‘Worse than COVID’: 41% fewer Texas students completed FAFSA this year

Texas saw one of the most dramatic drops in high schoolers completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid as the nation contends with a rocky rollout of the new FAFSA.

In the Dallas area, schools experienced significant decreases – some of them as large as 30 percentage-point drops, according to an analysis of federal data by The Dallas Morning News. In Dallas ISD, for example, only about 35% of seniors completed the form by April 5 compared to over 60% last year, according to the federal data.

The U.S. Department of Education estimates show that Texas had about 41% fewer seniors finish the application by April 5 compared to this time last year, according to The News’ analysis.

Now many educators and advocates worry that the troubled FAFSA rollout will disrupt students’ journey to college more than the pandemic.

“This needs to be all hands on deck for states,” said Ellie Bruecker, interim director of research at The Institute for College Access and Success. “Students will fall out of the pipeline if we don’t get them to fill out the FAFSA.”

These declines come as the U.S. Department of Education was tasked with redesigning FAFSA to be a simpler and more accessible form for students.

However, the launch of the revamped application was marked by delays and technical difficulties, leaving millions of students confused and afraid they won’t get enough financial aid for the next academic year.

Damian Salas, a senior at Uplift North Hills Preparatory in Irving, has been accepted to many Texas universities, including Texas Tech, as well as schools in Colorado and Oklahoma. He wants to study computer engineering.

“I really like being hands-on with materials and building things. I like building PCs. I’ve always been fascinated by that,” he said.

But he can’t decide where to attend and make plans for next year as he awaits news of financial aid.

“It makes me stressed because I see him frustrated that he isn’t able to make a decision,” his mother Jessica Salas said. “He sees that dad and I are also stressed out because we’re not able to plan.”

Students must fill out the form if they want federal financial aid to attend college – which includes grants, loans and work-study opportunities. Many states and institutions require students to submit the FAFSA to be considered for other types of aid as well, such as state financial aid and school-based scholarships.

Texas had at least 123,979 high schoolers completing FAFSA by April 5. This time last year, the state had 211,346 students who finished it.

Some of the drop can be attributed to the delay in making the application available to students. The form is typically available Oct. 1 but wasn’t available until the last week of December. Even then, many experienced technical glitches, were kicked out of the platform and couldn’t finish filling out the form until much later.

“This year feels even worse than COVID because there has not been a clear pathway,” said Sara Urquidez, executive director of Academic Success Program, a nonprofit organization that provides career counseling for students from 27 public and charter schools in Texas, including some in Dallas ISD.

Urquidez noted that during the pandemic, families could rely on estimates because the FAFSA formula had remained constant. But now the revamped form calculates household contributions differently, which will likely change how schools award aid.

The new form is only streamlined for those who have “cookie cutter” households and socioeconomic backgrounds, said Cynthia Carter, a counselor at Sam Houston High School in Arlington.

The new system requires parents to create their own online account that is tied to their social security number.

“It automatically created a barrier for our students,” Carter said. Many of her seniors come from predominantly low-income, immigrant families and often live with a relative other than biological parents.

Some of her students have straight As, are in the top 10% of their class and have automatic admission to many Texas colleges. Yet they are unable to enroll because FAFSA is a requirement.

“They did everything right, but they can’t move forward until FAFSA processes,” she said. The frustration has some of her students she expected to attend college wanting to give up. She hears, “‘I’m just gonna go get a job, Ms.’”

The U.S. Department of Education officials declared this week “FAFSA Week of Action,” launching #FAFSAFastBreak – a national campaign to encourage students to submit applications.

The department partnered with high schools and nonprofit organizations to host events virtually and in-person in order to help students fill out the form.

But it’s less than two weeks until National Decision Day. May 1 is when most colleges typically require admitted students to accept or deny offers. Many students are still waiting for financial aid award packages that are often the deciding factor on where to attend school.

Jessica Salas noted that by this time last year, her older son had already received financial aid information and committed to a college.

She is reassured that Damian will attend college no matter what. He was accepted into Dallas County Promise – a program that offers tuition scholarships by partnering with local colleges to cover what federal financial aid does not.

Meanwhile, those who are already in college also are concerned that their FAFSA won’t be processed in time for the next school year.

“It’s a huge waiting game,” said Alexis Garcia, a junior at the University of Texas at Austin. “Is it going to be here in time for the beginning of the semester?”

The 20-year-old, public relations major submitted the form in January. She said the new FAFSA was a little confusing, but she got through it. Still, months later, she hasn’t had an update.

Without aid, Garcia would have to get a third job and take out private loans.

“The intention with FAFSA is to help students. It’s counterintuitive when FAFSA stresses out students and makes things more difficult,” she said.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.