FAFSA delay leaves some Colorado students and families "anxious and stressful"
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid -- or FAFSA -- traditionally opened on Oct. 1. However, due to modifications made in the FAFSA application process, the opening date has been postponed and is now scheduled for sometime in December.
This delay is causing some stress to students and families trying to figure out what schools they can afford.
"Even when my siblings went to college, they knew the date," said CU Denver student Nadia Louis. "So not being able to access the application today or not knowing that it's been pushed back could be frustrating."
Louis is in her fourth year, studying international business with a minor in case management. She is originally from Burundi but moved to Denver in 2014. English isn't her first language, so when it came to applying for colleges, the one thing she did know was that very important date.
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Now, FASFA has pushed back the date for students to apply for federal money. It's something the Denver Scholarship Foundation says will have major impacts.
"This will definitely affect all students, but it will affect students with lower income the most," says Olivia Omega with the Denver Scholarship Foundation.
"The Department of Education wants to make the application easier, but in the process of making it easier, it's being delayed into December, which is making it anxious and stressful for students and families," says Omega.
College acceptances and decision days are also now at risk of being pushed back, which is a worry for students unsure of what they can afford.
"I would recommend that students and families literally just breathe. There's nothing to do right now," says Omega.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid has yet to announce the exact date.
To stay informed about the launch date, Denver Scholarship Foundation strongly encourages students and families preparing for the 2024-25 academic year to routinely check the DSF Website and their social media platforms for official announcements and updates.
