FAFSA Brings Relief for Affording College, But Headaches at Application

January 8, 2024March 2, 2024 tnhomeschoolers College, East TN, FAFSA, Middle TN, Tennessee Promise, West TN

The new and improved 2024–2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) (FAFSA) form had a soft launch on Saturday, December 30, 2023. The long awaited release was one full of promise of great expectation for students across the country who were eager to complete a college admission requirement providing a means for them to afford college for the upcoming 2024/2025 school year. What was supposed to be a streamlined and easier application process due to the FAFSA Simplification Act has resulted in more confusion and difficulty for students and parents as they try to complete the FAFSA.

Applicants trying to access the form on December 31, 2023, were greeted with the following message from FAFSA:

“Last night we started the soft launch of the 2024/25 FAFSA form. During the soft launch, we will make the form available for periods of time over the coming days while we monitor site performance and respond to any potential issues. We will also be initiating pauses to the site, during which time the form will not be available while we conduct site maintenance.” ~ FAFSA

Understandably with the release of the new form, it was expected there would be some issues with functionality, but It appears students and parents are the unknown testers of the new form during this soft launch period. Parents have reported the process of completing the form taking as little as 10 minutes to others stating multiple days due to the form being closed as additional fixes were done to the website. As recently as Saturday, January 6, 2024, the form was closed again for a period of time so the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could do maintenance updates to the FAFSA form in preparation for the upcoming tax season.

“We have been waiting for the FAFSA to finally open. I thought one of the reasons it [the form] was delayed was so it could be up and running right once it did open. All I’ve had is a bunch of problems completing the FAFSA. I am not even sure if FAFSA has all of the information it needs from me or if everything went through right,” said Susan Williams who worked with her daughter, Emily, to complete the FAFSA before Emily had to return to college for her spring semester.

Other issues applicants have had are parents not receiving invites for them to complete their portion of the form, uncertainty about what financial information needs to be entered, and receiving messages days after completing the form stating more information is needed to complete the initial form.

Once in full launch, the experience of completing the FAFSA form is expected to be easier to navigate, the FAFSA form more user-friendly, and the number of questions asked has been severely reduced. Users are hoping that time, full launch with no issues, is soon as students and parents feverishly work to meet FAFSA deadline requirements for college and scholarship applications, which will help students learn the amount of money they will receive. Knowing that information is crucial for many students who are deciding where they will attend college based on the amount of money they are awarded.

For now, FAFSA states users will have access to the form from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, but that could change at any time due to required maintenance. If you have a student trying to meet a college application or scholarship deadline, check with the entity to learn if there will be any allowances in case there is a delay with your access and completion of the form before those deadlines. Colleges and universities are also under pressure losing three months of processing time they had in previous years when the FAFSA opened in October.

For students using the Tennessee Student Assistance Award, the priority deadline is Monday, April 15, 2024, to complete the FAFSA. If your child is using the Tennessee Promise for 2024/2025, the application deadline to submit the FAFSA has been extended to Wednesday, May 15, 2024, to give students more time.