ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — A record number of applications is bringing in Augustana's largest class in years. 766 incoming students moved in on Friday, planning to call Augustana their home for the next four years.
The college says this Class of 2028 stands out for its diversity, coming from 26 states and 33 countries around the world.
Moving one kid is hard enough, but both of Annette Crow's daughters are moving into their schools this week. This allowed the family to squeeze in one last road trip.
"We're moving [Madisen] in today and her sister tomorrow," Crow said. "We had piles of different things going to different places. Once we started putting things in the car, we realized we needed not one [car] but four."
Augustana College received more than 9,000 applications this go around, breaking last year's record.
"The size that we have of new student enrollment is consistent with what we were hoping for and budgeted for," explained Kent Barnds, executive vice president of strategy and innovation. "Yet we were able to do that with 600 fewer applicants for financial aid because of the FAFSA fiasco."
The Department of Education tried to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process easier when it unveiled a "simplified" form last December. However, it's likely the new look combined with the late rollout had some families bypass the entire process.
"The FAFSA simplification, while well-intentioned, was not executed effectively," Barnds said. "The sort of missteps early on, the idea that it was offline, that it was difficult to submit, probably discouraged a lot of students from completing the form."
Despite the struggles, Augustana College is keeping its head high, hoping next year's rollout goes a lot smoother.
"We remain optimistic that this coming year, things will be better and we'll be able to more effectively serve families who are seeking to attend colleges and universities," Barnds added.