FRANKFORT, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a huge resource for those who need help affording college. There are currently some hurdles in that process, and it’s causing a massive slowdown.
Mike Abboud is the associate director for financial aid at the University of Louisville, and like many others in his position, he’s feeling the sting of a nationwide FAFSA hurdle.
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It started at the U.S. Department of Education, where what experts call an oversight led to a delay in the process, meaning these documents must be submitted individually.
“Rather than sending out 100 student corrections, we’re having to send essentially one email or one file at a time. That’s a pain, but it’s doable. For a larger school, it can cause a significant delay,” Abboud said.
That delay would mean some students who need these financial benefits wouldn’t get them in time for the upcoming fall semester. Diana Barber is the C.O.O. of the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). Barber has taken notice of how this could impact enrollment at larger schools.
“The impact to students is this will cause a delay in their award letters. If there’s too much of a delay, we’re afraid that some students will just decide to drop out and not go to school this semester,” Barber said.
The added struggle is also giving those who work in financial aid positions even more to work through as they try to serve as many students as possible.
“The schools are doing everything within their power. The financial aid offices to their great credit, are working overtime to manually process these issues and corrections with the FAFSA. They’re doing everything they can to help students out,” Barber said.
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It may add extra steps, but Abboud said it doesn’t completely take college off the table.
“It doesn’t mean that your journey ends just because you delay one semester, but I would say work with your college, your admissions office, as well as your financial aid office to set up a plan of action that if fall isn’t going to work out, don’t just give up. Circle back so that maybe spring does work,” Abboud said.
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