By Oliver Sicat
Apr 25, 2024, 05:15 AM EDT
For high school seniors and their families, college acceptance season is upon us. At Ednovate, a system of six high-performing charter high schools in Los Angeles and Orange County, college acceptances and decisions are the highlight of the school experience. In fact, four of our six high schools have already reached 100% college acceptance, and the acceptance letters continue to come.
This is usually the season when dreams come true. But sadly, this year, the release of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form has been plagued by alarming delays and errors. The US Department of Education has had to rush to correct these errors. Despite their best efforts, the botched launch has turned an already difficult process into a source of stress and disappointment, particularly for first-generation and low-income students. Our students deserve better.
As college preparatory schools that predominantly serve Latino and African American, low-income, and first-generation students, we are deeply familiar with the barriers that prevent students like ours from achieving higher education. The new FAFSA was introduced in late 2023, making this year’s seniors the first to use this updated online form. Initially, the new FAFSA required each student to submit his or her parent’s social security numbers, a nightmare for students whose parents are undocumented. The U.S. Department of Education has fixed this issue and modified the FAFSA so that students can leave the parent’s social security number blank.
The updated FAFSA, normally available in October, has also been delayed until December 30. This delay had a ripple effect: Colleges are processing financial aid applications on a different schedule than acceptances, as the delay in form availability resulted in students submitting their FAFSA forms later than normal.
The delay means that this spring, some students may not receive their financial aid offers until May or June, even though college decision deadlines are typically late April or May. That lack of financial clarity can make all the difference for a student and her family when deciding where and whether to go to college, especially for families who rely on financial aid.
In March, the California legislature and governor moved quickly to extend the filing deadline for students applying to California colleges. I applaud our leaders for recognizing the urgency of the moment and adjusting our own deadlines, but that still doesn’t change anything for students applying to colleges outside of California. Instead, those universities are simply expected to do the right thing and adjust their deadlines.
We work with every Ednovate student and family to discuss their future, but not all students in California have that level of support. For many students, these problems with the FAFSA have alienated them from the process entirely, making them question whether college is really for them. Recently, we learned that FAFSA application numbers nationwide are significantly lower than expected, suggesting that thousands of students have walked away and given up.
We cannot allow that to happen. We cannot let dreams be postponed by bureaucracy. At the national level, we need lawmakers and higher education institutions to come together on behalf of students, rather than leaving it to states to individually pass legislation or universities to extend their own deadlines. If enrollment commitment deadlines were extended to no earlier than June 1 for all institutions that accept Pell Grant dollars (including private, nonprofit, and for-profit institutions), that would make a dramatic difference. This would allow adequate time for students and families to evaluate financial aid offers before making life-changing college commitment decisions.
In June, we will celebrate the graduations of thousands of high school seniors in California. Getting our students to the finish line, and to the next big chapter of their lives, requires us to take action. California has done what it can, but it shouldn’t be that difficult for students to pursue their dreams. It is up to us to help them make their dreams come true.
Oliver Sicat is the CEO of Ednovate, a system of high-performing, free, public charter high schools in Los Angeles and Orange County. Ednovate primarily serves first-generation, college-bound students from underrepresented communities. Approximately 98% of Ednovate’s enrollment are students of color, 82% come from low-income households, and 99% of Ednovate students are accepted into college. Ednovate prepares high school students for success, empowering them to create positive multigenerational change.