FAFSA Problems Cause Big Drop in Financial Aid Applications

by Camila Cruz, age 16

Delays and changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) earlier this year led to far fewer students applying for money meant to help pay for higher education. The problem is exacerbated for students of color and students from low-income households.

According to a report from the nonprofit Wisconsin Policy Forum, only a third of seniors attending public high schools in Wisconsin had applied for financial aid by the end of April. This is 14% fewer than last year.

“We see that in Wisconsin and nationwide, the populations where (FAFSA) numbers have dropped the most are those who are coming from high poverty schools, are first-generation students or students of color … In Wisconsin, we are down about 5,800 submissions, just from where we were a year ago,” said Carole Trone, who leads the Fair Opportunity Project, a nonprofit that helps students fill out their FAFSAs. [Read More]