In April 2024, scholarship owl conducted a study to better understand the true impact of introducing a troubled new service. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) About Generation Z students. We started researching this topic earlier this year. Results announced in April 2024. Our April survey delved further into this topic, focusing on whether students had started receiving financial aid offers. In recent years, students typically receive scholarship offers by the end of March, although many offers arrive before March. However, as expected, the new FAFSA rollout unfortunately resulted in significant delays, with fewer than half of respondents (44%) having not received even a single financial aid offer as of the survey completion date. Even more frustrating, the majority of students we surveyed who received one or more financial aid offers received less grant or scholarship aid than they expected. 70% said they had not received any grants or scholarship offers. I proposed a loan.
Who participated in the survey?
In April 2024, ScholarshipOwl surveyed high school and college students on the ScholarshipOwl scholarship platform to further explore the impact of challenges related to the new FAFSA rollout. A total of 8,708 students responded.
Of the respondents, 61% were female, 38% were male, and 2% identified themselves as other. Nearly half (46%) identified as white, 23% as black, 187% as Hispanic/Latino, 67% as Asian/Pacific Islander, and 6% as other.
More than half of the respondents (59%) were high school students, and the majority were high school seniors. Almost one-third (32%) were undergraduate students, primarily first and second year college students. 7% were graduate students and 3% identified themselves as adult/nontraditional students.
survey questions
Question 1
We started our survey by asking students: “How has the new FAFSA rollout affected you?” Select all that apply. ”
- 34% said technical issues with the FAFSA website made it difficult to fill out the form.
- 12% said they were delayed in responding to their FAFSA emails because they needed help filling out the form.
- 5% said they did not receive a response to the email they sent on their FAFSA.
- 18% said they were still waiting to receive their Student Aid Index (SAI) number from the FAFSA.
- 33% said they were still waiting for one or more scholarship offers from the universities they applied to.
- 28% said they had no problems and everything was going well.
- 10% said they have not yet submitted the FAFSA this year but plan to do so in the future.
- 4% said they will not file the FAFSA this year.
Question 2
The next question is, “If you plan to attend college during the 2024-2025 academic year, have you already received one or more financial aid offers from the colleges you applied to or will attend?” did.
- 44% said yes
- 53% said no
- 3% say they will not attend college in 2024-2025
Question 3
The final question is, “If you have already received one or more financial aid offers from your university for the 2024-25 academic year, which of the following best describes what you received in your financial aid offer?” It was something.
- 6% said they received more money than expected through grants/scholarships.
- 24% said they received less money than expected through grants/scholarships.
- 70% said they had not received any grants or scholarships, only loans.
Important points
Numerous media outlets have reported that the rollout of the new FAFSA is facing technical issues as well as general delays. However, it has been hoped that these difficulties will be worth it. U.S. Department of Education’s FAFSA website Changes to the FAFSA are expected to make 610,000 freshmen eligible for federal Pell grants, with an additional 1.5 million students eligible to receive the maximum Pell grant. Unfortunately, these predictions may not be accurate. According to the National College Attainment Network, FAFSA trackerAs of April 26, 2024, only 36% of this year’s high school seniors have filed a new FAFSA, which is a 24% decrease compared to last year.
Our findings further demonstrate that, unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Education’s projections were higher than reality. Among respondents who received at least one financial aid offer from a university, only 6% received more funds than expected through grants/scholarships. Of the remaining respondents, 24% said they received less money than expected through grants and scholarships, and 70% said they were only offered loans.
What steps can you take to ensure your students get into college?
There are several steps students can take to ensure their admission to college.
- If you plan to attend college in 2024-2025, it is imperative that you file the FAFSA right away. If you haven’t already done so, please submit it now to: www.fafsa.gov.
- If you are still waiting for one or more scholarship offers from the universities you have applied to, please contact each university’s scholarship office to inquire about the status of your scholarship offer. Ask if there is any information or documentation you can provide that will make it easier for you to receive an offer of financial aid.
- If you are disappointed in the financial aid offer you received and believe you can document why you should receive a better offer, contact your university’s financial aid office for information on how to appeal your financial aid award. Please explain. Follow the steps outlined to submit your dispute immediately. Please note that for your appeal to have any chance of success, you must be able to explain and document why you feel the financial aid offer is wrong. For example, if your parent/guardian recently lost their job or your family has significant medical expenses, you will need to provide documentation to support your claim.
- Prioritize scholarship applications scholarship owl.
- Apply for scholarships at the university you are applying to or currently attending. If you have already applied for these scholarships, please contact the Financial Aid Office to inquire about the status of your application.
- Work part-time during the school year and full-time during breaks. Save the money you earn to go to university.
- Once you receive scholarship offers, compare them and focus on choosing the most affordable university. If your first choice school offers less financial aid or scholarships than others, contact your school of choice to negotiate an offer to a more affordable school.
- Always consider starting with a community college that offers truly affordable options. Don’t forget that community colleges also offer federal and state grant aid and scholarships. So, even if you plan to attend community college, be sure to submit the FAFSA and apply for scholarships.
Remember: Student loans should be your last resort to pay for college. Focus on debt-free funding sources so you can graduate without the burden of paying thousands of dollars for college. Focus on applying for scholarships and jobs instead of loans so you can graduate debt-free. There is an affordable path to college – for more information and to start applying for a scholarship, visit: www.scholarshipowl.com.