FAFSA has been delayed yet again – How will this affect students?

Helen Capote | Contributing Writer

For most students, FAFSA gave out loans and grants in August. However, many have yet to be able to receive anything even after two months into the Fall semester.

Upon investigation with Onestop, the FAFSA has been delayed due to glitches in the system because of the new form released for the 2024-2025 school year. This new system was meant to simplify the process for students, making it easier to complete the form. 

Though with good intentions, this caused errors when inputting the data, which caused delays in processing financial aid packages. 

For some, financial aid was not provided at all. “I come from a low-income household, with only one source of income, yet FAFSA didn’t provide anything for me this year,” said second-year PRAAC major Nicole Ortiz. 

“I’m the oldest of four siblings and the first in my family to attend college. My mom is a teacher, but FAFSA didn’t provide any grants or loans for me due to the delay. As a result, I’m currently faced with taking out federal loans to cover my education,” said second-year journalism major, Sofia Baltodano. 

Additionally, a handful of students were chosen to participate in a verification process to confirm the information they provided on their financial aid forms. Proverifier is the company in charge of this process, and students were asked to confirm their parents’ marital status and tax information. 

Like FAFSA, Proverifier experienced technical issues. Since then, FIU has extended any pending payments that have been pushed back further. 

FIU has issued a payment extension for affected students until Nov. 15, 2024. It is still unknown if all the delays will be cleared by then. 

PantherNOW reached out to the financial aid office director and has not received a response.  

The Department of Education is currently testing the new system to prevent future delays.