FAFSA: Simplification or Complication?

Recent changes made to ‘simplify’ the FAFSA have left some students stuck in the middle of a glitchy, frustrating application process and others celebrating a new and improved experience.

The Free Application for Financial Aid Simplification Act was passed on Dec. 27, 2020, to make student aid more accessible to college students. The simplification included shortening the length of the FAFSA application, using IRS data retrieval tools, and requiring invitations to be sent to family members to fill out sections. 

Traditionally, the FAFSA opens for student applications in October, but the 2024-25 FAFSA was opened as a soft launch in December.

Hopes were high after the act was passed, but now, after the opening of the FAFSA, thousands of students, parents, and counselors are questioning whether these changes are making it easier for students or not.

Megahn Webber, Elmhurst University’s assistant director of financial aid counseling, gave insight into how the Simplification Act will affect EU specifically. 

“Trending positive for sure with all of the calculations that we have done so far,” said Webber. “It looks like it is going to be an overall positive for students getting more aid and the university getting more funds.”

Specifically, EU students are expecting to receive more funding through the Pell Grant. Now, previously ineligible students are eligible, and past grant recipients can receive increased amounts.

To get a gauge of what EU students are undergoing with the simplification, a survey was distributed via The Leader’s Instagram and EU’s Snapchat story. Twenty-five EU students completed the survey and shared their experiences with the new FAFSA application.

When questioned about their experience with the 2024-25 FAFSA application compared to previous years, 44% of respondents found the new form somewhat more challenging. Meanwhile, 36% reported that the new form was easier, and the rest didn’t notice any difference.

64% of respondents had not experienced any glitches or errors while completing the new FAFSA, but there were 32% who dealt with some sort of glitch.

Issues that students were presented with while completing the new FAFSA were “Website crashes,” “FAFSA was unable to save when I wrote races into the optional text box,” and “Sometimes the website is slow when I create an account for my parents.”

One major glitch is preventing students whose parents lack a Social Security number from finishing the FAFSA. To generate an FSA ID for parents, students need to input their SSN, but the updates don’t permit leaving the SSN field blank. Consequently, only the student’s section can be completed, rendering the FAFSA incomplete.

This issue is directly affecting EU students, as many students attend whose parents don’t have SSNs. 

EU students replied to the survey, saying, “Most of the glitches occurred throughout the parent section due to the fact that my parents don’t have a social security number,” “Could not make an account for my undocumented mother,” and “Couldn’t make an account for my parents because the option that lets me say they don’t have a SSN doesn’t work.”

Many EU students were able to breeze through the application process, while others are stuck waiting for the federal government to fix the issue.

Webber commented on the challenges the glitch has presented. 

“This has been impacting students who already have difficulties with the FAFSA,” said Webber. “It’s just creating a bigger hurdle for students who already have hurdles.”

EU’s Student Financial Services are aware of this situation and have been guiding students through what to do if they are experiencing this issue. They are recommending students hold off on doing any workarounds until the issue is fixed unless they specifically have a deadline to meet.

Webber offered a suggestion for students who are experiencing this glitch.

“If there is something that you are concerned about, just give us a call and ask if we know anything so we can give you the information that we have,” Webber said. 

The Department of Education releases new information every day. Student Financial Services is trying to release current and accurate information to students.

For any students who are having issues or just want guidance on filling out the new FAFSA, Student Financial Services holds workshops so students can have a counselor there with them while they complete the FAFSA.

52% of survey respondents expressed some level of concern about the FAFSA application for the next school year. 

Webber acknowledged that all students are affected by the FAFSA Simplification Act.

“Every student is in the same boat,” Webber said. “No applications are being processed just yet. So it is not like students are behind other students. They are all together in it.”