EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Colleges in Rhode Island and across the country are pushing back their deadlines for the Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA).
The U.S. Department of Education was supposed to roll out a new application in October, but it was delayed until January.
The goal of the new application was to make it easier for students and their families to apply for federal aid.
Noel Simpson from the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) told 12 News he wasn’t surprised by the initial problems.
“What is not unusual in these types of rollouts is that there are always bugs and kinks,” Simpson explained.
According to Simpson, students and families fill out the application and send it to the U.S. Department of Education. That data is then sent to colleges to determine what a student’s federal aid package will be.
Due to the FAFSA setback, colleges will be determining how much aid students can get later than normal, pushing back the application deadline.
Simpson’s advice for parents is to try and be patient.
12 News has reached out to every local college and university to find out how they’re handling the issue. Here are the responses we’ve received so far:
Brown University
“We are aware of the significant changes related to the 2024-2025 FAFSA delays and have moved the financial aid priority deadline to March 1.”
Bryant University
“We don’t have a FAFSA deadline. (In the past, priority filing date was February 1.) We created an early aid estimator for our admitted students to give them an idea (the estimate is dependent on the information they input) until we receive the ISIR from the Department of Ed.”
CCRI
“For enrollment beginning Fall 2024 or later: Complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA.
“The financial aid office encourages our students to file the FAFSA application as early as possible to increase their potential to receive the maximum aid available from each of the financial aid programs.”
Johnson & Wales
“JWU’s FAFSA deadline for 2024 is March 1. In previous years, the university’s FAFSA deadline has been February 15.”
Providence College
“Our FAFSA deadline for prospective first-year students was pushed to April 1 (usually it’s February 1). The returning student deadline is still April 15. Also, we use the College Board’s CSS Profile to award all of our institutional grants (which is what makes up most of our aid packages anyway), so FAFSA doesn’t matter as much here as it does at some other schools. Our use of the CSS profile means we are still able to generate aid packages without the FAFSA and can just fill in federal aid at a later date.”
Rhode Island College
“Due to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 2024–2025 FAFSA would be available for students and families to access on December 31, 2023, instead of October 1. As a result, Rhode Island College immediately shifted our priority filing deadline to April 15, 2024, with rolling consideration for financial aid applicants thereafter. In addition, on Tuesday, January 30, the U.S. Department of Education announced yet another delay in the FAFSA timeline. While the 2024-2025 FAFSA is open for students and families to complete, there will now be a delay in the information sent to colleges and universities. The U.S. Department of Education predicts it won’t begin sending students’ FAFSA information to colleges and universities until the middle of March. This will delay Rhode Island College’s, as well as many higher education institutions’ ability to award financial aid to new and returning students. As a result, Rhode Island College will extend our candidates’ reply deadline for new student deposits from May 1 to June 1. This provides students and families with the time they need to make informed educational decisions.
“Through regular communication, programming, and outreach, Rhode Island College is proactively and responsively supporting, informing, and addressing the needs of our new and returning students, their families, and the RIC community as they relate to the changes to the 2024-2025 financial aid process.”
Rhode Island School of Design
“We extended our deadline to complete the FAFSA for undergrad applicants to March 1 from February 15.”
Salve Regina University
March 1: Priority deadline for new and returning students to apply for financial aid
May 15: Deadline to submit all verification materials
University of Rhode Island
“To alleviate stress that families may be feeling from the FAFSA delays, URI has waived the priority FAFSA deadline for this year. We recommend that families file the FAFSA as soon as they are able. To assist, new this year, the University is offering virtual FAFSA completion sessions for current and admitted students hosted by URI financial aid experts.”
