Few college admissions cycles have been as tough on students as this one.
National College Decision Day – the deadline most schools set for choosing a college – is just two weeks away. But many college applicants are still unsure of their financial situation as problems persist with the new free application for federal student aid.
“It’s a question of pass or fail for students,” said Ellie Bruecker, interim research director at the Institute for College Access and Success. “We’re really concerned that high school students have to decide where to go to college — or whether to go to college — with such limited information.”
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In regular years, financial aid award letters are sent out around the same time as admissions letters in early spring, giving students a month or more to make enrollment decisions informed ahead of National College Decision Day on May 1.
For most students and their families, the college they choose depends on the amount of financial aid offered and the breakdown between grants, scholarships, work-study opportunities and student loans.
However, this year, those award letters have been significantly delayed as the U.S. Department of Education works to resolve ongoing issues with the new form. Even some applications submitted earlier must now be reprocessed due to issues with applicants’ tax data.
Decision deadlines pushed back to May 15 or later
To that end, many colleges and universities have extended their enrollment commitment deadlines to May 15 or later, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
Amherst College, Purdue and Pepperdine are among the colleges and universities with a May 15 decision deadline this year.
“I hope that with a response date of May 15, students will be able to make informed decisions about where they enroll,” said Matthew McGann, dean of admissions and financial assistance to Amherst, in a press release. “I also hope that this extension will relieve some of the stress students are feeling as they head into the final stages of the college admissions process this year.”
Some schools also incorporate increased flexibility. At Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, for example, students who confirming their registration before May 15 will have a deadline to reconsider once they receive their financial aid offer, allowing for a full refund of their deposit.
Other colleges, including Colorado State, Oklahoma State and Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, are pushing the deadline back to June 1.
“We’re just trying to encourage our campuses to be as flexible as possible,” said Charles Welch, president and CEO of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. “Our number one concern is ensuring that we give students every opportunity to make decisions about their financial eligibility.”
Some establishments, such as Fisher College in Boston, have even extended the deadlines until July.
But the eight private colleges that make up the Ivy League are sticking to May 1.
Most elite institutions probably are “not as worried about managing their enrollment,” said Bruecker of the Institute for College Access and Success.
“I would bet that these institutions have fewer students with financial need or can offer institutional aid,” she said.
The National Association for College Admission Counseling has created a directory showing where most application deadlines currently lie. Here is the list.
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