FAFSA Delays Expected to Impact College Decisions

Updates to expand financial aid eligibility cause delays, leaving families with a shorter decision-making window.

The U.S. Department of Education has announced another delay in its process for federal financial aid for college students, meaning student data from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will not be sent to colleges until March, two months later than expected.
This delay will likely mean that students won’t get their financial aid packages from colleges until early April, significantly shortening the window they have to weigh their options and reply to colleges by the traditional May 1 decision deadline.
The delay is due to updates in FAFSA qualifications to expand families' financial aid eligibility, which is expected to open up an additional $1.8 billion in federal student aid.
Higher education advocates have expressed concern that the delay will leave insufficient time for families to make major financial choices, and are calling for colleges to extend the financial aid deadline beyond May 1.
Some colleges have already reassured applicants that they will still receive their financial aid package on time, even if that means sending out award letters before the college receives any FAFSA information.