FAFSA | Graphic by Issa Sarr | The Wright State Guardian
The United States Department of Education has announced major changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid beginning next school year.
Changes to the system
Thanks to the 2021 FAFSA Simplification Act, students will now find many differences in the way Pell Grants will be awarded, including less questions and new calculations meant to make the process easier. In years past, FAFSA opened annually on Oct. 1, but in light of the changes, officials are aiming for the application to be online sometime in December 2023.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the changes involve an overall streamline of the FAFSA process, making it much simpler for students and their families to navigate. With all the changes being made, there is only one question: How will this affect students at Wright State?
Changes at Wright State
Students fill out FAFSA in order to receive government grants as well as federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Wright State then uses FAFSA information to reward students additional need-based scholarships and grants if available.
Kim Everhart is the Director of Financial Aid at Wright State University. She states that, thankfully, students are not going to see changes in a bad way.
“Almost 40% of students are Pell Grant-eligible,” Everhart reassured.
According to Everhart, the FAFSA process has just been streamlined and made more user-friendly and should not affect institutional aid or tuition.
The Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) will be replaced with a new system, the Student Aid Index (SAI), as the Department of Education explains. Parent financial information will now solely be recorded through the Internal Revenue Service and may result in potential changes in aid calculations for those with other siblings in college. Concerns are being raised over the uncertainty of how grants will be calculated and distributed among such families.
Andrew Metcalf, a senior psychology major at Wright State University, does not have to worry about filling out the FAFSA since he is graduating; however, he does have fear about how the overhaul might affect underclassmen.
“I would be concerned if I was in that situation because it sounds like siblings will have aid split among them rather than receiving individual aid,” Metcalf stated. “I hear that the change to FAFSA makes it more difficult for siblings who are enrolled at the same time to get sufficient aid.”
However, according to Everhart, the Office of Financial Aid does not expect a large change in eligibility.
“If at all, we should be seeing an increase in aid eligibility,” Everhart said.
Despite the December opening date, the priority FAFSA deadline is currently set to remain on Feb. 1.
“We don’t want to confuse students by changing dates,” Everhart stated.
She clarified that after this year, FAFSA will go back to its original Oct. 1 application opening day.
How to navigate the changes
Everhart recommends that students should discuss the changes with their parents and have their Federal Student Aid IDs ready for the December opening date. Additionally, there are other resources that students can use to help themselves and their families get used to the new FAFSA, including the FAFSA Estimation Tool and the new FAFSA Prototype.
The FAFSA Estimation Tool is a tool that helps students figure out their expected aid. The FAFSA prototype is a semi-functional prototype of the new FAFSA form and goes through various scenarios so students and their parents can learn the particularities of the FAFSA process. To access the prototype and the access code, visit the FSA website.
