Written by Brad Scaggs, Associate Principal
Those of us close to the enrollment space have been following along the dizzying trail of Department of Education updates, trying to understand all the operational impacts of a bungled “Better FASFA, Better Future” rollout this year. It was not all that long ago that, I, personally would have a staff of financial aid folks pivot our policies and practices with each of these updates. Granted, that was a few years ago and these updates (or Electronic Announcements and Dear Colleague Letters) were fewer and further between back then. Now, as I look through a different lens, I can’t help but put myself back in those shoes. I must do so in order to advise my clients and colleagues on the best path forward. After all, the FAFSA isn’t just a form – it is the building block of the entire financial aid system and a lifeline to so many high school seniors who dream of better futures for themselves and their families.
Our team compiled a timeline to help understand the challenges our partner institutions andtheir students faced this year. I will admit, even though I followed this closely, the exercise gave me a deeper appreciation for our partners, who did their best to continue to provide a path toward the American dream for so
many students in the face of absent or quickly changing information. We helped them create estimated aid packages, net price calculators, and other tools to help students get a glimpse of college costs well before the federal government could provide any clarity.
Our partners did this work in the face of a changed federal methodology that meant prior year comparisons of potential aid packages were outdated. They had to run models and estimate their ability to support students without the aid of their internal systems and technologies because early FAFSA results we non-existent. The delays are more impactful than most realize, and it is a testament to the hard work, ingenuity, and sheer persistence of so many mission-driven financial aid and enrollment professionals that many students were able to receive financial aid packages.
Yet, I worry for those whom the process didn’t work as it should have. We are all about providing access to students, but some were left behind. We know this because of the sub-populations that were affected, many the most vulnerable to enrollment hurdles already. We know this because of the decreased national FAFSA filing rate among high school seniors. The Chronicle’s podcast College Matters recently discussed the impact of the bungled rollout in “What the FAFSA Just Happened?” So, in the future as enrollment leaders think about recruitment, I hope that we are talking about strategies to help students that weren’t able to enroll this year just as we talk about those that stopped-out, adult learners, and transfer students. I know I will be thinking about how to reach these students.