The FAFSA Simplification Act aimed to make applying for financial aid easier for students, but multiple delays in releasing the new application has caused lingering issues for schools and students.
- Video shows students walking to classes at California State University Bakersfield
- CSUB student, Edgar Gabino, says this semester would have been his last before graduation, but delays in his FAFSA put financial holds on his account, making him unable to register for classes.
- He says by the time he figured out how to pay $3000 out-of-pocket, the last classes he needed were full, meaning he expects to stay a semester longer than he originally planned.
While the start of classes can be an exciting time for college students, the new FAFSA application roll out left some students with a rocky start and one Cal State Bakersfield student tells me delays may end up costing him more money.
Walking to classes at California State Bakersfield means a fresh start for the students, but the schedule isn’t the only new thing this school year.
“When I was applying I did hear here and there that there were some changes, but I didn’t know what the changes were,” Edgar Gabino, a student at CSUB, said.
This wasn’t Gabino’s first time submitting his FAFSA application.
“I’ve been doing this for three years. I didn’t have the memo like 'Oh, you should check these changes,'” Gabino said.
The FAFSA Simplification Act would replace the expected family contribution with the student aid index to determine a student’s ability to pay for college and align family size with tax returns.
It also removes questions about selective service registration and drug convictions along with race, gender and ethnicity identifiers and expands access to the federal Pell Grant.
“We did disperse out about 18% more aid than last year, and our Pell recipients are up about 17% from last year,” Chad Morris, the financial aid and scholarships director at CSUB, said.
In spite of a simpler application, delays complicated the process for students and universities.
“That kind of started the problems,” Morris said.
He says the applications typically roll out on October 1st, but the 2024-25 application became available nearly four months later, meaning CSUB students received their aid a month later than normal.
Gabino says because his aid didn’t come on time, he owed $3000 out of pocket.
“I feel like anyone can’t just drop $3000 out of nowhere,” Gabino said.
Until he paid, he couldn’t register for classes.
“I’m trying to figure it out, and I don’t want to leave school, but then, it kind of feels like ‘Oh, in order for you to pay for school, you have to leave school so you can pay what you owe,’” he said.
By borrowing from family and using money he saved from working over the summer, he paid $2000 to register for his classes, but he still owes $900.
“By the time I figured out the money, all my classes were taken.”
That means Gabino expects to stay an extra semester longer than he planned.
He would have graduated this semester.
“It makes me feel like sad because like my parents are like ‘Oh, you’re not gonna graduate,’ and it becomes more expensive, and it sets my life back an entire year,” Gabino said.
Gabino adds the financial aid office did what they could to help him, but he wishes there was more resources like a payment plan option to support him through the change because he says he’s not the only student to experience these setbacks at the start of the year.
“I was putting in the work before time. It’s not like I waited last minute," Gabino said. "I was putting in the work, but they didn’t know how to help me.”
The Cal State Bakersfield financial aid office says they still have funds to award to students.
If you're a student and still in need of help, you can visit the financial aid office on campus.
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