Federal Student Aid an Office of the U.S. Department of Education’s Post

STUDENTS: Before you fill out the 2024-25 FAFSA Form, make sure you follow these six steps 💻

Happy #tuesday everyone! I hope your week is off to a good one. With all the recent setbacks with the FAFSA, there is going to be a need, now more than ever, for meaningful conversations to be had and relationships to be built with your incoming class. Do not be afraid! You are not alone in this endeavor. If you and your team are having anxiety about this situation, it is to be expected. But put yourself in that first-time student's shoes! Imagine what they are thinking about. It's hard enough to weigh all the awesome options out there, but now add in the pressure of not knowing your aid package. I'm glad I went to college when the FAFSA was on paper!! #oldage My suggestion would be to hold a meeting with all of your campus constituencies and ask for help. Have them make some calls, send some emails, post on your social media, visit some homes, etc. Relationships will win the day this year! #emchat #admissions #enrollmentmanagement #enrollmentmarketing #youcandothis #higheredleadership #higheredmarketing https://lnkd.in/ekqnNeiS

Honestly, I had completely forgotten that I wrote this and had it published in March of 2023. This paragraph is laughable now: "Speaking of timing, no one I’ve encountered believes that a new, truly improved and simplified FAFSA will be ready to go by Oct. 1, which has consequences for the entire student recruitment cycle. Every week there’s another article about delay. The group of pros I was with last week think this December or January 2024 is more likely than October or November, and that is a problem. https://lnkd.in/gpfAExk5 #fafsfiasco #emchat #FAFSA #FAFSAsimplifcation #highered #highereducation #admissions #collegeadmissions #collegeadmission #financialaid

More advice on navigating the challenging FASFA environment from Teege Mettille

Summer is not the time to sit back and take it easy. This Blackbaud post offers several suggestions on how colleges can keep prospects and their families engaged: ▶️ Stay in contact with your prospects: Regularly communicate with students and families while acknowledging challenges they might be experiencing with FAFSA-related issues. Encourage them to complete the FAFSA and make corrections during relevant weeks. ▶️ Give them options: Offer alternative pathways for students who might be hesitant to commit due to financial uncertainty, such as enrolling in a community college. ▶️ Provide flexibility: Be flexible with incoming classes, especially when dealing with FAFSA-related data. Offer deadline extensions en masse or situationally for enrollment decisions or scholarships. ▶️ Simplify the experience: Share financial resources or scholarship opportunities with prospective students that don't rely on FAFSA information. Consider offering office hours for addressing pressing questions or concerns. ▶️ Stay informed to keep them informed: Keep up to date on FAFSA developments and share relevant information with students. Bookmark resources that provide updates and utilize them to guide your prospects.

🔗🧠🏫"You can’t ask people to come back to a system that didn’t work for them the first time. Likewise, the forces preventing students from returning to college are complex and the barriers high. It’s tough to balance a full course load with a job and family. Outstanding debts, even seemingly minor ones like library fees or parking fines, can block students from signing up for classes. The processes for re-enrolling are confusing and often opaque. And some who tried college have found they don’t need a diploma to earn a decent paycheck." https://lnkd.in/gUwupYJb #HigherEducation #StudentSuccess #CollegeReturn #AdultLearners #EducationReform #CollegeDebt #ReEnrollment #StudentBarriers #EduCred #EduCredServices #EducationalSupport #ContinuousImprovement #InnovationInEducation #Accreditation #Compliance

Good advice

The FAFSA is supposed to be new and improved for 2024.  After several tries, my family had its first experience with the kinda new, not really improved platform.  My niece will be transferring to a new college this month, and after numerous attempts to access the site, here’s her take on it: “I can see how it’s supposed to be better, but no.” Gotta love Gen Z!  Keith Cartwright, Ed.S, a College and Career Counselor who has been helping students and families complete FAFSA applications for years, assisted my niece.  Read his take: “The new FAFSA format is difficult and cumbersome to complete in these early stages.  The new process doesn’t take into account that some adults still struggle with usage of and access to technology.  My niece lives with her grandparents.  Students used to be able to sit down and complete the form in one sitting.  Now, they have to send links to parents and guardians included in their FAFSA application.  Having to send links to grandparents, guardians or anyone else who doesn’t understand the form or who may struggle with technology creates barriers, delays, or possibly incorrect information to be entered.  There’s already been a delay in the launch, which means delays for colleges and students moving forward.” Let’s hope these glitches are worked out soon, and the “improvements” are still being improved.  For more information, check out WFAE’s coverage of the FAFSA rollout here: https://lnkd.in/egBf3Qca

Can you afford to accept that #PhD opportunity?   Congratulations! You have offer letters in hand and it’s about time to decide which school to attend.   But wait a moment… do you understand the financial terms? Can you afford to accept the offer?   Before you accept, you need to do what may be the most important math of your life to date: your budget.   Many prospective students have contacted me recently asking: “Is this a good offer?” Good depends on your needs.   Let’s say you have an offer of a stipend of $26,000/year to live in a basic college city/town.   Here’s what it might cost to live there: 🏠 Rent: $800-$1000/month (1 bedroom in a shared apartment) 💡 Utilities: $150/month (if you’re sharing) 🚗 Public Transit: $50/month (more if you maintain a car) 🍓 Groceries: $400-$500/month ☎️ Phone: $30-50/month ❤️ Self-maintenance (medicine, toiletries): $50-100/month   🧮 That’s $1480-1850/month in the US to live… or $17,760 to $22,200 a year. Bare bones minimum.   Now, does your stipend cover your student health insurance? If not, that could run anywhere from $100-$400/month extra. What about fees? Books?   What about a trip home to visit family? Any money for social outings? Clothes? Computer?   I know this is hard to hear: but don’t take an offer you cannot afford.   Yes, even if it means not going anywhere next year.   You can apply again next year to programs that pay more – use what you know now about how you got in, be more careful in selecting programs that pay a living wage.   No, graduate school isn’t a time where you will “get rich!” But you need to live comfortably, safely, and without worry.   Being #stressed about money as a #graduate student can lead to failure.

This provides some excellent food for thought for any of you considering a #PhD or #graduateschool. There are a lot of competing factors that must be considered before making this big decision. After reading this, check out other helpful tools on our website (www.bionavigators.org). #STEM #sciencejobs