Deadlines changed over FAFSA delays
UW-Madison extends registration by 2 weeks
May 1 has long been the traditional decision deadline for high school seniors to commit to college.
But the federal government’s delays with a new financial aid form are prompting some institutions to extend the registration deadline. The University of Wisconsin-Madison joined the growing list Monday, moving its admitted student deposit and on-campus housing contract deadlines to May 15.
The decision will affect tens of thousands of students accepted to the state flagship university, most of whom need an aid offer to evaluate how much it will cost for them to attend.
Colleges use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA, to determine financial need and write aid offers.
The U.S. Education Department overhauled FAFSA this year after Congress passed a law in 2020 mandating a simpler process for students. The new version of the form asks fewer questions and extends Pell grant eligibility to more students, including nearly 10,000 in Wisconsin.
FAFSA completions decline
About 21% of Wisconsin high school seniors have completed the FAFSA, a 42% drop from last school year, according to federal data analyzed earlier this month by education nonprofit National College Attainment Network.
Students, parents and financial aid officers have reported glitches with the new form and limited windows of availability since the Dec. 31 launch, which was already three months later than when the form usually went live.
Students who are U.S. citizens but whose parents are undocumented and don’t have Social Security numbers are locked out of accessing the form. The department is working on fixes.
“Are there students who are going to be slipping through the cracks because of (these glitches)?” asked Stacy Eslick, executive director of the Wisconsin School Counselor Association. “That’s the concern.”
The federal education department had previously told schools they would start receiving financial aid information at the end of January. But colleges recently learned they won’t receive data from the FAFSA until mid-March.
Citing the delays, UW-Madison pushed back its registration deadline. The two extra weeks will offer families more time to evaluate offers and decide what makes most financial sense.
The university’s Office of Financial Aid website said it’s unable to estimate when offers will be made available to students.
“Spring is going to be busy on both fronts to make sure this gets done,” Eslick said, referring to both colleges and students’ compressed timelines. Other Wisconsin colleges respond Students applying to Marquette University will have at least two weeks from the date they receive their financial aid package or until May 1 — whichever is later — to decide. The university will offer extensions to students who request more time.
Beloit College doesn’t plan to extend its May 1 deadline. The school relies on families to fill out an additional form called the CSS profile and has been using information pulled from that form to provide students with aid offers. If a student ends up qualifying for less than what Beloit College estimated after submitting the FAFSA, the school said it will cover the difference.
UW-Milwaukee plans to keep its May 1 deadline, UWM executive director of undergraduate admissions Marc Young said. But as an open-access institution accepting most of its applicants, the university admits and enrolls students after May 1 through Aug. 1.
Are there students who are going to be slipping through the cracks because of (these glitches)? That’s the concern.”
Stacy Eslick
executive director of the Wisconsin School Counselor Association