MONMOUTH, Ill. — The U.S. Department of Education announced last Tuesday that colleges won't receive students' FAFSA forms until mid-March due to additional inflation adjustments — which means some families and students won't know how much financial aid they'll receive by the usual enrollment deadline of May 1.
In response, Monmouth College announced last week that its enrollment deposit due date has been pushed to June 1. Students at Monmouth College rely on aid calculated through FAFSAs. About 45% of their first-year students receive a Pell grant, according to a press release. Pell grants are awarded to students with exceptional financial need.
Monmouth College will share its updated enrollment timeline with admitted students. The college said any announcements that list May 1 as the enrollment deposit deadline should be disregarded.
News 8 reached out to other colleges in the Quad Cities area about how they are responding to the delayed FAFSA information. Here's what spokespersons from those institutions said:
Augustana College
Augustana College Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Nicole Lauer told News 8, "Augustana is extending the FAFSA filing grant to March 1. We are exploring ways to provide families with an accurate estimate of the final cost to attend. But, we have not yet made a decision about moving the reply date. We are assessing whether or not we believe we can still deliver what families need from us in a timely manner in order to make a final decision and believe we can still deliver, even with the delays."
St. Ambrose University
Brian Boesen, St. Ambrose University's associate vice president of communications and marketing, told News 8, "We care deeply about our students and their families and understand the kind of impact this disruption is having on their college decision-making process. That’s why we’ve made the important decision to extend our enrollment deadline to June 1. St. Ambrose University students and their success are our top priority and we will continue to work with them very closely to provide personal support in navigating the financial aid process. We encourage anyone with questions to reach out to our Student Financial Services advisors."
Carl Sandburg College
Carl Sandburg College Public Relations Specialist said, "As of now, I have not heard anything about the possibility of moving tuition due dates back. As a community college, we differ from many four-year colleges and do not require a spring deposit for the fall semester. Our fall semester tuition deadline is typically about two weeks before the start of the school year.”
Black Hawk College
Black Hawk College Public Relations Specialist Holly Smith told News 8, “We do not have an enrollment deposit. Our two foundations do have an application window for students to apply for 2024-25 scholarships. It’s March 15-June 1 and, as of right now, those dates have not changed -- https://www.bhc.edu/event/apply-for-2024-25-scholarships/."
Director of Financial Aid Diana Strom said, "Due to delays from the U.S. Department of Education, our 2024-25 financial aid award notifications will be sent to students in early May 2024, approximately one month later than usual. This timeline is subject to change pending any additional delays from the department or our vendors. Students should monitor their myBlackHawk email for this notification and know that the delay will not impact their eligibility for aid or ability to register for classes."
Additional financial aid information for BHC can be found at the following links:
News 8 is still waiting for responses from Knox College, Western Illinois University and Eastern Iowa Community College.