Current:Home > ContactGot FAFSA errors? Here are some tips on how to avoid the most common ones. -AssetTrainer
Got FAFSA errors? Here are some tips on how to avoid the most common ones.
View
Date:2025-04-18 17:26:05
The new, simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been anything but simple so far.
After a 3-month delay, the FAFSA for the 2024-25 academic year opened a “soft launch” with limited hours that frustrated students and families eager to complete the form and be first in line for financial aid.
Just when it seemed some of the major bugs were getting ironed out and the Department of Education was able to open the form around the clock, the Department acknowledged Tuesday that $1.8 billion in federal student aid was at risk of being lost if it didn’t correct its formula to calculate eligibility to account for the past couple of year’s soaring inflation. So, without detailing how or when it would correct the issue, it said it would.
“Adjusting these inflationary numbers is the right thing to do, and should have been done from the beginning,” Justin Draeger, president of nonprofit advocate National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, because the Department is making these updates so late in the financial aid processing cycle, students will now pay the price in the form of additional delays in financial aid offers and compressed decision-making timelines.”
All of this makes the steps you take even more important to get everything right the first and hopefully, only time. You want to avoid questions or corrections later that could further delay your award.
Learn more: Best personal loans
Here are some common problems experts say they’ve seen and how to avoid them.
24/7 but glitchy:After soft launch challenges, FAFSA 2024-25 form is now available 24/7, Dept of Ed says
Tips to avoid common issues with the new FAFSA
Common problems with FAFSA and ways to avoid them:
- Students can’t sign the FAFSA before sending it to their parents: “This is common because the student is not scrolling to the bottom of the page to see the 'Continue' button,” said Bethany Hubert, financial aid specialist with Going Merry by Earnest. "Ensure you scroll to the bottom, press continue, and electronically sign your FAFSA.”
- Errors on the question regarding Dependency Status: When asked, “Are the student’s parents unwilling to provide their information, but the student doesn’t have an unusual circumstance that prevents them from contacting or obtaining their parents’ information?" Most students need to answer “No” to this question, as their parents will be willing to contribute to their FAFSA, Hubert said. When a student answers “Yes,” this makes the student eligible only for Direct Unsubsidized Student Loans, which are not need-based, she said.
- No application for state financial aid: Students in Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont need to file the state aid application separately from the FAFSA. Previously, filing the FAFSA would make you automatically eligible for state financial aid programs. This function is expected to return next year.
- Inflation adjustments: The Department of Education acknowledges it failed to account for the past few years’ soaring inflation in income levels used to calculate aid eligibility, but it’s fixing it. No one knows how or when but it’s “unfortunately, another setback in the 2024-2025 FAFSA that will likely increase delays and frustration,” Hubert said. All you can do is enter your information correctly and wait.
Still feeling stressed out?
The tips don’t cover everything that could go wrong, but Hubert says don’t worry. Here’s her advice:
- Be patient.
- Reach out to the financial aid office to let them know your concerns.
- Prepare an appeal letter: If your initial offer falls short, be ready to reach out to the financial aid office to inquire about the financial aid appeals process. Sites like Going Merry provide a helpful appeal letter template that can guide students in crafting an effective appeal, which could significantly boost your financial aid package, she said.
- Consult your high school counselor for valuable insights and guidance tailored to your situation.
- Consider lower-cost options, including community colleges, online courses, or alternatives that can provide quality education without the same financial burden.
- “Above all else - remember, you're not alone,” she said. “Many families are in a similar situation.”
Medora Lee is a money, markets and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.
veryGood! (52)
Related
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Cheese village, Santa's Workshop: Aldi to debut themed Advent calendars for holidays
- Mega Millions winning numbers for November 1 drawing: Jackpot rises to $303 million
- These Luxury Goods Last Forever (And Will Help You Save Money)
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Competing Visions for U.S. Auto Industry Clash in Presidential Election, With the EV Future Pressing at the Border
- Getting Out the Native Vote Counters a Long History of Keeping Tribal Members from the Ballot Box
- How Fracking Technology Could Drive a Clean-Energy Boom
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Election Throws Uncertainty Onto Biden’s Signature Climate Law
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- A presidential campaign unlike any other ends on Tuesday. Here’s how we got here
- RFK Jr. says Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water. ‘It’s possible,’ Trump says
- Police in Michigan say 4 killed, 17 injured after semitruck crashes into vehicles stuck in traffic
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Love Is Blind's Marissa George Debuts New Romance After Ramses Prashad Breakup
- Oklahoma storms injure at least 11 and leave thousands without power
- Trump talks about reporters being shot and says he shouldn’t have left White House after 2020 loss
Recommendation
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Rare coin sells for over $500K after sitting in Ohio bank vault for 46 years
Toxic Blooms in New York’s Finger Lakes Set Record in 2024
Pennsylvania Lags Many Other States in Adoption of Renewable Energy, Report Says
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Predicting the CFP rankings: How will committee handle Ohio State, Georgia, Penn State?
Brian Branch ejected: Lions DB was ejected from the Lions-Packers game in Week 9
Harris assails Trump for saying Liz Cheney should have rifles ‘shooting at her’