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��ɫapp’s financial aid administrators want students and their families who were caught in the snags of the 2024-25 process to know that financial aid and help completing the application are still available.

The FAFSA cycle for the 2024-25 school year is not over.

Filling out the application, commonly referred to as FAFSA, is always challenging, but the 2024 process became even more problematic after the U.S. Department of Education rolled out a revised form at the end of 2023 that was fraught with computer glitches and issues for applicants.

The new form, its first overhaul in more than 30 years, was intended to make the application process easier, but eight months later problems still abound, and some students are so frustrated, they simply want to give up, said Brenda Burke, associate vice president for the University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

In addition, some students who thought they had finalized their forms and who were offered a package of financial aid, just recently learned that the federal government requires additional information before their money is released, she added.

“I am concerned that students are coming in, starting this fall, who will not have their FAFSA ready yet because of barriers being put on at the last minute by the Department of Education around their FAFSA application,” Burke said. “And I don’t want students to think we forgot them. I don’t want them to feel forgotten. I want them to know we have resources around to help them and to finish the FAFSA process.” 

Burke said the Department of Education, as recently as this month, informed some students who already had received a financial aid package that more information was needed or needed to be verified for the process to be completed.

“We’re here and will help you with that final step,” she said.

“We’re trying to put measures in place so they can have a network of people to help them, whether it’s the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center or the Cares Center, we want everyone to know if a student contacts them and says, ‘I don’t have money, I need help,’ there is a network to flow people to so students don’t get lost in the process,” Burke said.

Burke said she is concerned that students will arrive on campus without their financial aid in place, or that failure to finish the financial aid process will result in some students not coming at all.

“Flashes Take Care of Flashes, and we are going to put measures in place to help them overcome whatever obstacles come their way as a result of the Department of Education making changes to the FAFSA process,” Burke said.

Despite the difficulties with FAFSA since the beginning of the year, Burke said approximately the same number of students filed the application compared to previous academic years.

Kent State understands the frustrations the application process has caused this year, and staff are ready to help students with final steps, or even to begin the process of filling out the application fresh if a student never attempted it, Burke said.

“Money is still available, help is still available for the 2024-25 academic year,” she said. “��ɫapp’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is here to help to try to reduce some of these burdens.”