DAVENPORT, Iowa — Right now, students applying to college are filling out the FAFSA, or Free Application for Student Aid. The application portal opened in November after weeks of testing.
The chaotic rollout of what was meant to be a simplified FAFSA last year left prospective college students waiting months to learn what kind of aid they would get. Normally, the FAFSA is released Oct. 1. Schools will use that information to determine what financial aid they can offer students. They package it up with federal and state aid offers and send it off with acceptance letters in January.
That didn't happen last year, when a buggy and difficult-to-access website launched last December. Some families didn't receive aid packages until June or July.
But Molly Pancratz, director of first-year admissions at St. Ambrose University, said things are looking up this year.
"Students are expecting to file in a very smooth process because they've gotten all those bumps out of the road," Pancratz said.
The simplified FAFSA has less than half the questions and can be linked with parents' tax data from the IRS website.
"So students, when they file, they're seeing a lot more accuracy, they're seeing that they can file the document a lot faster, and they're seeing a lot more quick returns from the college side because they're able to do this in a lot smoother of a process," Pancratz said.
That means families can see aid packages faster — as long as they file as soon as possible. Pancratz said the university expects to send out acceptance letters and aid packages around the beginning of February.
She encourages every student to fill out the form to help choose their school.
"Filing the FAFSA is going to only open up options," Pancratz said.
FAFSA Assistance
If you're still having trouble with the form, you're not alone. Pancratz said there are plenty of resources available. She recommends calling the schools you're interested in, visiting the studentaid.gov website or going to filing assistance events.
At St. Ambrose, prospective students are paired with an admissions counselor who can schedule one-on-one appointments for application assistance.
"Especially for our local students, they can pop onto campus, they could make it part of their campus visit if they want to, and we can have someone to walk them through, hold their hand through that filing process," Pancratz said.
Here are some links to get started:
- Iowa students can schedule free appointments through the Iowa College Access Network to get FAFSA help.
- Across the river, students can also schedule free appointments with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.
- You can find tutorials, instructions and checklists on studentaid.gov.