Graphic by Bailey Vaughan
By Raina Burusnukul
Page Editor
This year’s FAFSA intended to increase eligibility for financial aid to low-and middle-income students, while also making the process smoother for both students and their families. However, some Amarillo College students said that couldn’t be further from the truth.
According to a CNN report, delays in the U.S. Department of Education’s newest Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, has affected over one million forms across the country, causing students to pay more tuition than they bargained for or drop out altogether to avoid unaffordable tuition costs.
With an original release date of Oct. 1, this year’s FAFSA arrived on Dec. 30 with what the Department of Education called a “soft launch,” meaning the application was only open for a specific amount of time each day, to a select number of applicants. The subsequent delays, system glitches and difficulties would only fuel the flames of frustration felt by students across the U.S.
Business Management major, Estefani Solorzano, said she experienced her share of financial aid challenges this year.
“When I was getting added to my classes, I was dropped from them because there was no set form of payment, then I had to pay extra to set up a payment plan which they can’t refund me for,” Solorzano said. “I have yet to be refunded for the initial payment and when I tried to call the FAFSA help number, they hung up on me.”
Students who cannot use their scholarships, grants and general financial aid balance frequently have an “incomplete” FAFSA file. An account can be deemed as “incomplete” for a number of reasons, ranging from something as simple as an unchecked box, allowing the Department of Education to view your contributor’s tax information from the IRS, to a technical problem that prevented several non-citizens and children of non-citizens from completing the form.
“What we’re running into is students wanting to use their Thrive scholarship and financial aid, but what they’re not realizing is that they have to complete the whole FAFSA process before they can,” Amanda Smith, associate director of financial aid, said.
Several students said they faced setbacks while completing their FAFSA application. They said they were prompted to email and invite their parent or guardian as a contributor to provide their information separately – this invite step being the biggest change in this year’s application. However, after emailing their parents with the invite to contribute, parents were unable to receive it, resulting in students “failing to fill out” a vital portion of their application.
“On the student side of the FAFSA, it shows that they sent the parent the email, but when the parents check their email, it shows that they never received the email,” an adviser for AC’s financial aid office said. “That’s been one of the biggest problems.”
Some AC students said they were frustrated with the Department of Education and how unaccommodating they have been with their life-changing circumstances — such as change in marital status, moving across the country and their change in dependency status.
For more information about financial aid and FAFSA, email the Financial Aid Office financial@actx.edu or call 806-290-4836.
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