Preparing for the 24-25 Aid Year
By: Renee Stanford, FAS Consultant
As a financial aid administrator, is your head swirling? I can only imagine how parents and students are feeling. There is a common thought among financial aid offices across the country that the financial aid process is a massive headache! Albeit well-intentioned, the complete overhaul of the FAFSA has created significant delays and hurdles for students, parents, and aid offices.
What can we do to create the easiest transition possible? Prepare, prepare, prepare! While we cannot know all the challenges we will face, we can do our best to prepare ourselves and our staff for what we know is coming.
- Participate in webinars – NASFAA and FSA have created so many tools to assist us and explain all the changes for 24-25. The more knowledgeable we become, the easier it will be to communicate with our staff, students, and parents about all the latest changes.
- Did you know you can contact ED to ask for assistance? ED is providing support to schools and vendors as they prepare to receive submitted applications. Schools interested in receiving support can request it via the mailbox CollegeSupportStrategy-FAFSA@ed.gov.
- Communicate regularly with students and families – create a communication plan with regular contact. Make your contact communication as easy as possible to understand. As changes occur, we know they will- share that information with them. It could be in the form of financial aid nights, emails, postal mail, phone calls, etc.
- Build relationships – When students and their families feel our care and dedication to them, trust begins. Recognize and assist families who are struggling to complete the FAFSA.
- Extend deadlines when possible – Colleges could and should extend Admissions, enrollment, financial aid, and scholarship deadlines to allow time for financial aid offices to receive and begin processing aid packages for students. Extending deadlines will alleviate some of the current pressure students and their families are currently facing.
All of us are experiencing the pressure to disseminate information as soon as humanly possible. It is good to know we are not alone in the process. Let’s look to the future and hope for fewer glitches, easier workarounds, and plenty of patience.
Are you facing staffing challenges at your institution that will affect your ability to handle the current federal changes?
Contact FAS today for a quick consultation on how we can help you discover solutions tailored to your unique needs. Reach out at 770.988.9447 or via email at info@FinancialAidServices.org. We look forward to connecting with institutions ready to overcome challenges and elevate their financial aid and student business services.
About FAS
Financial Aid Services (FAS) has served higher education for over 30 years. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, FAS provides consulting, staffing, processing, and assessment services to assist institutions with improving operational efficiency, student satisfaction, and regulatory compliance in financial aid and student business services. FAS’ accomplished team averages 28 years of experience and has a combined 1,600 years of higher education experience. With clients in 49 states, FAS has successfully served over 1,800 institutions nationwide. The Company’s extensive experience combined with industry-leading expertise and focus on superior client outcomes, enables FAS to deliver lasting results to its clients and the students they serve. Visit www.FinancialAidServices.org for more information.
Contact FAS today for a quick consultation on how we can help you discover solutions tailored to your unique needs. Reach out at 770.988.9447 or via email at info@FinancialAidServices.org.We look forward to connecting with institutions ready to overcome challenges and elevate their financial aid and student business services.
