The City University of New York received a $1 million donation from the nonprofit Petrie Foundation to create a student aid completion program in response to the recent delays with the national rollout to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA program, according to a recent press release.
Students need to complete the FAFSA to receive financial aid, but there have been several significant delays and glitches since the form was updated to be more streamlined that have led to fewer students submitting it. CUNY’s program would provide personalized assistance to current and prospective students through individual counseling and FAFSA completion events at CUNY campuses, libraries and high schools.
Hunter College has been quiet on the situation, leaving students unsure of their plans for the next academic year.
“The questions that FAFSA was asking don’t exactly make … sense. So I feel like I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” said Public Health Major Jacob Villorente about the new application.
Villorente is one of the many Hunter students who rely on scholarships and loans to pay for school.
“If I don’t get FASFA on time, I am gonna be homeless,” said Villorente. “If I can’t pay for my school, then that has to come out of my paycheck, and I can’t afford rent.”
In response to the FAFSA delays, CUNY extended the deadline for new students to commit by one month to June 1. The university has also released the CUNY Net Price Calculator to make it easier for students to estimate what aid they qualify for and a webpage with guidance on the financial aid application process.
Villorente said the programs to help students complete the form would be really helpful but wants to see a policy from the school that would extend the tuition payment deadline for students who are waiting on FAFSA delays.
Amid all the recent complications, one Hunter student, Michelle Mei, has been in Albany working on a bill proposed by Governor Kathy Hochul to increase FAFSA completion rates, as part of her internship with the NYPIRG Donald K. Ross Future Leaders Program.
The “Universal FAFSA Bill” or SB8148 would require every New York high school senior to complete the FAFSA and apply for the New York Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) or sign a waiver form. Similar legislation has led to increased rates of FAFSA completion in the states that have implemented it, and some research has revealed that students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to attend college.
“If people know about their financial options…they’re more likely to go to college,” said Mei.
The policy was rejected in the recent One-House Budget Resolution passed by the New York State Senate. But Mei said students can still support the Universal FAFSA Bill by calling their Assembly members to speak in favor of it. She also noted that they’re particularly interested in what their constituents are saying now since it’s their election year.
“You guys have a lot of voting power. You guys just don’t realize it,” said Mei. “Exercise your right to vote, because that’s important as well.”
