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Screens across Hunter showcase information about the FAFSA\u2019s update and available filing workshops. (Photo by Laila Gad)<\/p>\nScreens across Hunter showcase information about the FAFSA\u2019s update and available filing workshops. (Photo by Laila Gad)<\/p>\n
A line trails out of the financial aid office, filled with students anxiously waiting to speak with a counselor about their tuition balances barring them from class registration. For almost half of CUNY students coming from <\/span>households earning less than $20,000<\/span><\/a>, this reality is all too familiar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And<\/span>,<\/span> it\u2019s only going to get more stressful with the Department of Education\u2019s <\/span>announcement<\/span><\/a> on Jan. 30 that all colleges will receive students\u2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid FAFSA information in mid-March, otherwise known as the FAFSA. As a result, colleges expect to release their financial aid decisions by mid-April, with most commitment dates falling on May 1.<\/span><\/p>\n The delays are caused by the transition to the new application form developed following the <\/span>FAFSA<\/span><\/a> Simplification Act passed by Congress in 2020. The new application form promised a streamlined application process with fewer questions, increased eligibility, and the ability to send information to more than 10 colleges as previously allowed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first delay experienced by students in this new process. With all the changes, the form was made live to students on Dec. 30, a three-month delay. The form is usually accessible by October.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While other college systems, like the State University of New York (SUNY), have communicated with their students about the situation, Hunter has been quiet on the situation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fazrin Jahan, a senior at Hunter College majoring in biology, finds this especially troubling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs a student that is reliant on federal aid, I am unsure why Hunter hasn\u2019t said anything yet on what they will do about the delay with receiving my FAFSA,\u201d she said. \u201cIt already takes a long time to hear back from the financial aid office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The official website for CUNY’s Financial Aid Office does not offer any clarity. One sentence from the page reads: \u201cThe U.S. Department of Education recently announced\u00a0 that institutions will not receive 2024-2025 FAFSA applicant information until mid-March, which will delay CUNY\u2019s ability to provide students and their families with a timely financial aid offer.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yet, with some searching, resources are available for students on the Hunter website. Rather than a lack of announcements, the issue may lie with the fact that communications are not broadly shared with students \u2013 unless they are looking for it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Following suit with the SUNYs, CUNY <\/span>announced on February 23rd<\/span><\/a> that the commitment deadline would be pushed back a month to June 1st to accommodate the fact that almost 75% of CUNY undergraduates receive financial aid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Many higher education <\/span>analysts<\/span><\/a> say that the delays mean that students can\u2019t completely commit to their education, specifically those who identify as BIPOC and come from low-income backgrounds.<\/span><\/p>\n
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