Applying for financial aid can be confusing, and there is a lack of communication as to where Grossmont College students can receive assistance in the process.
Grossmont Student Madeline Lam said, “I thought that I applied for financial aid, but I guess not.”
While some students have a tough time applying for financial aid, the process is supposed to be simplified next year thanks to the FAFSA Simplification Act. Starting with the 2024-2025 school year, the application will cut the amount of required questions by more than half.
One cause for the change is that included a parent or guardian who may need to participate in your FAFSA form as a contributor. The federal tax information will be directly transferred from the IRS to the FAFSA form. This information will be used to determine a student’s eligibility for federal student aid.
For a transfer to happen, the student and their contributor must provide consent together and have both approvals on the FAFSA form. This requirement is completely new to FAFSA, and if consent and approval are not provided, Grossmont students will not be eligible for financial aid. The student and their contributor will each have to make their own StudentAid.Gov accounts to be able to access and complete forms for FAFSA.
Students should note that citizenship is required. The eligibility requirements for financial aid include being a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen. Once a student at Grossmont College completes the FAFSA form, they will have the option to select up to 20 colleges, career schools or trade schools. The student will receive a financial aid offer from the selected schools and compare the offers to decide on which school to attend.
While Grossmont students may or may not be receiving financial aid, the new simplified updates will hopefully bring students quicker results instead of uncertainty.
In Lam’s case, it wasn’t applying for financial aid that was the issue, but understanding her resources to help with the application process. She said is going to apply again with the new version of FAFSA.
Kili Marshall, a student currently in the waiting process, said: “They are withholding my financial aid due to verification issues on their end. It proves to be a challenge because the financial aid greatly aids in paying off any and all necessities such as rent and bills. Without it, I am struggling and barely even making it this semester as well.”
While Marshall is in the verification process, she can either choose to speak with her direct guidance counselor or wait for financial aid to be given. The new wait time for FAFSA files to be reviewed takes approximately six to 11 weeks.
The staff at Financial Aid cannot guarantee students will have a better experience with the brand-new process of applying for financial aid. However, the staff is there to guide students and help clarify questions they have regarding wait times, proper documentation and eligibility for financial aid.
The staff members in the Financial Aid Office did not reply to live requests for additional information about how the new process can affect the students.
Students can find more information on Grossmont’s website, grossmont.edu/financialaid.
