vast majority of issues plaguing the FAFSA have been resolved at this time, families waiting for certain types of corrections to be processed are still waiting to see their financial aid packages finalized,” Sanders said.
Any student experiencing delays should contact the Financial Aid Office for additional assistance and updates.
Support student media!
Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
Discussion
Share and discuss “MSU Financial Aid Will Offer Support After FASFA Delays” on social media.