The troubled rollout of the updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) platform, has led to College Possible Minnesota has putting extra emphasis on supporting students as they work to complete their finance aid forms. Adding a layer of complexity, the State of Minnesota offers Minnesota Dream Act, which gives undocumented students the opportunity to apply for state financial aid assistance.
“FAFSA and Minnesota Dream Act application assistance has always been a core part of how we support the students we serve” says Senior Director of External Relations Isaiah Allen. In a typical year, this involves ensuring students have their financial aid forms completed in the fall of their senior year of high school and supporting the college students we serve in completing their forms as late as early spring.
However, this year, with the FAFSA form not being published until January of 2024, the entire process was delayed. When the form was published, the website had critical errors and failures. As a result, many students who attempted to complete the form were unable to do so, and many more students delayed attempting to complete it altogether. Compounding the problem, colleges and universities also struggled to receive timely and accurate student information from completed forms.
As the end of the 2023-2024 school year approached and close to 40% fewer students had completed the FAFSA compared to the same time last year, College Possible Minnesota prioritized communication with the students we serve to support them in completing their FAFSA forms.
“We recognized that with so many students not completing the FAFSA, we were on the verge of a college enrollment crisis” continues Allen. “If the reduction in FAFSA completions foreshadowed the numbers of students that wouldn’t enroll in the upcoming year of higher education, there would be a critically low number of students starting college in the fall. With this in mind, we started looking at how we could support any student in Minnesota that needed help with the FAFSA, not just the College Possible students.”
The most valuable resource we have for students is our 1:1 virtual support. Students can schedule a 45 minutes one on one virtual meeting with a member of the Programs Team who specializes in FAFSA completion. These meetings will help students navigate even the most challenging issues in the FAFSA system. There are also events available for students to attend in person. In August, College Possible Minnesota will host two events at the Capital One Café at the Mall of America. We will also be partnering with the Minnesota State Office of Higher Education and staff will be available to answer questions and help students with the FAFSA during the Minnesota State Fair.
“Looking forward, we anticipate that the launch of the FAFSA for the start of the 2025-2026 school year will be delayed and the completion timeframe will be tight again this coming year” Allen concludes. “We also anticipate that we will need to rebuild student trust in the form and student confidence that they will receive money for their education as a result of completing the FAFSA. We will work closely with partner educators in both high school and higher education to identify opportunities to support students in FAFSA completion.”
It’s not too late to complete the FAFSA. If students need help applying for financial aid or know of others who need help, they can go to CollegePossibleFAFSA.org and schedule a meeting with a specialist.
For media requests, please contact Isaiah Allen, Senior Director of External Relations, at iallen@collegepossible.org or Rebecca Merrill, Communications Manager, at rmerrill@collegepossible.org.
