Ohio universities comment on effect of FAFSA changes

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, otherwise known as FAFSA, have created a lot of uncertainty for students heading off to college. Has this new ‘simplified’ student aid form hurt local universities when it comes to enrollment?

This new form was supposed to be easier for families to fill out and expand the number of students eligible for federal aid. However, it's been anything but simple.

“I would say that financial aid and students receiving their financial aid letters are a huge piece of the decision making process for students on which school they'll go to,” Michael Miranda, assistant for postsecondary success at I Know I Can (IKIC), said. 

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education announced that colleges and universities would not receive FAFSA application information for the 2024/25 academic year until the first half of March. 

This caused many colleges and universities to have to push back their enrollment deadline. 

“I think there are a lot of reasons that college enrollment might be down a little bit because of the FAFSA. But I think a lot of it's due to the timeline of the entire process and ensuring the students have the proper information to make a well-informed decision for themselves,” said Miranda. 

Regarding local universities, a spokesperson with Columbus State Community College said although it did slow admission and the aid awarding process in the spring and early summer, things have recently gotten back on track.

"We expect a small increase in the number of enrolled students (year-over-year) for Autumn Semester," the spokesperson said.

Otterbein University did see a delay when it came to sending out financial award packets. However, Mark Moffitt, the executive director of admission, said they made sure to let families know where they are at in the process. 

“I mean, we are still working with families in terms of helping them submit their FAFSA, helping them make corrections to their FAFSA, but also helping them understand the overall financial aid award here at Otterbein,” Moffitt said. 

According to Moffitt, Otterbein is currently up 12% in enrolled students compared to last year at this time. 

Cedarville University said their projected enrollment is strong, but added that to get to this point was not normal.

“In a normal cycle, we begin making awards in the middle of January this year," Kim Jenerette, executive director for financial aid, said. "It was over three months later. It was mid to late April before we sent out our first packages, our complete packages.”

According to a spokesperson with The Ohio State University, it has had a record number of applicants. The university did adjust some spring deadlines in order to give prospective students and families as much flexibility as possible. 

According to the Ohio Department of Higher Education, Ohio is ahead of the National Average in FAFSA completion rates this year but remains 6% behind last year's rates. 

“If students are still looking to go to college starting this fall, it's not too late to fill out the FAFSA,” Miranda said.